A Month in the Life

Exhausted isn't even the word for the Day after Youth Congress. I'm told the airport is a disaster (probably overloaded w/Aps).

The Congress honored Bro. & Sis. Gaddy for their 4 years of leadership. The crowd reaction was...well, astonishing. The clapping never seeemed to end. Then, when he started to say something in response, someone yelled, "We love you Bro. Gaddy!" and shrieking began as well as clapping.

If this is the true national indicator then I can unequivocably state that there are few men in our organization as well loved as he. There are those who are more popular and those who are more respected, but none more well-loved.




Bro. Gaddy's message last night was one of rigorous minimalism that was, by far, the shortest evening preaching of the week. I've got to get to the airport, but here are some pix (& I might even have some video on Sunday).

Labels: Gaddy, NAYC, Youth Congress

I'm sorry I didn't get to blog last night, the internet at my hotel is weird, it wouldn't let me on. I will post more pictures and stuff later on Sunday or monday when I get to work.

NAYC went out with a wonderful ending as Bro. Gaddy delivered a fine message causing people throughout the Arena to feel the presence of God and make commitments to "get outside the church" and get their hands dirty in witnessing. What a great way to end Youth Congress 2007!

While I'm sad its over, I'm greatful to be heading home to my own bed and excited to share what I learned with my friends. I have been thinking of ways to use what I have learned in a practical way and I think I will try to get some things going in my church to help the underprivileged of St. Louis.

Well, blessings to all and a safe trip home!

As Rick mentioned, this "This Jonathan Dean guy" has led a UPC Supergroup into higher realms of praise and musicianship than anyone is used to. This is the new standard everyone else will be measured up against.

Labels: Jonathan Dean, NAYC, Youth Congress

The Line to Get in at 5:30 p.m. (as Gateway bravely sang in the GodsLounge.com tent despite the heat, which wasn't as oppressive as the last 2 days, but that's not saying much...)

For some reason, they let everyone in about 10 minutes later than the previous 2 nights. That created...

Labels: NAYC, Youth Congress

People literally ran, raced, sped to get the first few front rows tonight. These pictures are not enhanced in any way, but give you some sense on how fast everyone was running, heels or no heels.

By 6 p.m. most of the bottom tiers were full, forcing everyone into the nosebleeds 90 mins before service.
Friday looked a bit fuller than Thursday, w/few seats available in the nosebleeds. The configuration is for about 19,000 people, but no one sat in the 2 Suite Levels, which I guesstimated at 1500 people (roughly 52 suites of 20 seats, + partial rows). That still puts tonight's attendance in the stadium above 17,000.

Is that the largest gathering of Oneness Apostolics in North America ever?

Labels: attendance, NAYC, Youth Congress

Okay, I'm not sure it's official title is Founder's Corner, but the monuments on each corner (representing technology, commerce, industry, and something I don't remember) were cool.

There was a palpable buzz on the floor after "Jump Start" and before the "Frontrunner Focus" segment. Frontrunner was simply a focus on Apostolic Youth making a difference in unusual or creative ways by following God's calling on their lives.


The big surprise was Kathleen Herles, the voice of Nick cartoon character "Dora the Explorer." The arena erupted when she was announced, and as soon as the session was over, she was mobbed by well-wishers wanting an autograph or picture together. Happily, brave Donnie Willis whisked her to safety, then to the side stage for a short interview with moi, then back to safety. It was a bit mad, frankly.


Kathleen voices 3-4 hours a time, often by herself (without other cast members in session), though now she does a lot of Dora products as the episodes are on hiatus. She' sweet, grounded (the family prays before each acting/voice tryout to ensure it being God's will), and passionate about serving God and her cool youth group in Long Island. (In fact, as soon as her interview with Bro. Gaddy ended, she sped past her VIP seating to sit with her youth group buddies about 7-9 rows back.)


She came to NAYC to enjoy it as just another high school senior, though I doubt she did after the interview. Too many recognized her. (One Mom came up to me, desperate to find Kathleen because her little girl had Dora flip flops on and wanted to get them autographed.) The press around the side stage was a little mad as well, keeping a tense Donnie Willis (to the far right of our picture) on stage just in case.

Labels: Dora, Kathleen Herles, NAYC, Youth Congress

As detailed by Lyn and Eric,
here are some pix of the Viana (sp?), IL church enacting their SFC song (to the tune of the Village People's YMCA - honest!).


Trever Delano, a Texas high school senior, then shared his testimony on making a difference despite physical difficulties. I later interviewed him on the stage. ninetyandnine.com plans on publishing a full interview with him soon. An inspiring story!

Labels: Frontrunners, NAYC, Youth Congress

So a superb Stepping Team from Tampa opened the "Jump Start" session today. They had some great chants and steps. Plus, they're sponsoring a Skate Night in Tampa during General Conference! Visit their web site!


Overheard, as a youth & female youth leader passed a screen in the hallway.
Youth: "Look! That's called stepping."
Youth Leader: "No. That's not stepping, that's dancing."

Labels: NAYC, Stepping, Youth Congress

1) I kept getting harassed by females here to take pictures of hairdos. There. Now leave me alone.











2) A group from southern Maryland getting ready to board their van for their Project 22:39 assignment.

3) Two workers at the GYD booth Friday morning;

4) Gateway featured live music at their booth - an original, clever way to maintain attention (while completely alienating your neighboring booths).

Labels: NAYC, Youth Congress

Since most of the others reported the facts of the events, I'll provide the photographic evidence.


One addition to the Congress was an interview stage for everyone's favorite zine editor to interview the many NAYC speakers, mainly before the evening sessions. (That changed radically on Friday morning...)

Here, I had a long dialogue with the UPCI's General Youth President Todd Gaddy about his final Youth Congress (as President), his new mission to begin a HM church in Maryland, the
Frontrunner Focus on Friday, and Project 22:39.

Many thanks to Sarah Holland for the pix.

Labels: Gaddy, NAYC, Youth Congress

That is what it sounded like as the worship team fell on their faces God and Brother Gaddy came up. Out in the hallways it sounded like rain. My friend who was at the booth with me actually went to a window to check. It was amazing. I can only imagine how heavy the presence of God was inside the arena.

