2010 National Youth Conference, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

by Danny Conn, NYC Director

The 2010 National Youth Conference was marked with numerous milestones. These milestones began several weeks before the conference when a record 103 teens participated in Truth and Peace Leadership Conference.

The students met on the Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College campus for 10 days of intensive leadership training before serving as conference staff. The experience equips participants to be more effective leaders and more faithful to God. To learn more about opportunities for the 2011 Truth and Peace conference, visit www.verticalthree.com.

The Youth Evangelistic Team led worship at teen services for the first time this year. The talented high schoolers demonstrated that teens can enjoy an active role in ministry.

Monday evening, the team performed their final program, ending a 2,500-mile tour of ministry to mission churches in cooperation with Home Missions. The 2011 YET tour will include mission churches in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

NYC attendees celebrated the arrival of the historic Go 10 Walk for the World on Tuesday evening, as several hundred participants ended their walk in the convention center. They were the first to hear that the $500,000 goal had been surpassed. They also heard from veteran missionary Carlisle Hanna and witnessed the commissioning of new missionaries.

Tuesday evening, the teen worship service topped 2,000 in attendance, with an additional 800 in the children’s worship services. Overall, NYC registered 4,119, reaching near-record attendance.

Later that evening more than 2,300 students and adults enjoyed the high-energy humor of Tim Hawkins as he entertained them with humorous parodies of popular songs and other comedy.

Entries were down slightly in the Bible Competition and Music and Arts Festival with 887 entries. Conference attendance, however, is holding strong. Free Will Baptist colleges offered $115,000 in scholarships this year to competition winners.

The 2010 Revised Competition Guidelines and Bible Competition Study Packs are now available at 800-877-7030 or from www.randallhouse.com.

Another important element of the National Youth Conference is Reach That Guy. Five hundred-eight volunteers contributed 2,905 hours of community service through 21 local organizations and ministries. Ninety-four units of blood were also collected.

Numbers and statistics cannot adequately describe the impact of the 2010 National Youth Conference. The emphasis on being witnesses for Christ wherever will produce eternal results. Join the conference next year in Charlotte, North Carolina, and learn about John Weaver’s unique work in Afghanistan. The theme for 2011 will be Awaken, based on Romans 13:11.

NYC At-a-Glance

Registration
Attendees................................................2,165
Child Attendees..........................................136
Grades 1-3.................................................297
Grades 4-6.................................................367
Grades 7-12...............................................883
Preschool Worship.....................................137
Staff.............................................................134
Total.........................................................4,119

Speakers

Sunday AM - Zack Hinson (OK)
Sunday PM - Brian Williams (NY)
Monday PM - Curt Gwartney (OK)
Tuesday PM - Clint Morgan (TN)

Competition

887 entries
$115,000 of Scholarship Awards

Youth of the Year: Mikaela Thompson First FWB Church, Mountain Grove, MO

Youth Group of the Year: Fellowship FWB Church, Park Hills, MO

Youth Worker of the Year: Darren Walker, First FWB Church, Washington, NC

2011 Youth Evangelistic Team

Maggie Barnett (AR)
Joel Williams (MO)
Elizabeth Snow (TN)
Tyler Heflin (MO)
Caitlin Honeycutt (OK)
Andrew Pierce (MS)
Rachel Ayers (AL)
Matthew Berry (FL)
Kristin Trussell (FL)
Dustin Patton (WV)
Mary Kathryn Ayers (AL)
Taylor McClure (WV)
Daniel Snow (Japan)