Belonging to God
Youth Revolution draws 900 to Columbia for three days of worship, learning
By Jessica Brodie
Roughly 900 teens descended upon the Township Auditorium in Columbia Jan. 24-26 for the conference’s annual youth Revolution spiritual retreat.
A life-changing weekend of worship and spiritual growth led by the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church and South Carolina Ministries with Young People, Revolution started in 2010 to provide a way for young people in South Carolina to have a powerful encounter with Jesus.
Fifteen years later, the event is still thriving, responsible for bringing hundreds of youth to Christ and, for some, cementing a call to vocational ministry.
“It was great,” Chris Lynch said, summing up the chock-full three days of worship, teaching, preaching and praise filling both the auditorium and those who participated.
Dr. Stephanie Moore Hand served as this year’s keynote speaker, sharing a message about what it means to belong to the family of believers. The “Belong” theme for the weekend is based on Ephesians 2:13, which explores how we belong to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us.
Hand, an author and consultant who serves as a conference vitality strategist and cross-multicultural/multiethnic consultant within the Western North Carolina Conference of the UMC, kicked off the Friday night session with a strong word on godly friends, God’s grace and the importance of forgiveness even in the hurt and pain. Drawing from Jesus’s parable of the prodigal son, Hand shared how Jesus had a way of pouring into both his “friends and frenemies,” ultimately underscoring the powerful message God has for us about his boundless grace and mercy.
“God’s grace is sufficient, and his love for us makes us belong to his family,” Hand shared as teens listened hard.
As she closed the first session, she posed three questions for all to consider throughout the weekend: Who have you hurt that you need to apologize to? Who hurt you that you have to forgive? And who do you know is hurting who you have to walk alongside?
Punctuating her messages were performances by the Claflin University DREAM Gospel Choir, whose praise songs had the crowd on their feet all weekend.
Lynch said the weekend exceeded his expectations, and he lifted up the Revolution design team that works all year to produce the transformative event.
One of the highlights of the weekend is the call to ministry, which comes toward the end. Those youth feeling a nudge toward a call are encouraged to come forward and receive resources and guidance from leaders.
“I don’t remember there ever being a larger response to the call to ministry,” Lynch noted, describing how the massive crowd of youth could barely fit onstage together. “It’s always cool to see God show up in ways you don’t expect.”
Bishop Leonard Fairley led communion, and other UMC leaders were on hand to help serve as well as pray with youth who desired.
“It’s all just a reminder that the future is still bright in the midst of everything going on in the denomination,” Lynch said.
In addition to worship and teaching, plenty of moments of fun were held throughout the weekend, including performances from various youth groups. Union UMC, Irmo’s, Leaps of Faith Dance Ministry performed, as did a youth talent praise band and the praise team from Trinity UMC, Blythewood, hitting the stage to give glory to God. Plenty of swag and games rounded out the fun.
For more, see http://scmyp.org/revolution.