Some one commented that it didn't seem right that I would be sitting out at the booth during service because there were no seats. However, I came for work so I was more than ok with that. And tonight I was able to hear the sound of rain falling on thousands of young people who are going to change their world. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

Well its time for my final entry, this has been a great experience, I hope i am asked to do it again. But lets talk about today.

Friday morning consisted of 3 general sessions. The first was done by a man named Jeremy Foster who did a bit of "pentecostal stand-up" I thought he was very entertaining and the crowd seemed to enjoy him too.

The second session was the Frontrunner Focus session, Bro. Todd Gaddy, he did 3 interviews, the first was with a church that raised thousands for SFC, by tapping $1 bills together and rolling it up on a wheel. The second was with the girl that does the voice of Dora the Explorer who happened to be pentacostal, and the third was with a young man with a height deficiency, who was prominent in his school, and was skilled in sports(i liked him also cause he's class of '08 too )

The third session was with Bro. Rivers he talked about "us" making up the church and that we need to reach the lost, he just started a website: www.bethechuch.cc they had some awesome shirts but when i went to buy one they were sold out.

Due to some extenuating circumstances I did not attend the community event or the message tonight(I know im horrible)

That's all the info for today i gatta go pack up, once again, its been great, i hope i was enjoyable and helpful. BYE!!!!!!

I didn't take many pictures today... yet... but that's ok, it seems we have plenty on here!

Today's service was really good. The general session with Danny Rivers was very convicting and moved a lot of people. I was VERY disappointed with the people that I saw leaving before the message was over. Food is not more important than the message! However, most of the people did stay and I know God is going to do great things in their youth groups when they get home.

I was going to go to the Project 22:39, but I had a killer headache so therefore could not make it. I am looking forward to hearing how we impacted the local area though! Today Bro. Gaddy told us that 3 people were baptized in a nearby fountain - how cool is that?! Well I will get back to you all later with pictures from the night session!

I am not a musician, or an expert on music. But the music this year has been very good. And the quality of the music itself (separate from the singing) has been truly first rate. The band pit has 4 guitarists (bass, electric, acoustic and the one Carlos Santana uses), drums, organ, hand percussion, and two keyboards. But I think I figured out why the sound is so innovative this year. While almost all pentecostal music has always been piano/keyboard/organ driven, this music is guitar driven. In fact, I think the keyboards are being used for strings and harmony and not to carry the music.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

-rick

So I'm chilling in my hotel now that the day sessions are over (I didn't sign up for the "Project", I know, I'm horrible) and am now recollecting on what took place today. Supposedly, there was a comedian this morning, but I am not an early riser and would you believe this?? I slept in!!! :)


Anyways, about today.....well I made it for the Forerunner event where we first had worship which again was flat out amazing. This Jonathan Dean guy and his worship band/team have been outright PHENOMENAL. All you who missed NAYC....I'm going to rub this in....but you have missed the BEST worship services that I have ever attended!!!! Some of you I noticed responded on my profile blog below about the Wayne Francis altar call that happened last congress, well, guys, this is just as good!
And so Friday's forerunner session began with some amazing music. First I'd like to apologize
because I was not able to get photos from the Fore-
runner interviews that would be considered worth y'alls time to gander at, however, Bro. Gaddy and his interviewees were so neat! Who knew that a church in Illinois taped 16, 000 one dollar bills together to create a guiness world record (hopefully I spelled that right. LOL)

Also, a young man who's height is probably half of most us can lift up to 310 pounds??? He's on his school board at his high school. He loves golf, and
it seemed from the films shown in the interview, he's pretty good! :) Obviously, you can tell I
absolutely loved this session. AND...we can't forget Dora the Explorar's voice....a sixteen year old apostolic young lady! The whole session kept me completely captivated! Ok....now onto Danny Rivers session. WOW....wow.....wow.........to all of you that were there...that video that was shown on the screen was heart shattering...for those of you who weren't....Bro. Rivers spoke about reaching the lost....his title of the sermon was the website
"www.bethechurch.cc".....
people you got to check this out.
For me personally I've never been
interested in foreign missions......

I mean...never, but after seeing that boy crying about his brother killed, it tore me in two, I took a second thought. How can we as Christian Youth...more pointedly....Apostolic Youth.....watch this happen? How could I watch this happen? How many times have I personally whined or moped about the most materialistic things...yet these people have nothing. But I guess I am repeating what so many others have already said or you've heard said....but still why are we letting this

happen? Anyways off my soap box....Bro. Rivers did an awesome job and I encourage all of you to check out his site....God Bless!

Sessions
This year there was only one round of split sessions (Thursday) with three general sessions of Friday. The first (I got in pretty late) was Jermey Foster. Jeremy is the platform manager for Youth Congress and also has his own website. He was pretty funny and ended with a risky joke about finally telling your wife that yes that dress makes you look fat.

Frontrunners
The next general session was Todd Gaddy interviewing people who are having a positive impact in new ways. These "frontrunners" included a young lady from New York who is the voice of Dora, the animated character. Also interviewed was a church from Illinois that set a Guinness World Record by taping together a 1.5 mile band of dollar bills. A young an from Texas who was born with a type of Dwarfism (I hope that is correct to say) was interviewed, as well as someone starting a campus ministry. This was powerful because it encouraged people to do innovative and creative things for the Lord.

Social Activism
At the final general session Danny Rivers spoke. He spoke with a passion about living the church and helping our neighbors as Christians. He spoke about helping the homeless to helping those in Africa who are dying of diseases and dirty water. He called us out for being socaily unaware and sitting on the sidelines and also called leaders and pastors to not just encourage young people to make a difference, but to actually get out a lead. A very moving session and probably the first of its kind in youth congress history.

In my mind, social justice is a buzzword connected to liberal politics, but Danny Rivers presented it in a most compelling way. It is the second commandment so we should do something. They also announced a new website www.bethechurch.cc

Charlotte

The city is a record 104 degress today. Also, the Blake hotel is having trouble keeping its air conditioning working so my room has been almost 80 degrees on several occasions with 75 being about the best.

The city is a booming metropolis with lots of high-end housing downtown (much more than St. Louis). It has strong banking, technology, and innovation industries.

Culturally, it has the southern heritage with a cosmopolitan feel. On my walk from the arena to the hotel today I saw two stone memorials that demonstrate.

