New seasons of life can be intimidating.
Change is often disorienting and navigating it well takes grit. Grit equips you to face change with courage and resolve, cultivating resilience and overcoming difficult challenges and obstacles.
In your pursuit of purpose, learn to handle change, build resiliency, and leave your legacy.
Come to APEX!
Speakers
Speakers
Hannah Overton
Hannah Overton
In 2006, Larry and Hannah Overton fell in love with a little boy named Andrew at their church. The Overtons greatly desired to provide a home for him and “become his forever family,” as Andrew was a foster child. He would be their sixth child. A few short months later, tragedy struck, and their world was turned upside down. Andrew went home to be with Jesus after passing away from a rare medical condition called Hypernatremia. This sorrowful tragedy was compounded when Larry and Hannah were accused and charged in Andrews’s death.
On September 7, 2007, Hannah was convicted of capital murder and sent to a maximum security prison for life without the possibility of parole for a crime she didn’t commit, leaving Larry at home to care for their other 5 children. During Hannah’s incarceration, God held her and her family in His hands and used this trial in mighty ways. After seven years of imprisonment, Hannah was exonerated on April 8th, 2015, and all charges were dropped. On May 10th, 2017, Hannah was declared “Actually Innocent.”
Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne is the President of Living Waters Publications. After his radical conversion to Christ in 1991, he enrolled at Biola University as a Biblical Studies and Theology major. Having received his pastoral ordination in 1995, he served for almost 6 years as a full-time Associate Pastor and Vice President of his church’s board. E.Z. is the Executive Producer of “The Atheist Delusion, “180,” and “Evolution vs. God” movies, as well as “The Way of the Master” television program, featuring Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. He is the co-host of the television program the “National Bible Bee Gameshow,” as well as the Bible Bee’s spokesman. His teachings have extended to people of different age groups throughout America and other parts of the world. He has been the featured speaker at various conferences, churches, and learning institutions. E.Z. resides in Southern California with his wife Rachel and their five children.
Emeal Zwayne
Emeal Zwayne
Tara Barthel
Tara Barthel
Tara Barthel is an attorney, Christian ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) specialist, author, trauma survivor, full-time graduate student in a Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling degree program, and grateful wife and mother. Tara mediates and arbitrates all types of conflict but she has focused almost exclusively on trauma and abuse/sexual assault conflicts since her own sexual assault in 2014.
Tara will be speaking on the necessity of grit in interpersonal relationships and within the daily battles of personal growth. She will also provide practical and biblical help for recognizing when grit is not enough—and then, what to do to help yourself and the people around you to stay as safe and strong. Tara posits: if you can speak into your neighbor’s interpersonal relationships, internal struggles, and serious situations that require professional assistance, then you will always find fertile ground to invest in others and proclaim redemption to a weary world.
Jonathan Brush is the President and CEO of Unbound, a homeschool graduate, and a homeschool dad of six. He worked for nine years as a Director of Admissions for a private, liberal arts college, and then spent over ten years working in non-traditional higher education. Jonathan loves Unbound and Unbound students and dreams every single day about new ways to connect them to each other. He gets to work with the world’s best team and the most amazing student body in the history of the world (which is just as awesome as it sounds), and field questions about Rule 4 violations (ask an Unbound student to explain). Jonathan and his family make their home in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Jonathan Brush
Jonathan Brush
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITIES
Activities include: a wet and dry zipline, go-karts, kayaks, paddle boards, a swimming area in the lake (including a water obstacle course and climbing wall), rock climbing walls, a giant swing, an onsite coffee shop, a gym, foosball, pool, ping-pong, and plenty of grassy areas for sports or chilling with friends!
GRADUATION
GRADUATION
The Unbound graduation ceremony is consistently rated by attendees as a highlight of APEX. It’s a night to celebrate a milestone and the community that got you there. Graduation is sometimes considered as the last chapter, you have completed your life of school, but graduation does not end there. Come join in on the fun and help celebrate the milestone the 2023 Unbound graduates have accomplished.
RELIVE
THE
EVENT
SEE MORE PHOTOS BELOW
THE VENUE
THE VENUE
4909 N Morey Rd
Lake City, MI 49651
4909 N Morey Rd
Lake City, MI 49651
APEX is held at Timber Wolf Lake Camp in Lake City, MI. It’s a beautiful space with lots of fun activities to take advantage of! Whether you prefer an adrenaline-pumping giant swing adventure, an all-out Ultimate frisbee game, a lakeside conversation in the hammocks, or a music jam session in the coffee shop, you’ll find a place for all of it.
ROUGH SCHEDULE
ROUGH SCHEDULE
Devotional
Breakfast
Speaker Sessions
Small Group Discussions
AFTERNOON
Lunch
Competition & Challenges
Free time
EVENING
Dinner
Special Events and Activities
Free Time and Curfew
FAQ
All your food, lodging, speakers, and activities are included in the registration price. So, besides plane tickets or gas money to get here, all the essentials are covered in your registration price. And it doesn’t cost money to deepen relationships with other Unbound students.
There will definitely be some free time in the afternoons to do schoolwork, but mornings and evenings are pretty jam packed at APEX. So, don’t let school stop you from coming, but try to off-load your week as much as possible. Who wants to be studying when you could be connecting with amazing people?
The camp can accommodate almost any allergy you might have. Send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to accommodate you.
