Cover Story for August 25, 2005
Almost 3,300 youth gathered in Richmond Aug. 4-5 for the 16th annual Youth Evangelism Conference.
This year's theme, “Be a Revolution,” encouraged the teens to seek radical change as followers of Christ and make a difference in the world.
“When I was a teenager, one of the top selling music recordings of the day was Revolution 1 by the Beatles off of their infamous White album,” said Ken Dibble, who coordinates the event for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. “The words of this song seemed to strike a chord in the hearts of a young generation striving for radical change in our society and in the world. John Lennon wrote, ‘You say you want a revolution, well you know, we all want to change the world.' I don't think Lennon had the intent of Jesus' message in mind when he wrote these words, but I think they ring true to the heart of Jesus' call on all of his followers. We all want to change the world, but how many of us really do?
“At the heart of the word ‘revolution' is a sudden, radical, or complete change,” said Dibble. “That's what a relationship with Jesus Christ is all about-change. The very essence of a personal relationship with Christ means you have changed.”
Seeking that transformed life were 91 participants who professed faith in Christ during the conference. Another 164 committed their lives to full-time Christian service and about 1,000 made rededications of faith.
Buster Soaries, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Lincoln Gardens, N.J., was keynote speaker for the conference. Music leaders were Shane Barnard and Shane Everett, praise and worship musicians from Texas, as well as the David Crowder Band and Mercy Me.
In addition to worship sessions, participants spent one day at King's Dominion amusement park and another day involved in mission projects in the Richmond area.
“This year's theme was about recognizing the need for every follower of Christ to realize that a radical change in our lives needs to take place in order to impact the world for Christ,” said Dibble. “A personal revolution can empower one to make a difference in his or her world, one person at a time.
“YEC was two days of fun, music, inspirational worship and messages designed to expose non-Christian students to the saving power of Christ's love,” he said. “The message of Jesus Christ was shared clearly so those who did not have a relationship with Christ could take advantage of the opportunity to respond to his invitation of love and follow him. It also was designed to strengthen Christian students in their faith and challenge them to become a part of a real revolution.”
Special to the Herald