The first was dedicated in 1977 to the "brave solders of the south" who "struggled nobly for the cause of independence and constitutional self-government..."
















The second is a holocaust memorial that was dedicated in 1979.




Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

You are visiting me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for coming by but send your friends or even strangers also - I still have three boxes of prayer guides. :)

Youth division let me give you props for the Forerunner Focus! That was awesome and I hope that will inspire every young person and youth group to do all they can for God and not be afraid.

For those of you who were not present here is what happened. A youth group from Vienna, IL raised money for SFC by collecting dollar bills and taping them together. When they were finished they had broken a Guinness Book of Records and had collected 16,000 dollars for SFC. (I think that number is right.)

The next person was a young man from NJ who is involved with campus ministry. (I didn't hear the story because I had to check on the booth.) Then we got to meet Dora the Explorer who is a very sweet young person from NY. The last Forerunner was a young man who can lift 315 lbs. the coolest thing about that is he is a person of short stature.

I think that was a great idea and you should continue do highlight things such as this.

I am going to sign off for now - but I hope someone talks about the session going on right now. I have noticed pictures of orphans and refuges and the clip that is being played now is from Invisible Children - if that does not tear at your heart and make you wanna pray for child soldiers nothing will.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

The B Event

Was the theme of last night's 20something gathering. The place was a cool jazz atmosphere when I arrived to set up the 90&9 liveblogging (sorry, the wireless) booth. But in no time at all, it was packed. I sat close to the entrance and watched as a stream of people continued to enter for nearly an hour. Just when I thought they couldn't possibly add another person, Bro Nate Binion brought things underway for an incredible fashion show and concert with the Royal Tailor Band. RTB rocked out, and the place was crazy. I did notice that a few minutes into the band, the stream of people started in the other direction. Apparently if you weren't in front, and couldn't see and enjoy things, and humidity with a crush of people isn't your thing, you were the first one out. After that, the crowd stayed tight with people mingling and catching up. The B event was a great time, and a necessity, if the GYD intends to keep the 20somethings both in church and actively attending youth congress!!!
I hope for more in the future. Good job Bro. Nate Binion, CMI, and the GYC for recognizing this need!


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

Front Runners
So the place went crazy when Bro Gaddy announced the third and final interview for this morning's front runners. 17 year old Kathy Herles, better known to all as Dora the Explorer, came out on stage and did a ten minute interview discussing how she came to be Dora (through auditions and prayer) and when she got the holy ghost (at age 7) and how she put together a mini choir of her church friends to sing at her Nickelodeon sponsored 15th birthday party.

Beforehand she told me, "Oh sorry, I'm nervous!" And after doing a great job, she fought the crowds (literally, she was being pulled through and people were yelling "Dora!") to do a live interview out at the entrance of the Bobcat with Kent Curry! She told him she wants to continue auditioning and working on her acting, and that she is really good friends with Boots and Backpack. I know!! Seriously!!

No less interesting were the frontrunner interviews with the youth group out of Illinois who made the guiness book of world records for their SFC offering by linking together one dollar bill at a time, for what reached over a mile and a half. They intend to beat their record this year! Also, the incredible young man who may be short in stature, but told Kent Curry in the afterview that he's always looking for the next challenge he can beat!

Our Offering is going to Africa!
On an exciting note this morning Bro Shay Mann took up the day offering and let us know that this offering is headed to help purify water in Africa. Who says Pentecostals don't have a social conscience? Here at NAYC we're proving them wrong!

-rick

Every session seems more explosive than the last, and a mound of passionate worship is reverberating through the walls of the arena! And it seems that it just won't stop......and I do believe that is our purpose! :) Last night the worship service was captivating and God's Spirit moved like none other!

What caught my eye was seeing the throb of young people at the altar and the preaching was not even near starting! After a song, there was silence from the instruments and just pure worship for quite sometime and in my opinion it became one of the most powerful moments of the congress.

Hello friends, I start this post by saying this is being written from room 419 of the Wingate... yesterday i was in 326. Thats right, as im sure the rumor has gotten to you, i was in the infamous "water" room, but if this is the first your hearing about this, a sprinkler was hit, water got everywhere, lots of things were ruined. We had to spend about 45 minuites outside until everything was settled. But before this, there was some events this morning.

This mornings services discussed putting on masks to conceal our true identities, and another discussed, getting in standoffs with the devil and not backing down both speakers were able to bring these topics to our level and connect it to our lives.

I met the other members of the "blogging" team, we took our group picture today, i hope you are not only readding my entries but theres as well.

Due to the before mentioned "water" incident I was not able to attend Thursday night's service so I am not able to relay my thoughts to you. But tomorrow I will try to get back into the swing of things and continue my entries.

So until next time I say bye for now.

Labels: Hat, NAYC

* An amazing ending to Brent Keating’s message, w/T.F. Tenney, then Bruce Howell praying and prophesying over the assorted – dare I say it? – 17,000+ attendees. The crowd surge was obvious at 6 p.m., w/the main entrance being curtained shortly afterwards. A youth pastor said he had to get his kids in at 5 p.m. to sit in front.

* Expect an article on NAYC & Project 22:39 in Saturday’s Charlotte Observer, as a reporter interviewed Todd Gaddy, then roamed about taking pictures. She’ll also be covering the over 1,500 young people participating in Project 22:39.

* We’ve got so many pix, we’re going to set up a Flickr Set for anyone interested in seeing everything. Last year we had 1 major photographer, while this year we have 3, two of whom make art their careers.

* The people and arena workers were uniformly nice. The restaurants of Charlotte were obviously unprepared for the deluge of youth. Of course the urban center is bereft of eating establishments, as most cities are, but I was told the suburbs were uncooperative, even purposely shutting their places down early (at exactly 11:46 p.m. was what one Chili’s did rather than serve our Pentecostals). One Youth Leader told me he had to go to a Wal-Mart to get his kids food last night.

* Anybody want a domain named TheSearchForHope? Send an email to editor @ninetyandnine.com for details! An old Quiz buddy wants to dump it.

* After just one day, my nerve fibers are so frazzled I’m now indifferent to almost any possible occurrence. Yesterday I couldn’t stop taking pictures of everything. Today someone could set their hair on fire & I’d shrug. Judging by the numerous zombies stalking the hallways this evening, so would most people.

