Alabama kids hear the ‘Truth’

Nearly 2,200 students and youth workers gathered in Boutwell Auditorium, Birmingham, Jan. 19–20 for the Student Life Conference. The Birmingham event kicked off a 13-weekend tour for the Birmingham-based ministry for youth and youth leaders.
   
Voddie Baucham, founder of Voddie Baucham Ministries and associate teaching pastor of Sagemont Church in Houston, Texas, was the speaker. Christian worship artist Chris Tomlin led the music portion of the services. Under the theme “Nothing But the Truth,” sermon topics covered “The Truth About Truth,” “The Truth About Scripture” and “The Truth About Jesus.”
   
“Truth is that which corresponds to reality,” Baucham explained. “Our understanding of the truth may change, but the truth does not change.”
   
Lauren Woodlief, marketing coordinator at Student Life and a member of The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, said the topic of truth was a natural choice that came as a direct result of the speaker “feeling the need to communicate that message.”
   
Bradley Holliday, a member of Northport Baptist Church, Northport, said his understanding of truth increased as a result of the conference. “I know more about truth than I did before,” he said.
   
Melody Maier is a member of Glenwood Baptist Church, Prattville. “I only believe in absolute truth,” she said. “There is no other truth.”
   
Ginny Fillingim, children’s minister at First Baptist Church, Wetumpka, took a group from her church. It was the first time her youth group has attended the conference. She said the youth minister decided to take students to this particular conference because “they have a high quality of worship, and that makes a big difference.”
   
Many of the youth from First, Wetumpka, were either new Christians or had just rededicated their lives to Christ.
   
“It helped to encourage them to not be ashamed to share their faith with their friends,” Fillingim said. She described Baucham as “a very powerful speaker who told it like it was.”
   
The Student Life student ministries group used a variety of media to convey the message of truth.
Mike Stephens is a member of The Church at Brook Hills and travels the conference tour as an actor with All Things to All People, the drama team of Student Life. He said of the team, “Our heartbeat is communicating God’s work through a media which we love so much. Drama completes the worship.” He noted the effectiveness of students being able to identify with a character on stage and seeing God work through that character’s life.
   
The drama portion of the sessions had a deep impact on the youth.
   
“The drama helps me to better view our relationship with God as me being the child,” Maier said. “God is the Father, and we are the weak children.”
   
Stephens echoed the voices of many members of the Student Life staff: “Our mission is to allow God to use us as tools to bring glory to Himself.”
   
“There are a lot of options to choose from in youth conferences now,” Fillingim said, “but if people haven’t gone to the Student Life conference, they need to give it a try.”
   
Student Life was started in 1993 by Randy Hall, and its mission is “to help youth ministers and youth leaders create meaningful and life-changing experiences for teenagers.”
   
This is the fifth consecutive year for Student Life conference tours to be held.