Youth Rally: Trash & Consequences

Last night was our area wide Youth Rally. I have to say, it was the first time I've been in the position of hosting something like it. The theme was Trash & Consequences. I was a little nervous about this theme at first, but I had no reason to be nervous. It was a great message. I'm glad I didn't try to change it back when we were planning - that would have been a bad decision.

I honestly didn't know what to expect. I had been told that the last couple years were ok, nothing special. So I wanted to make sure, from the beginning, that this one was the best we could do - not just something to do. Well, all the youth coaches that pulled it together did better than good. It was phenomenal! I was shocked (is it okay for me to say that about something we hosted) at how well it flowed and how the students responded.

We were not sure what to expect with a turnout, but we had more than we were thinking. Even had enough food to feed everyone :). The "food staff" had some trash (not real trash, that would be sick)and trashbags on the tables for decoration. They also served the food out of new trash cans. It was fun and helped add some atmosphere.

The band did a great job, despite the hiccups we faced trying to set everything up. The drama was a homerun (we don't do enough drama around our church). Message was on target and emphasized the theme very well.

Overall, it was an encouraging night. I wouldn't want to do it every week, but I'm pumped to do it more than once a year. I got to talk with a few of the area youth workers and we're going to start working on getting some more area wide events going this year - exciting. I was told that a few people have called the church today to express their excitement about the event and to encourage us.

What I'm most excited about is the response from the students about the "trash" in their life. May they leave their trash with God and let Him clean them up. That's why we did it, life change.