Youth Evangelism Conference calls students to live for Christ

Last year, Alabama Baptist youth were encouraged to connect with God, connect with a friend and connect that friend to God and a church.
   
This year, they were challenged to take a deeper look at themselves and their preparation to be the one that God calls to share his or her faith.
   
Through One — the theme of this year’s state Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC) — students were urged to see that one person with one heart for one God and a commitment to living one life for Him can take part in reaching the world for Christ, said Keith Loomis, an associate in the office of collegiate and student ministries at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM). “We’re talking about calling out this generation of students to reach [their] generation of students for Christ around the world,” he said.
   
This was a natural progression from last year’s emphasis on connecting, said Mike Nuss, director of SBOM’s collegiate and student ministries office. “We’re trying to get students to make sure they’re a part of the effort to reach other students,” he said. “[YEC] helps create a sense of urgency in (carrying out) the Great Commission.”
   
This year, about 2,800 students and leaders gathered again at The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, in Birmingham Baptist Association, for two identical sessions July 20–22. A sold-out crowd attended the session held Friday night and Saturday morning, while about 700 came Thursday night and Friday morning, Nuss said.
   
Although final totals were not available at press time, he said they saw hundreds respond during the decision time. Youth accepted Christ as their Savior, made commitments to share the gospel and accepted the challenge of living their one life in service to God. 
   
“I think it was a powerful call to have a heart for God and to live for God, and (the students) responded in a big way,” Nuss said. “The impact of the decision time was probably felt most in the students who want to live their one life in a way that would lead others to Christ.”
   
During the sessions, Chris Orr and his band led worship. Students also enjoyed skits from The Dramatic Vagabonds and a concert with Building 429.
   
Rick Ousley, leader of Quixotic Ministries in Birmingham and former pastor of Brook Hills, started off the sessions talking about the need for having one heart for God. “I want you to have one heart for God,” Ousley said. “One heart that loves Him, one heart that trusts Him.”
   
He challenged the students to leave their “lukewarm, or middle chair, Christian life” to follow Christ with a contagious passion and boldness.
   
“I learned that everybody struggles with being a middle Christian,” said Logan Grumback of Heritage Baptist Church, Montgomery, in Montgomery Baptist Association. He saw how important it is “to make the choice daily to become a committed Christian.”
   
Brook Hills Pastor David Platt asked students to commit to living one life in service to God. And Richard Ross, professor of student ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, challenged students to focus on one mission — the Great Commission.
   
Loomis said conference organizers wanted students to see that “winning the world to Christ, following the Great Commission — it begins with one.” 
   
He noted that this does not mean traveling to other parts of the world. This mission can begin as the students travel back to their home, school and friends.
   
“We wanted to help them have a vision for, ‘What if God were to call me to take the gospel?’” Loomis said.
Mike Blair, pastor of First Baptist Church, Dawes, in Mobile Baptist Association, said YEC accomplishes its goal. “It meets a big need,” he said. “It gets the kids fired up and introduces them to the gospel.”
   
Nuss said next year’s YEC will be held again at Brook Hills but will have only one session, July 27–28. Organizers are still hoping to move the conference back to Montgomery after that, he noted. (Lindsay Morrison contributed)