* Tease #1: Big interview scoop for NAYC & then 90&9. More on that later.

* Tease #2: If you missed the special features during services, we might be providing you a way to enjoy them from home come Saturday…

Pictures include: 1) A skirt made from ties; 2) Strollers were not allowed into the stadium on the 2nd night, so piled together; 3) Guys trumped the ladies w/interesting outfits tonight.

Labels: NAYC

The Baskin Robbins-Dunkin Donuts combo in the Bobcat Arena offers this jewel for breakfast.


Someone please tell me - what is "with Meat." Is it ham? Sausage? Bacon? Cat? No, it's meat. Just trust us on this one.

Labels: Dunkin Donuts, NAYC

No, Kent, Sam, and Sarah are not egomaniacs, but Josh wasn't able to make the first pictures, so we pretended to like him for making us retake the picture!

Kent, Sarah, Rachael, Lyn, Laura, Eric, Sam, Rick & the 2 Super Cool 90&9 T-shirts we'll be sporting on Friday!

Labels: NAYC, T-shirts

Church

The music and the preaching were wonderful. The music is the best it has ever been in my ten years of youth congress. The whole building was really with it tonight.

In terms of numbers, I think we may be a little off. While the building seems mostly full, the first ring of seats (the areas that look like they would be luxury suites) are closed. Normally these are filled with people, but since they aren't people have to move to the third ring. Also, the offering didn't get to my section...I'll have to put it in tomorrow night.

B

After church I made it to B. The youth division has made significant progress in the last few years to expand their ministry to young adults and college students. Tonight featured live music and plenty of socializing and networking. Nate Binion, who organized the event, came out during some of the music and said he felt like there were many 20-somethings needing direction in their life and led the assembly in "open the eyes of my heart." It was a cool event, and I hope the Youth (Student) Division continues to minister to college students and young adults.

Ni-How

Ni-how is Chinese for hello. I spent a semester in Beijing (we went all over China). The Youth (Student) Division announced that Beijing is one of the locations for Apostolic Youth Corps. This is an amazing development because it shows China is not the police-state that many think, yet it is pushing the envelope by ministering in a country where "foreign" religions are not generally welcome.

A few years ago a journalist wrote a book, "Jesus in Beijing." His theory was that over the next few years China would experience an explosion of Christianity. He then told how some Christians believe that Chinese Christians will take the gospel over the old silk road to the middle east and evangelize that area (without their western cultural baggage) before the end time.

I could go on....maybe another time.

Relatedly, during the service Shay Mann challenged the young men to go on a missions trip. Most AYC trips have significantly more women then men.


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

As I was walking around today I snapped so many pictures! I will only put a couple on there though. I also took lots of pictures during the general sessions of not only people worshiping but the different speakers and singers. I got right down front for some and up top for others, so I have a variety.

There was a guy down the street near the Convention Center that had his hair stuffed full of dandelions so I asked him if I could take his picture. The lines for lunch and dinner were all so packed that it took over an hour just to get subway and eat it. Crazy!

The night session was amazing. The Gateway Ensemble did a WONDERFUL job with worship and the speaker - Brent Keating - had an awesome message. I am going to get the cd of it. It was about tearing down the divider between sacred and secular and worshipping God in all parts of your life, not just the church. A good quote from it is: "stop, pause, and see that God is not confined to the walls or pulpit of a church, He is EVERYWHERE."

Then I went to the b gathering for twenty somethings and had a great time. I don't have any pictures of it though because I decided to just mingle and enjoy it rather than carry around my big camera. I did, however, take pictures of different guy's in cool suits since we have so many pictures of girls fashions.

Looking forward to another hot day in NC tomorrow!

* I love history, but not this kind. The Charlotte Observer said yesterday's 102 F was Charlotte's highest in 128 years. Sorry, just not interested in this.

* The Pentecostal Music Association has received hundreds of votes so far for the best Male Vocalist contestant from last night. Tonight it's the Lady's turns, while groups contend Friday night. Voting goes through Friday night at 7:30, w/the winner's being announced during the offering. The votes cost 99 cents via text message. Weirdly, teenagers are complaining they can't vote because they don't have cell phones. I had no idea there were Pentecostal teenagers without cells.

* Over 9,000 cash registrants. They're expecting a record total. Last night's crowd estimate is probably safer at 16,000 once the floor seats are taken into effect.

* Casual to dress clothes today. Not many worth shooting -though one brave Texas girl arrived carrying her dress shoes instead of pretending she'd be wearing them most of the day. (Below)* I snapped a picture of the world's longest lunch line at the Burger King right across the street from the arena.

Labels: NAYC

Jonathan Walker talked to the Senior High Split Session about identity and not wearing a mask to the world. He got his point across rather effectively?

Labels: Batman, Identity, NAYC

It is hot. I agree with kdc that attendance seems to be holding with 2005 and maybe even higher.

Split Session 1

Today I went to the youth workers session by Terry Shock and Tim Rutledge. They talked about vision, communication, confidentiality as the keys to successful work with young people (I still am not used to saying “students” instead of “youth.” (Will 2009 be known as North American Student Congress?). They spoke from experience and it was well received. They explained the importance of not getting backed into a corner of promising a young person (student) that you will not tell anyone what they tell you.

Split Session 2

The second session was for young adults by Norman Paslay. Of course, he was funny, and he passed out bookmarks with the session notes on them. This was a great idea since many people don’t have their notebooks and don’t take notes. He spoke from his experience as a parent, and a pastor about how young adults can use these years effectively.

Both of these sessions were filled to capacity or beyond. Two years ago, the young adults session was almost empty so it was good to see it full.

Thoughts

I’ve been catching up with a lot of friends and it is great to see people who I don’t get to keep in regular touch with.

On the negative side, it hasn’t been easy figuring out where classes are being held.

I am looking forward to “b” later on tonight.

