KANSAS CITY, Mo—Hundreds gathered from the Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College community for the annual Fall Festival on November 1. Themed “Game Night,” the evening featured an array of attractions inspired by classic board games and concluded with the Spurgeon Knights Men’s Basketball home opener.
“Fall Festival was, once again, a great success,” said President Jason Allen. “It is always encouraging to gather together to fellowship, play games, enjoy good food, and then watch the Spurgeon Knights basketball team. I want to offer a special word of thanks to Tim Adams and everyone who serves in Student Life and Events for making it such a memorable night.”
Held every year near the midpoint of the fall semester, Fall Festival offers students, faculty, and their families a break from the busy fall semester to enjoy fellowship and seasonal fun. The free event also draws local ministry leaders and church members from the broader community.
“Fall Festival brings a moment of levity to a semester of hard work and diligent study,” said Tim Adams, director of Student Life and Events at Midwestern Seminary. “To have a break for an evening of joy and laughter as a community is both good for the soul and good for our academic endeavors.”
The evening featured annual favorites such as carnival rides, a trackless train, a costume contest, and inflatables for kids. Local vendors provided a variety of free dinner and dessert options, including coffee drinks made to order by Waypoint Coffee Co.
A special feature of this year’s Fall Festival was its Game Night theme. The theme added a unique spin to the night’s attractions, which included life-sized versions of board games such as Twister, Scrabble, and Guess Who. Created especially for the event, the Guess Who game featured characters inspired by Midwestern Seminary faculty and staff.
Adams said, “The theme brings a fun wrinkle to every Fall Festival that keeps our students guessing and builds the excitement for Fall Festival. It makes the event that much more fun to plan, too!”
The addition of a theme to Fall Festival began with space-inspired “Moonwalk” in 2023. Adams shared, “We have students on campus for a handful of years while they study here, so the development of the theme was out of a desire for students to have a unique experience at every Fall Festival.”
First-year Spurgeon College student Ezekiel Byers reflected on his experience at Fall Festival, saying, “It was great! The theme was very clever, and I enjoyed playing the different board games with my friends.”
He went on to say, “Campus life has been really great at Spurgeon College. With events like Meet on the Lawn and Fall Festival, there is always something fun to be at.” Highlighting the close-knit community on campus, he added, “As an athlete, I have really enjoyed getting to know the athletes from other teams, like the soccer and volleyball teams.”
Byers plays for the Men’s Basketball team and is pursuing a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. He offered advice to future students for making the most of their experience, saying, “I would encourage students to get out of their dorms and get out of their shells. Go to the event, and then approach people and make new friends! Building community does not happen by accident.”
Adams also noted the value of Fall Festival for building community among seminary families.
He shared, “My hope is that our events model healthy community for our students preparing for ministry careers. I hope they see the joy and the excellence in which our team seeks to execute events. If our students see community modeled in this manner, it prayerfully sets them up for success in their future local church communities.”
Immediately after Fall Festival, the seminary and college community gathered in the Mathena Student Center to watch as Spurgeon College hosted the Men’s Basketball opener for the 2024–25 season.
The Spurgeon Knights secured victory against Central Christian College of the Bible with a final score of 113-103. On Monday following the game, sophomore Jack Chamberlin was announced the NCCAA Division II National Student Athlete of the Week for Men’s Basketball. He scored 23 points, contributed 16 rebounds, and made 10 of 16 attempted field goals during Friday’s game.
To learn more about Spurgeon Knights basketball, click here.
To see photos from Fall Festival, click here.
