Rebecca St. James kicks off Birmingham girls conference

When contemporary Christian artist Rebecca St. James took the stage at Westwood Baptist Church, Birmingham, May 2, the lightning and storms outside could not compete with her high-energy, electric performance.
   
Despite tornado warnings in the area, a loud crowd of about 200 greeted her warm-up acts including Mobile’s Big Daddy Weave and guitarist Aaron Spiro. But the crowd saved its loudest cheers for St. James, who started her show with the hit “Reborn” included on her recent CD release “Wait for Me: The Best of Rebecca St. James.”
The concert was an added tour stop for St. James and a kickoff for the “Beyond the Eye” girls’ conference. According to Acton Bowen, youth pastor at Westwood, approximately 400 girls attended the May 3 conference.
   
St. James described the concert setting as “unique” in that it was combined with a weekend conference. Her travels have run the gamut from a concert in Paris, France and appearances on Focus on the Family radio shows, to presenting Bibles to the children of troups stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky.
   
Attendees who braved the Friday night storm enjoyed a pre-concert talk with St. James. The 25-year-old shared “big-sister time” with the girls. She said, “I want to be like a big sister, not to be bossy, but like an older friend to come alongside and share what’s been passed on to me.”
   
St. James knows what it’s like to be a big sister. The Sydney, Australia, native is the oldest of seven children, including an 11-year-old sister. St. James quoted her favorite verse as a woman, 1 Peter 3:3–4, noting, “It’s the last part I love so much.”
   
She used the verse as a jumping-off point to talk to the girls about finding their self-esteem in God and fighting culture’s obsession with physical appearances. She spoke conversationally without notes touching on topics like eating disorders, quiet times and modesty. She encouraged, “If you’re a Christian, you are the temple of God. You are so loved and treasured by God. The Bible says you are.”
   
She also admonished the girls concerning immodest dress. She stood to indicate how long skirts should be while cautioning, “Girls, we don’t need to cause our brothers to stumble. We should protect our brothers’ eyes.”
   
St. James is known as a leader in the Christian purity movement. She has publicly shared her purity pledge since her rise to the top of contemporary Christian charts at age 16 in 1994. In 2000 her hit single “Wait for Me” recharged her passion.
   
“I’ve had a passion for that a long time,” she notes. Her book on the subject, also titled “Wait for Me” (Tommy Nelson Publishers), reached number one on the Christian Bookseller Association’s young-adult books best-seller list in March.
   
“Ever since the beginning of her ministry, she has stood on the platform of purity,” Bowen adds. “She is an incredible influence in that area to guys as well as girls.”