Random Basketball Note

Youth Congress is being held at the Charlotte Bobcats basketball arena. Their star forward, former Gonzaga standout Adam Morrison, was seen practicing in the practice court behind the sports restaurant. This isn't a great picture but there was a curtain in the way. You can almost see his trademark shaggy hair.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

-rick
Today has been fantabulastic! Sadly, because of my struggle to wake up in the morning, I was not able to attend the early morning session, however, I was able to make it to the young adults sessions taught by Bro. Paslay and Bro. Miller (who both were actually past youth presidents in Ohio).

So here's the run-down:
Both gentlemen both spoke for the most part on the same subjects, but brought fresh views and different ideas to the table for the youth to grow from. I caught Bro. Miller halfway through his sermon on the subject of relationships, and honestly, I was caught off guard on how straight-forward he was with the group. The quote that got me the most was when he was speaking on the subject of education, and I quote: "EDUCATION IS PARAMOUNT FOR MINISTRY."

Bro. Paslay brought his view to the front on the second hour of the split sessions, and it was just as blunt as Bro. Miller. I was impressed to see how much the men recognized that the facts were what needed to be heard and with that factor in mind, they laid it out for the youth to soak in. Each speaker demonstrated a well-understanding of our "why" generation, and with fully developed sermons explained each part of what we as young adults know as life. The venue stemmed from education to lust to marriage to careers, and the number one thing that I learned from him is you had better tithe!!!!!! Both did an excellent job, and I can't wait for the next session!

More from the young minister’s session…. “The Apostolic Advantage” with Stan Gleason

“When you cast in your lot in this Apostolic lifestyle, all of Heaven will back you.”

[He told a strange story about a dog that was really an alligator… I didn’t get that one…]

Bro. Gleeson retold of a sermon by Bro. Stanley Chambers called “Will the Church Withstand the Onslaught of History”. Bro. Chambers preached the message 40 years ago… In it he said that no religious organization has lasted 60 years with out changing doctrine, losing passion, or lessening standards.

Bro. Gleeson said we are now at the 60 year mark. Our decisions will impact the future of the Apostolic movement.

“TF Tenny is a national treasure – not a museum piece – but a living breathing Apostolic mentor. We need to hang on to every word our elders say and realize how precious they are.”

“Until you learn to respect elders you will never be respected. The only way to get over the things that God wants you to be over is when you get under what God wants you to get under.”

“In the next ten years we will bury the TF Tenny Generation – the generation that I consider to be the second generation of the UPCI…. Elders are alarmed because the young generation isn’t stepping up to cast their lot with the organization…. TW Barnes said the next great revival will is in a revelation of the Mighty God in Christ. It’s a bad time to back up from the Truth.”

“We don’t build our churches on marketing or ads, we build them on conviction!”

What's your name?
Baruch Pryce

Where are you from?
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Who's your favorite musical artist?
Tye Tribbett

Music preference, ipod or cd?
CD

What's your favorite part of NAYC?
The music and worship

Anything to say?
I always love coming here and enjoying the atmosphere of worship

Rachael and I are sitting here by the WNOP booth with our laptops plugged in, blogging!

I finally got to sleep last night after my youth group was rounded up around 1 a.m. Sleep was so sweet, but not long enough. I got up around 8 to get ready for the morning sessions.

The morning session was good, with Sis. Howell. She talked about fighting in the spiritual the way you do in the physical. Standing up to the devil and claiming your school, your workplace, etc. and stop letting the enemy push you around. She was very motivating and people responded, even in the morning!

The young adult split sessions were packed out and very practical. The speakers were Travis Miller and Norman Pasley.

A few good quotes are:

"Don't just sit around waiting. Great lives don't happen like winning the lottery. Get up and DO something!"
"You are in a season of life that must be lived wisely, do not rush through it."
"What you do now is of such magnitude - it will outlive you."


I'm looking forward to the next two sessions!

Day sessions today were great, of course… A few notes from the Young Ministers sessions with T.F. Tenny.

"Old age is not for sissys”

“Your five senses are good evangelists for unbelief”
“God is committed to character not charisma or talent”

“We keep pulling ourselves up by the roots and wonder why we don’t grow”

“I’d rather have a man with a poor memory than a man with a poor forgetter”

“Whatever music you heard when you were 14 or 15 is your kind of music… I walked in last night and covered my ears”

“It’s a different age, but it doesn’t matter as long as it is in Spirit and Truth”

“I have core values that kept me able to stand with the changes of music and style”

“I’ve had to learn to talk all over again”

“If your interested in full time ministry you’ve got to study, read, and listen”

“If you don’t study, you’re not approved”
“You are what you are in the dark”

“Many preachers are more interested in response than in content. They would rather preach them to their feet than to their knees.”

“God’s held me accountable for everything I preach. I have to live it before I preach it or shortly after.”
“Prayer is dependent on the One who hears it not the one who prays it. He isn’t a powerful prayer, God is a powerful hearer.”

“The three things that destroy ministry: power, sex, and money”
“You are going to be judged by what God calls you to do, not what you actually did.”

# posted by Rachael @ 1:55 PM 1 comments

Introduction
With each individual from each separate youth group from each distinct city the General Youth Division makes a way to create a mesh of apostolic culture that’s fused with God-minded people. With each person brings an enthusiastic fusion ready to break at each session, meeting, and general get together. Question is….how are you back home going to get this culture?

The Experience
I’m sure some of you out there have experienced a North American Youth Congress. For those of you who have not, here’s the breakdown:

The NAYC was and still is formed by the General Youth Division in order to give our young people an experience beyond all others. Young people and youth pastors/workers join together to literally “rock” each other’s world being fueled by fully pumped, worship-driven music and non-watered, adrenaline-rushing, apostolic preaching. And to add to this, jaw-dropping visuals and a workbook that outlasts all others in comparison. So family, friends, and all others…..this is NAYC.

And….the first day?

I arrived at 1:30.
As you probably have gathered by now….but people travel, and they travel in packs to NAYC. When I landed in the airport, I was not surprised to see more skirts than any other article of clothing. My chauffeur stated before I explained, “I think I understand what is going on, each jean skirt represents a different city. For instance, these people here are from Houston because a young lady in a jean skirt told me she was from Houston. These other skirts….I don’t know where they’re from…..” as he pointed directly to a couple of teenage girls in khaki skirts. I laughed at this, but realized a sweet chance to explain apostolic faith so thank you ladies for representing who you are (just like Bro. Urshan’s sermon tonight…which we will get to).

