As students arrived at the Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC) on July 22, the sanctuary of Vaughn Forest Baptist Church, Montgomery, filled with the murmur of almost 1,000 of teenagers.
They were laughing and chatting, chanting cheers and starting the wave — yet lingering in the roar was a sense of expectation. Most knew the two-day conference, sponsored annually by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM), would be a time when they would be encouraged and challenged in their faith.
Malory Aldridge, attending the conference for the fourth time with Kennedy Baptist Church, was looking forward to seeing God move at YEC. She said each year, it feels as if the messages are meant just for her.
“You’re never disappointed. You always feel God moving,” Aldridge said.
As lights were lowered, the sound in the room changed to the echo of students from 78 churches worshiping.
“Rain down; rain down on me,” they sang, as Aaron Keyes, recording artist and worship pastor of Grace Fellowship Church near Atlanta, led worship.
As the conference began, the students were asked to consider the word “kairos,” a Greek word used to convey the meaning of a distinct appointment in time from God, and be open to the thought that God had appointed the weekend as a time to speak to them.
Following the music, Dave Rhodes, Wayfarer’s lead strategist and speaker, began his message by asking, “Who are you and where are you going?”
Building on the “Uncharted” theme, he explained that the students could say no to normal by becoming an “abnormal” follower of Christ. Speaking from Genesis 12, Rhodes explained that God invited Abram away from prepackaged, “normal” religion to faith.
To make his point clear, he illustrated with things familiar to students in the South: lemons and iced tea.
Lemons aren’t anything special, Rhodes explained. “A lemon” is a phrase used to describe a junk car, and the sour fruit makes children’s faces turn up.
But when squeezed into iced tea, lemons become something refreshing, he said, comparing them to Christians.
Rhodes said God “chooses lemons” to bring the message of salvation to the world, refreshing and restoring them to what they were in Genesis 1.
This message of being a part of something bigger than yourself stuck with Tyler Singleton the most.
“I need to look at myself and see if I’m doing things by myself, being a lemon, or doing what God wants me to do,” said Singleton, a high school senior attending YEC with New Covenant Baptist Church, Clanton.
Students filled the altar as Rhodes encouraged them to give themselves “to the big dream that is God’s life.”
Bean and Bailey, a comedy duo, entertained the students at the “Late Night” session before they headed back to their hotels.
Students and adults alike chuckled as the duo performed “The King Meets the King,” a musical skit about Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop,” and Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
The next morning, the students returned with just as much energy as the night before. Michael Kelley’s message for them was with God, “the long way isn’t necessarily the wrong way.”
The years the Israelites spent waiting to get to the promised land seemed like a long road, just like the one many students might face when they get discouraged in trying to live out and share their faith. The LifeWay Christian Resources author and editor said God uses the long difficult road to refine character.
“God is more committed to who you’re becoming than where you’re going,” Kelley said.
Following his message, the students were given questions to pray and reflect on, such as “How have you seen God using difficult times to shape you?” and “What do you think God is preparing you for?”
Rhodes returned to the stage for the last session and spoke from Deuteronomy 8. He encouraged the students not to forget what God taught them at the conference.
“When the uncharted territory comes to charted territory again, don’t forget what you learned along the way,” Rhodes said.
He challenged the students to stand up for their faith and share God’s message of redemption.
“Will you dare to believe that what God has done in you, He can do through you and use to change the world?” Rhodes asked.
Then the students were given a response card to share what God had done in their lives during YEC, whether it be a new relationship with Christ or a commitment to go on a missions trip.
Ryan Casey, a senior from Excel Baptist Church, said the conference taught him “to not be afraid of what my friends or anyone else would think and to be fully devoted and committed to Him.”
Matt Brown, his youth pastor, said YEC would be a catalyst for Excel Baptist youth. He said students like Casey had already started to stand up for their faith before the conference.
“I think it’s also been an encouragement for them to share with friends they might not normally share with,” Brown said.
After the students walk out the door, Mike Nuss, director of the SBOM office of collegiate and student ministries, said the real measure of YEC’s success is what happens in their lives.
To jump-start change in the students’ lives, they are given a 21-day challenge.
Studies show that doing something for 21 days makes it a habit, so the students are challenged to spend time with someone outside their usual circle or share an encouraging song with a friend.
While most students left YEC with a fresh commitment to tell God’s story, others left with a new story to tell — 94 students made first-time professions of faith.
“Don’t forget what God has done,” Rhodes said. “Keep telling the story.”
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