‘Anchored’: Youth find their firm foundation at Unity

Teens and young adults from all over Arizona gathered together and explored what it means to be “Anchored” at Unity Conference 2025. This simple theme challenged participants to be anchored in Christ, not drifting with the currents of culture.

The weekend of Aug. 29-30 buzzed with energy, as students laughed between sessions, music shook the walls and leaders handed out high-fives in the hallways of Tierra Fertil in Yuma. But beneath the fun and friendships was a deeper call: to find a faith that holds steady when life’s winds shift.

Unity kicked off with a concert, lights off and hands held high, as the youth came together and praised the name of Jesus.

The next day started off with Sam Castro, Tierra Fertil youth pastor, preaching from Acts 27, which tells of Paul experiencing a storm at sea.

“Tell the person next to you, ‘I am anchored and I’m not drifting,’” Castro said. Then he added, “Your anchor is only as strong as what it’s tied to.”

He compared the Christian life to a sailboat he once boarded in San Diego. Before the anchor dropped, the boat drifted and people grew uneasy.

“The moment the anchor was [dropped], you felt the boat stop drifting,” Castro said. “That’s what Jesus does for our lives.”

Another message focused on Matthew 7 and Jesus’ parable of the two builders.

“Life shifts,” Luciano Briones, a pastor in Yuma, reminded the crowd, pointing to the challenges of temptation, pressure and identity. “The storms are inevitable, but the results can be different. It all depends on your foundation.”

Briones led the students to repeat a refrain together: “We are saved by grace, and we are kept by grace.”

The theme was echoed by a student panel that discussed faith in daily life.

Samantha admitted the hardest part of living for Christ in school is “staying on the right path” when surrounded by distractions. Her advice to her younger self boiled down to five words: “Let go and let God.”

Isabella spoke candidly about moments of doubt.

“There were times I prayed and felt nothing … so I made myself listen to worship even when I didn’t want to,” she said.

Michael, when asked about relationships, offered a simple vision: “Two people helping each other become the best versions of themselves while keeping God’s standards.”

Beyond the stage, students shared their experiences of the weekend.

For first-time attendee Genesis Enriquez, it was the worship that stood out.

“I just liked it. I felt God’s presence … it felt really good,” she said, adding that she plans to come back.

Roberto Urias, attending for the second time, pointed to the music.

“I love the musicians,” he said. “Hearing them now play more of the music young people like, it was pretty good.”

By the close, voices rose in the hymn “He Will Hold Me Fast,” a fitting end to a weekend centered on the firm hold of Christ. As one speaker put it, “Drop the anchor before the storm. Tie your life to Jesus. And when the wind comes, do not drift.”

Anna Zeledón, a freelance writer living in Glendale, is a member of Iglesia Bautista Central, Phoenix.