The service was incredible!

I’m a lively stone, and I’m ready to rock my world!!!!!
Above is the title of tonight’s message spoke by Joel Urshan, pastor of the First Apostolic Church of Cincinnati. His passionate and fiery message struck the audience tonight like lightning and I would have to admit that by the time he was done, God’s Spirit was alive and well, shaking all four corners of the building. One excellent point I caught from the message was that as an Apostolic or better yet as Christians, we need to be dead to ourselves, our attitudes, our personalities, our characters, pretty much….who we are….we need to be dead to, but ALIVE in God!

Publish Post

So my dear wife wasn’t able to make NAYC this year, but wanted me to take the usual female fashion shots she made famous during NAYC 2005. The problem is . . . well, ya know, I just don’t keep up with that stuff.

After getting clued in by a couple accommodating acquaintances - big colorful belts with matching shoes (and purses and headpieces . . .), I began finding fashion examples in the hallways outside the booth I’m manning and snapping their pix, often to the point of weaving through heavy crowds just to snap my subject.

Finally, a dear friend said, “Ya know Kent, it probably doesn’t look so good you chasing young girls around with a camera and snapping pictures of them.” Hmmm. Good point.

Happily, I referenced our zine and all were more than accommodating.

So, thanks to the lovely Apostolic ladies who agreed to share their exquisite fashion sense with the wider web world. They are from (in no particular order) Missouri, Kentucky, Arizona, Ohio, Oklahoma, and probably a state or 2 I can no longer remember.

Labels: Belts, Fashion, NAYC, Shoes

Labels: Fashion, NAYC

Labels: Fashion, NAYC, Suits

First Service Numbers
It was packed tonight. Two Bearcat Arena staff told me the stadium held just over 17,000 people. That wouldn’t include floor seating, so I don’t think it’d be a stretch to say we had 15,000 people in attendance tonight. (By my reckoning, I don’t think Friday night in Columbus broke 15,000 people in 2005.) Considering many wondered if attendance would be down this year, that’s a superb start.

True Story
The names in this story are anonymous because it might get a certain split session speaker in trouble with one of the big decision-makers who told him this about speaking in the main arena (paraphrased version): ‘The screens above the platform have no ads to distract the images, so everything is in Super High Definition. Everyone can see everything.’ Direct Quote: “Clip your nose hairs.”

Yep, it’s not the big spiritual questions our ministers discuss backstage, but specific nose grooming tips. Reassuring isn’t it?

b Event is nearly sold out.
They came in with about 240 tickets unsold, but – as of tonight – they have fewer than 60 left!

Labels: attendance, NAYC, nose

Not only does our Courtyard by Marriott not have wireless (Hullo! This is a business hotel chain!), but the single line in each room is a pain. Plus, they were obviously unprepared for a post-Youth Congress deluge of guests who all surf the net. I can't get anything uploaded - pictures, text, nothing! (Hullo! This is a business hotel chain!)

Courtyard by Marriott in Charlotte (Tryon Street): D- and falling...

My goal for congress is much like the one I have for life. Praise God, Keep it real with all my friends and family, and just have fun!

Name:Joshua David Moore
Church:Abundant Faith
Pastor:David H. Bayer
Location:Evansville, IN

Ministries I'm involved in: Everything!!!!The first NAYC I attended was in ATL, and I remember that the Braves were in town and I hung out with a few thousands youth for a couple o' days and praised JESUS!

My favorite NAYC Memory is when I was at my first NAYC in Atlanta and I got to do all the things that make me happy in life, in only three days. Such as hang out with my brother and all my "super cool friends" (believe me i dont know how to say this, but im kind of a big deal people know me.) lol!!!, have some good church, and travel!The last item I downloaded was Mute Math Plan B on itunes.

The one thing (besides God and family), I can't live without is lunch with Sarah Holland.Even for $1 million I wouldn't step infront of a speeding train (i.e speeding=40 mph+ anything less and I would totally give the idea serious thought med school isn't cheap!ha.)

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

Experienced
1st - Denham Springs, LA (LA5)
2nd -Pearland, TX (TX2)
3rd - Dublin, OH (OH2)
4th - Buford, GA (GA1)

Quizzer of the Year - Jay Lytle (Dublin, OH)
Coach of the Year -Ninfa Aguinaga (Pearland, TX)

Intermediate
1st - Life Tabernacle, Houston, TX

Quizzer of the Year - Mikko Carter (Something-I-Can't-Spell, New Brunswick)
Coach of the Year -Brent Carter (Something-I-Can't-Spell, New Brunswick)

Trivia Time
* We think this is the first time a Father-Son team won the 2 Big Awards
* Ninfa Aguinaga's son (Sorry, no name was given to me) was runner-up to Intermediate Bible Quiz Team
* The Banquet lasted less than 4 hours for the first time since 1979. (Okay, I made that one up.)

Labels: bible quizzing

Well today started off way to early and is ending way to late!!!

I would like to talk about something that if you really listened to Brother Urshan tonight, should make sense to you. Today as I was traveling to Charlotte I was on a plane with at least three different youth groups heading to NAYC. They were all behind me on the plane so I am not which group it was, however the way they were behaving made me want to pretend I didn't belong with their group.

Here is the dilemma. I was not going to blog about this because I thought you are just tired and grumpy. Then a comment was made as I was heading to the service tonight. A girl got in the elevator and several NAYCers were in there. She asked why all the girls were wearing skirts - she had noticed it and thought it was odd. Confirmation #1

Confirmation #2 - A portion of the Scripture text tonight was going through my head on the airplane (remember I was trying to pretend I didn't belong :0) ) 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God ...

I know just get to the point. Here is my point. We are a chosen people and it can be told by the way we dress. It also needs to be told by the way we behave. Don't be rude, make inappropriate comments, not tip the waitress, be overly loud or obnoxious. I have met people who would not even consider coming to a Pentecostal church because of the way some one acted. Remember you are not your own - you are bought with a price. You represent yourself, your church, your organization but most importantly Jesus.

Now I am going to sign off by saying what I always say to my "kids" when I have to be tough like this. You know I love you right?

