We brought 21 kids up to Macon, GA, for the 2009 Youth Evangelism Conference on Monday. Monday night was a great night of worship and praise. Ed Newton did a wonderful job of presenting the gospel in his message, and our kids (and adults) were really touched by his message. I had never heard him before, and I was impressed with his sincerity, grasp of the scriptures, and ability to connect with kids (though his amazing grasp of youth-speech managed to make me feel officially "old"). "The Skit Guys" did a great job of illustrating what grace is. Todd Agnew did a fantastic job throughout as the worship leader.
The final concert of Monday night with The David Crowder Band was simply phenomenal. I'm a Crowder fan, but I've never seen him in concert. He's a great musician with a winsome personality, and his concert was the highlight of Monday. Here's a little footage NOT from YEC, but it illustrates well who David Crowder is (if you don't already know):
On Tuesday, The Skit Guys truly outdid themselves with some skits focusing on relationships. Their bit about the girl and young man with palsy was something I'll remember for a long, long time. Those two guys really do have a gift and are using it in powerful ways to share the gospel.
The morning-session speaker, Anson McMahon, spoke on the power of God's Word and the necessity for the people of God to be grounded in it and committed to it. (His opening words about how terrifying children's songs really are had me in tears laughing...but, then, it just could've been sleep-deprivation kicking in.)
Once again, Todd Agnew and his band did just a wonderful job leading in worship. Mrs. Richardson was commenting at lunch about how obvious it is that he is not seeking to entertain, but simply to lead in worship (and about how much she likes his voice). I agree. He has a real understated stage presence, almost as if he is seeking to remove himself from the process so that he is not a distraction...or, to put it another way, that he is seeking to decrease so that He may increase. Needless to say, this is not a gift that every worship leader has (or uses), and this has been refreshing indeed. I thought I might provide a little bit of Todd Agnew here:
We've just returned from the Tuesday evening session. Really tremendous. Todd Agnew has won my admiration and respect, and I think the Georgia Baptist Convention youth department staff should be commended for getting him. The Skit Guys once again stole the show with their skits on how to share your faith (I'll never be able to eat a beanie weenie again!).
Ed Newton once again did a wonderful job speaking to the group about the importance of evangelism. His handling of Acts 4 was spot-on and I think he really held the audience with his message. Most importantly, it is very encouraging to see young ministers with such a high commitment to teaching the Scriptures. There must be a powerful temptation to try to gain popularity by doing otherwise at these big youth rallies, but Newton and McMahon have both illustrated that God's Word remains forever living and active, even, and maybe especially, among the young. May their tribe increase!
The evening ended with a concert by Leeland, a band I had not heard of. They are an interesting group with a very unique sound. I liked them, but, honestly, we were all just flat worn-out by the time they took the stage. We stayed through 90% of it but slipped out during what must have been one of the last songs. Even so, I'm glad we heard them.
So it's almost 11:00 on Tuesday night. Tomorrow, we'll be attending for about an hour of the morning session, then heading back home to Dawson.
Many thanks to all of the kids that committed to the trip, to the parents who entrusted their kids to our care, to the chaperones who gave tirelessly of themselves on this trip, and to the First Baptist Church of Dawson who made it possible for us all to attend.
I believe that the gospel has been preached and that all of us have been strengthened in our faith. What a great way to end an old year and begin a new one!