Suit Up! | 2023 Vertical Three Conference | Raleigh, NC

By Derek Altom, Vertical Three Director

The mission of Vertical 3 is to help students discover their talents, develop their leadership, and dedicate their hearts to faithful service to God. One of the ways we seek to achieve this mission is through the annual Vertical 3 Conference during the Free Will Baptist National Convention. This year’s conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, helped advance this in many ways.

CTS Ministry Expo

One way we help students discover their talents is through CTS Ministry Expo. Students from across the denomination, 1,449 to be exact, competed in 792 entries. Since the pandemic in 2020, the number of competitors and entries has continued to rebound. The students of our denomination were celebrated during the CTS Ministry Expo awards presentation on Wednesday evening. In addition, at the awards presentation, Jill Pointer was recognized for over 30 years of service to both Truth & Peace Student Leadership Conference and CTS Ministry Expo.

Truth & Peace Student Leadership Conference

The 2023 Truth & Peace Student Leadership Conference was comprised of 128 students and 16 staff members. The conference helps students develop leadership skills. After leadership training on the campus of Randall University in Moore, Oklahoma, participants traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, to serve as staff for the Vertical Three Conference. The thing I love most about these students is their willingness to do anything asked of them to make the conference successful. From my vantage point, the future of the Free Will Baptist denomination is bright.

The 2023 conference marked the 26th and final year for Allen Pointer as the director of the conference. Allen’s influence on the lives of the students in our denomination over the last several decades is evident. You do not have to look far to find someone serving in our denomination today who was affected by Allen during this ministry. Few individuals in the denomination’s history have had more impact upon the lives of young people. Ryan Akers will follow Allen as the Truth & Peace director starting with the 2024 conference.

Youth Evangelistic Team (YET)

Under the director of first-year leaders Bryan and Kinsley Houser, YET was comprised of 12 students who assembled on the campus of Randall University in late June for a week of training and rehearsal before leaving on a two-week tour through Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. After a short break, YET reunited in Raleigh, North Carolina, to lead the Vertical 3 worship services.

Buck-A-Week

The annual Buck-A-Week offering, collected Tuesday evening, totaled $5,244.05. The generosity of attendees benefited Taylor Pate (IM intern to Japan) and Team Athens, Alabama (Joel Franks Family and B. J. Eaton Family).

V3 Sessions

Nightly sessions encouraged students to dedicate their hearts to faithful service to the Lord. V3-Preschool was led by the “Queen of Preschool” Katie Greenwood (TN). V3-Kids featured a team of teachers led by Johnny Miller (AR). V3-456 was led by “Pastor Steve” Greenwood (TN). Collectively, these leaders have been involved in the ministry of Vertical Three for nearly 75 years. It is amazing to consider how many individuals they have impacted.

During V3-Teen, students were challenged to “Suit Up!” centered on the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:10-20. On Sunday morning, Mason Polk (OK) challenged students to recognize who their enemy is (verses 10-13). On Sunday evening, Andy Rains (MO) focused on the believer’s armor (verses 14-17). Monday evening, technology expert Arlene Pellicane (CA) educated attendees about the “dangers of digital candy” and how technology can be a huge distraction to “suiting up.” During the concluding service of V3-Teen, Aaron Pierce (NC) touched on the believer’s secret weapon of prayer (verses 18-20). The conference was capped off by “Fun With Forrest,” an evening with Free Will Baptist youth pastor and funny man Jon Forrest.

Conclusion

The Vertical 3 Conference—an action-packed four days of competition, sessions, seminars, and reconnections—is physically exhausting. However, if we polled attendees, I think we would learn the conference is the highlight of their year. It is my prayer the students of our denomination will return to their homes and churches more spiritually awake than before. Hopefully, they have better discovered their talents, developed their leadership, and dedicated their hearts to faithful service to the Lord.

After all, this is our mission.