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

hey everyone, its the end of day 1 and so far this looks to be an awesome congress

the day started off with us leaving at 1 in the morning from our church 13 hours and a stop at waffle house(my first time there) later we made it. We took some time to chill, and then it was off to the service. After ariving at the arena I went to get my seat, I entered the main arena and I was in awe thousands of people filling the place, it reminded me of a cardinal game back home.

The speaker tonight was Joel Urshan, his message was entitled "Im a livley stone and im ganna rock the world," the basic point of his message was that we need to be like stones... just stop and let God turn us over and get us started. The message reached alot of people, the altar call was amazing.

Well gatta go my pizza's here:)

So after driving all night on Tuesday (which means I haven't slept since Monday night), I arrived at the Marriott hotel with my youth group at about 1:30 pm on Wednesday afternoon. I quickly went over to the Weston, while the others caught naps or explored the area, to catch the last of the Bible Quiz tournament. You can refer to a previous post to find the results.

Tonight, we had service in the Bobcat Arena just two blocks away from my hotel. It was exciting to see youth gather from all over the country. Johnathan Dean led worship and did a wonderful job. God moved across the place as I saw people dancing, weeping, praying, etc. There was freedom in the arena tonight! Then Pastor Joel Urshan preached and he did a magnificent job. He truly is a lively preacher! Some quotes that I noted during his message were: "we must know who we are. Don't let the world define you, tell the devil who you are" and "You're like clay - you can let Him mold you and shape you... the Potter has power over the clay. The Potter is not just a story or myth, it is the One, True, Living God who owns the cattle on a 1000 hills. He is the Sovereign God."

Worship was great during and after the altar call as well. Many people were touched by God tonight as the Spirit poured out in Charlotte, North Carolina!

hey everyone, its the end of day 1 and so far this looks to be an awesome congress

the day started off with us leaving at 1 in the morning from our church 13 hours and a stop at waffle house(my first time there) later we made it. We took some time to chill, and then it was off to the service. After ariving at the arena I went to get my seat, I entered the main arena and I was in awe thousands of people filling the place, it reminded me of a cardinal game back home.

The speaker tonight was Joel Urshan, his message was entitled "Im a livley stone and im ganna rock the world," the basic point of his message was that we need to be like stones... just stop and let God turn us over and get us started. The message reached alot of people, the altar call was amazing.

Well gatta go my pizza's here:)

hey everyone, its the end of day 1 and so far this looks to be an awesome congress

the day started off with us leaving at 1 in the morning from our church 13 hours and a stop at waffle house(my first time there) later we made it. We took some time to chill, and then it was off to the service. After ariving at the arena I went to get my seat, I entered the main arena and I was in awe thousands of people filling the place, it reminded me of a cardinal game back home.

The speaker tonight was Joel Urshan, his message was entitled "Im a livley stone and im ganna rock the world," the basic point of his message was that we need to be like stones... just stop and let God turn us over and get us started. The message reached alot of people, the altar call was amazing.

Well gatta go my pizza's here:)

My goal for congress is much like the one I have for life. Praise God, Keep it real with all my friends and family, and just have fun!

Name:Joshua David Moore
Church:Abundant Faith/Pastor:David H. Bayer /Location:Evansville, IN
Ministries I'm involved in: Everything!!!!
The first NAYC I attended was in ATL, and I remember that the Braves were in town and I hung out with a few thousands youth for a couple o' days and praised JESUS!
My favorite NAYC Memory is when I was at my first NAYC in Atlanta and I got to do all the things that make me happy in life, in only three days. Such as hang out with my brother and all my "super cool friends" (believe me i dont know how to say this, but im kind of a big deal people know me.) lol!!!, have some good church, and travel!
The last item I downloaded was Mute Math Plan B on itunes
The one thing (besides God and family), I can't live without is lunch with Sarah Holland.
Even for $1 million I wouldn't step infront of a speeding train (i.e speeding=40 mph+ anything less and I would totally give the idea serious thought med school isn't cheap!ha.)

Okay, it's hot, humid (but not St Louis humid) & I got bad directions twice, so the walk to the Arena was...well, long.

This place looks like it's ready to explode and almost no one was there about 4 p.m. The entire flavor tastes different. I expect a different level of excitement this year.

Swag-of-the-Congress: James Simms' new CD 2War4Peace is out! I can unequivocally say there has never been an Apostolic CD this hip-hop/rock with contemporary lyrics like this. Expect a review on Monday!

Shock-of-Congress: Every (and I mean every) elevator in the Courtyard by Marriott on Tryon Street is Humid! How does that happen? One elevator I walked in felt like (& nearly smelled like) a gym. That is no exaggeration!

Off to interview speakers on a stage they set up for us outside the main entrance! Tres cool!

More later...

Labels: NAYC, Youth Congress

Here are pictures of the hallway and entrance area of the Blake hotel



Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

Van
The overnight van arrived to the Blake hotel around 1:30. I did manage to sleep for a while but I feel as though I've gone through a 12 hour plane ride with the accompanying jet lag.

Hotel
This hotel is trying to be trendy with its modern decor. However, the hotel was not prepared for the onslaught of Youth Congresscritters and the check-in line was long and slow. Also, they do provide internet access for $27.00 for the 3 days. Even the computers in their lobby require payment for internet. So, I've taken the plunge; at least I'll have reliable access. I'm keeping my receipt to send to 90&9 in case they ask me to submit expenses.

After having some time to cool down, and refreshen I will be in a better mood, but it is great to be here!

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

It is about 8:40am and I still have to vacuum my car... My brother just woke up and once we load the car we will be off to Charlotte. It is about a four hour drive from Savannah, and we plan to leave by 10, so as long as I don't stop at an an outlet mall on the way we should be there with plenty of time to find our way to the arena.

I'm so excited to see my friends and just be around other Apostolics in general! My brother and I are the "young people" in our home missions church, and besides one youth rally we were able to attend, it has been almost a year since we've been with other Apostolics anywhere close to our ages .

Got to get to work so we can get on the road - see you soon! :)

I am leaving in a few minutes for the overnight van ride from St. Louis to Youth Congress. Should be a great time. See you all there.

p.s. I understand my hotel doesn't have free internet access...so I will post again when I get a chance.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

Ok so I just finished packing and I have to be at the airport at 4:30 am. OY!!!!! I keep feeling that I should just pack an extra suitcase since the ones I have packed are bursting at the seams. My one carry on is full of prayer guides. So since I am going to be forced to leave a couple of books behind (that I won't get to read anyway) make sure you stop by the World Network of Prayer booth. We have a brand new, hot off the presses youth prayer guide so please come by and get one. See y'all tomorrow!

