FAIRHOPE, Ala.– On Friday, January 23, students in grades 6-12 met in the foyer of Fairhope United Methodist Church [FUMC] before heading to the gymnasium, kicking off the 2026 Discovery Weekend.

Lasting from Friday night to Sunday morning, Discovery Weekend is an annual event where middle schoolers have a group sleepover at the church and high school volunteers are granted the opportunity to guide them in their faith.

Starting off Discovery, students were selected to play a variant of games. Some of the games included were the “Twin Game,” where they walked around the chairs in the gymnasium and tried to find another person they had something in common with. This was followed by a game where, in a team of two, one person tried to land cheese balls onto the other person’s head, covered with shaving cream. The person who landed the most cheese balls on their partner’s head won the game. A multitude of high school students participated in these games, easing the tension on a new experience for first-time middle schoolers.

“The idea is that the weekend is for middle schoolers, run by high schoolers, and supported by the church as a whole,” said Miles Barnhardt, Youth Minister at Fairhope United Methodist Church. “This weekend gives a sense of agency and purpose for older students to take charge in their own ministry.”

Alexis Naomi Worship, a traveling gospel group originating in Tennessee, led worship for Discovery 2026 on the stage in the gymnasium. With a projector above the stage, kids followed along as they sang. High schoolers leaned onto others on each side of the audience, leading their peers to enjoy themselves, soak up the words being sung and to sing along.

Straight after worship, Jackson Strunk, Fairhope High School sophomore, led the group discussion with his speech “Come to Me.” Strunk recited Matthew 1-20 from the New Testament, and elaborated on the constant pressure of day-to-day life, along with the relativity of these verses every day. Strunk talked about the influence of stress, the work to life balance and how it can influence faith.

“Following Jesus isn’t always easy, but he offers a life not defined by stress as of constant pressure. He offers grace, peace and freedom,” Strunk said, cited from “Come to Me.” “No matter what challenges we face, we are never alone.”

FUMC’s Drama Team followed up Strunk’s speech with an AMC movie opening sequence, prior to a movie theatre skit. The skit opened with a couple sitting on opposite ends of one row, with them conveying messages to one another by sending it down the line in a telephone-esque style.

Following the skits, Discovery groups were created. Made up of one adult, half high school leaders, and half middle schoolers. People were randomly selected to be in each group, and they did a variant of activities such as group games and crafts.

Night one of Discovery Weekend ended around 10:30 p.m. on January 23, 2026, with evening prayer. Middle schoolers spent the night at church while high schoolers stayed in a church member’s home, giving them all a good night’s rest in preparation for their 7 a.m. sharp awakening on both Saturday and Sunday.