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Rhodes
By William H. Perkins Jr. Editor
The largest annual gathering of Mississippi Baptists anywhere in the state tried something new this year. Participants apparently liked it, and planners were obviously pleased.
“For the first time in the history of Mississippi Baptist Youth Night, two sessions were held in two locations in different parts of the state, to give churches the opportunity to participate that had not or could not attend the one session in the past at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson,” said Don Lum, evangelism director for the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board in Jackson.
Mississippi Baptist Youth Night 2010 was held on the evening of July 16 at the traditional site, Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. New this year was the addition of a session the next evening at BancorpSouth Area in Tupelo.
“Attendance was good in both locations,” Lum said. “There were about 5,500 people at Mississippi Coliseum, and about 2,000 people at BancorpSouth Arena. The combined total attendance was close to what we have drawn in years past with the one session in Jackson, and close to what we expected for the first year that two sessions were held.”
Lum said feedback from church leaders who brought their young people to Tupelo was positive. “We’ve known for some time there are churches that can’t afford to come all the way to Jackson, or don’t have the transportation to make the long trip.
“The Tupelo session gave many of those churches an opportunity to attend Youth Night closer to home, where the logistics of getting there weren’t nearly as difficult. We believe many of the churches were able to bring their young people on a short trip to Tupelo that otherwise couldn’t have attended (in Jackson).”
Mike Brister, event coordinator and student pastor at First Church, Jackson, agreed with Lum. “This was a great start for the Tupelo location. The BancorpSouth Arena provided an intimate setting because of the way it was divided up,” he said.
Poor weather conditions may have held down attendance in Jackson this year, Brister said, but he is optimistic the attendance in Jackson will rise again to the traditional 7,000 attendees while the Tupelo location will continue to grow.
Lum said the Youth Night planning committee will analyze the effectiveness of the two-location format before deciding whether to extend the format to include the 2011 event. “I’d like to go with it again next year,” Lum said. “I believe attendance will continue to increase at the second session as people become used to the idea.”
David Rhodes of Wayfarer Ministries in Spartanburg, S.C., was the speaker this year at both locations. The Aaron Keyes Band provided worship at both locations. Keyes is worship pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Snellville, Ga. It was the first appearance for both men at a Mississippi Baptist Youth Night.
IN WORSHIP — Aaron Keyes (at keyboard) and his band provided worship at the 2010 Mississippi Baptist Youth Night on July 16 at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, and at BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo on the following evening. A number of young people made decisions for Christ at the two locations during the annual event. (Photos by William H. Perkins Jr.)
“David connected well with the students, as I thought he would. He had a powerful message of what Jesus can do in the lives of individuals. Aaron Keyes and his band have a reputation for elevating worship to a higher level, and I believe everyone saw that in Jackson and Tupelo,” Lum said.
The young people who attend Youth Night continue to put Mississippi Baptists in the best possible light, Lum added. “Several of the security personnel and other employees of BancorpSouth Arena told me that our crowd was very different from some of the other events they have there, such as rock concerts. Our young people are always very respectful and well-behaved at these events, and people notice.”
Serving this year with Lum and Brister on the Mississippi Baptist Youth Night planning committee were Ricky Young of Tupelo; Lance Word of Meridian; Chad Thompson of Tupelo; Gary Watts of Raymond; Neil Tullos of Jackson; Justine Shipley of Columbus; Jason Westmoreland of Morton; Shannon Shivers of Kosciusko; Chris Layton of Mendenhall; and Danny Forrest of Wesson.
“I want to thank these folks who worked so hard to put together the two-location Youth Night for this year,” Lum said. “I also want to thank the leaders who brought their young people to Youth Night, and the leadership of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board for stepping out on faith and supporting this two-location pilot project.
“We had a great opportunity this year to impact Mississippi’s young people for Christ, and that’s the whole reason for Mississippi Baptist Youth Night.”
To provide feedback or for more information on the 2011 Mississippi Baptist Youth Night, contact Lum at P.O. Box 530, Jackson, MS 39205-0530. Telephone: (601) 292-3278 or toll-free outside Jackson (800) 748-1651, ext. 278. E-mail: dlum@mbcb.org.
Mississippi Baptist Youth Night is a ministry of the Mississippi Cooperative Program.
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