Name: Rick Brewer

Church: Apostolic Pentecostal Church, pastored by Rev. Stephen Willeford and Rev. Nathan Reever in St. Louis, MO.

Ministries: Youth, Young Adult

Favorite NAYC memory: (1) Atlanta, GA: Visiting the Underground and Coke Factory down in the city. (2) Nashville, TN: Playing laser tag in a three story maze! (3) Columbus, OH: Watching Wayne Francis lead an altar call worship service.

Last Download: It was probably some form of work. Picture, vector art, graphic....who knows....

The one thing I can't live without (besides God and Family): Friends.

Even for $1 million I wouldn't: tele-market.

I've been one of the reoccurring irregular bloggers around here, including NAYC 2005.

Name: Eric Morley

Church: The Sancturary, pastored by Rev. Tim Dugas and Rev. Scott Graham in Hazelwood, MO.

Ministries: College and Career

Favorite NAYC memory: How to decide? Last Youth Congress I flew but on the way back the flight was diverted for a few hours meaning I got back to St. Louis at the same time as those who drove. Youth Congress has forged and strengthened a lot of friendships over the years and those are my fondest memories.

Last Download: A newly published paper on the Missouri Supreme Court.

The one thing I can't live without (besdies God and Family): My laptop.

Even for $1 million I wouldn't: students loans have a way of making this a tough question.


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

You'll get my official intro later, but for the moment, just wanted to let you know the exciting news that Bible Quiz results, ongoing as we speak, can be found here...http://www.upcquiz.com/results/result.php

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!

Ministries I’m involved in: Music, Sunday School, Bible Studies

The first NAYC I attended was in Indianapolis and I remember that a girl testified about how she prayed for someone in McDonald's and they were healed!

My favorite NAYC Memory is: I was sitting about half way up the stands with an old acquaintance and a stranger (a guy) that was with her. It was after a day session and most people had cleared out of the arena. All of a sudden the guy became serious and pointed to a random girl who was praying at her chair on the floor level. The guy looked at me and said that God wanted me to go pray with her! I was mortified, but instead of refusing I made my way down to the floor level. I sat down beside the girl and put my hand on her shoulder. She looked up, and she just so happened to be someone I knew! I was so relieved! I prayed with her, and it ended up that it was true... God did want me to go pray with that girl.

The last item I downloaded was: pictures of my new puppy Gretchen from my digital camera

The one thing (besides God and family), I can’t live without is: my cell phone

Even for $1 million I wouldn’t: drop out of college

Labels: intro

# posted by Rachael @ 2:48 PM 0 comments

hey this is my first entry into the blog, here's some info on me:

Even for $1 million I wouldn’t… sell out a friend

Name: Laura L. Jurek

Church/Pastor/Location: Formerly of Calvary Pentecostal Church in Hartford City, IN but I now attend The Sanctuary in Hazelwood, MO under Pastor Tim Dugas and Scott Graham.

Ministries I'm involved in: I currently sing in the choir and I've joined the "Majestics" (sort of like a drama/sign language team) but we haven't done anything yet.

The first NAYC I attended was in: 2005 and I remember that I was just excited to be able to go at all! I had a great time, it was the first big UPC event I had attended and I was amazed to see so many Apostolic young people all together! God did great things for many people, I will never forget it.

My favorite NAYC memory is: meeting my good friend Michelle Wilson for the first time. She flew down from Canada to go to Youth Congress with my youth group and we instantly clicked and are now great friends. She'll be attending Gateway this fall while I am at Urshan and we'll get to spend lots of time together. :-)

The last item I downloaded: was a program called CSSEdit... its for editing code for websites. :/ I'm a geek.

The one thing (besides God and family), I can't live without is: my bestest friend in the world (you know who you are). When no one else is around to talk to you are always there and ALWAYS make me smile! I love ya!

Even for $1 million I wouldn't… I'm gonna have to think longer on this one and I'll get back with ya! I was going to say eat bugs or something like that... but for a million dollars, I just might!

Name: Kent d Curry

Church/ Pastor / Location: New Life Pentecostal in Bridgeton, MO, pastored by Garry Tracy.

Ministries I'm involved in: Youth, College and Career Sunday School, and assorted special event committees.

The first NAYC I attended was in Memphis and I remember how exciting the concept of a national youth conference was with real 20soemthings teaching real practical Bible principles. It seemed a miracle at the time…

My favorite NAYC Memory is … a romantic evening on a Cincinnati balcony with my soon-to-be wife. But going crazy blogging in 2005 was pretty cool, too.

The one thing (besides God and family), I can't live without is … reading books and writing words. (That’s not 2 things, but different sides of the same passion.)

Even for $1 million I wouldn’t…know how to answer this question.

A neat development in Charlotte.

General Youth President Todd Gaddy was interviewed by the local NPR station (WFAE, 90.7) today. Naturally, Youth Congress ( specifically Project 22:39) was the focus of conversation.

The interview is slated to air on Wednesday, August 8 at 5:35 a.m. and 7:35 a.m. during their local portion of Morning Edition. You can listen live here.

Speaking of Project 22:39, I understand that over 10% of the total attendees are pre-registered. That means if you're not, you're going to miss out on one of the key moments of the conference.

What district will be lighting Friday up with these T-shirts? Why do they believe their Youth President can beat up yours?

Reliable sources tell me these shirts will be worn everywhere on Charlotte on August 10, 2007. Ask them why!

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

My goal for congress is much like the one I have for life. Praise God, Keep it real with all my friends and family, and just have fun!

Our 10 bloggers, avid reporter on all things Youth Congress, will be introducing themselves over the next two days.

However I thought I'd share a few pix from Youth Congress 2005 to remind everyone of the great move of God, friendships, and fun that all occur over the blitz of 2.5 days called North American Youth Congress.






P.S. Project 22:39 may be the most significant event at NAYC. If you're unfamiliar with it, please read here. Then participate or pray for its success.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!