Food and housing supplies (such as bedding and towels) are included. Bring any items you might bring on a regular trip, such as a bathing suit, cell phone, headphones, snacks, and card games. An official packing list will be sent out to all registrants ahead of the event in August!
100% yes! Alumni play a huge part in the Unbound community and we are blessed by the alumni that attend APEX every year. The current students are able to learn from experienced Unbounders, and it’s a great way to connect with the rest of the community too!
Yes! We will have at least two shuttles between GRR and the camp. The fee for the shuttle will be around $40, but we’ll be sure to let you know the exact details as APEX gets closer.
We’ll let APEX attendee Sarah answer this one:
“You should come to APEX for the same reason you should have coffee with your friends–personal connection. In our socially-connected yet intimacy-starved society, it’s a breath of fresh air to connect with people who are on this Unbound journey with you. Whether you’re just starting, not sure of your next step, or fairly advanced on your journey, you’ll meet people in the same boat. You can learn together, share similar struggles, and encourage each other. It’s not just about college, it’s about life.”
If you are driving, be sure to arrive by 5 pm EST, so you can get settled into your cabin before dinner. If you’re flying, please schedule your flights to arrive by 3:00 pm EST on Saturday the 20th, and leave after 3:00 pm EST on the 24th.
Yay! We cannot wait to see you at APEX! If you want to take advantage of the shuttle, please fly into the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR).
Meet Your 2023 National Student Cabinet!
Hello everyone! My name Is Elias Fagerness. I hail from the beautiful state of Washington. Currently, I am living on a small farm with my parents and three younger siblings. I love getting outdoors and experiencing God’s creation through hunting, fishing, hiking, and so many other ways. I also enjoy taking apart computers and learning more about information technologies. My first exposure to Unbound was in the spring of 2022. After hearing Jonathan Brush speak at a home school conference about the Ascend program by Unbound I decided to join. That was one of the greatest decisions of my life. The incredible community that I found myself in has helped change me into a better person and inspired me to do the same for others. Everyone I have met has invested so much into me and I wish to do the same through APEX: Grit! I greatly look forward to seeing everyone there.
Hey! My name’s Jesse and I live in Washington state, the greenest of the states. I’ve played basketball, done some academic debating competitions, love connecting with people, and will always be up for getting a group together to watch a movie or binge a tv show. I decided I wanted to be on cabinet because I wanted to shoot for something large scale that would highly motivate and serve as an excellent base point for growth into life, that would also provide excellent relationships and a fellowship of sorts to jump into that growth together.
My name is Abigail, and I am so excited for you to come to APEX: Grit! I’m a Texan who loves the mountains, and in the coming years I hope to travel through the States. I have a passion for sharing joy and beauty with people, which for me has so far meant walking through difficult times and acknowledging that joy is a choice. My prayer is that you walk away from APEX: Grit with a knowledge of what it means to live as a Christian in a fallen world, and how you can combat change and difficult experiences with Grit and Resilience; both of which play a massive role in leadership. Mostly, I want you to be encouraged in the knowledge that you have been placed here “for such a time as this.”
My name is Nathan Gorton. I was born in Cleveland, OH, and have lived my entire life on its outskirts, along with my parents, four sisters, two brothers-in-law, and niece. From my first worship song at age sixteen to my position on staff with the Livingroom House of Prayer (LHOP) at age twenty-six, it’s been my joy to stand in the gap for my Church as a worshipper and intercessor. I consider myself a philosopher, historian, and lover of Greek mythology and enjoy testing the metal of my beliefs against the anvil of ancient and modern thinkers alike.
As an Unbound alumnus, I have witnessed previous cabinets execute their vision to its utmost clarity. As a member of this new Cabinet, I will strive to let my own creativity bleed into APEX: Grit as I have seen it bleed from my predecessors.
Howdy! I am Simone Lubin and I am one of the 8 members on the 2023 Cabinet. More importantly, I am 1 of 4 Texans on the team, which is really great! I have been part of the Unbound world since 2018, which was also the first year I attended APEX! I have been involved in the community and attended APEX ever since. When I’m not working on a Cabinet project or attending one of our many meetings, I volunteer at a therapy ranch and work as a ranch hand at an exotic rescue ranch. So I’m almost always on a ranch… and I enjoy it! I also love to play the piano, read biographies, read about WWII, and drink Dr. Pepper. APEX: Grit, here we come! We are planning some exciting stuff, so that obviously means you have to come and find out for yourself what it is we are planning. I look forward to meeting you there!
My name is Colton Jackson. I currently live in Conroe Texas with my family. In addition to classes, I work part time as a taxidermist and at a tool rental store. I greatly enjoy getting into the outdoors, specifically to hunt and fish (mainly to fish). Salt water fishing is particularly interesting to me. I joined cabinet because it was a group of people I admired during my first year and wanted to be apart of. I also want to help support the community I was apart of at apex, and to keep it available for others.
Hi y’all, I’m Chloe Schwindle! Despite moving around every 2-4 years, I currently live in northern Illinois with my parents and next older sister. I love playing music, hanging out with my friends, swing dancing, and learning new things (like skateboarding). I’m looking forward to seeing you at APEX, and I can’t wait for you to hear the amazing content we have planned and connect with even more amazing people! I hope you’re as excited as I am, and, if you’re not, then get ready for a ride!