Momentum 2011, the annual Grace Brethren national youth conference, saw 1,625 students and adults challenged to impact ONE person for Christ this year. Through main sessions, Power Trax, youth group times, outreach activities, and more, God moved in an amazing way through the lives of those who attended.
Throughout the week, speakers talked about the importance of sharing one’s faith. Greg Speck opened the conference by giving students three steps to reach their friends. The next night, Jim Brown, senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Goshen, Ind., used two doors on stage to illustrate the wide path to hell and the narrow path to heaven. Many students came forward to receive Christ.
Other speakers included Chuck Bomar, David Nasser, Mark Cahill, and Jeff Myers.
Before communion Saturday night, Jeff Bogue, senior pastor of Grace Church in Akron, Ohio, helped the conference participants process what they had experienced. “Many of you dumped junk out of your locker [this week],” he said. “I don’t want you to take it home in your backpack.”
Afternoons were filled with outreach opportunities, NAC and Quizzing, on-campus events and more. In quizzing, North Central Ohio District took top honors with Northern Atlantic District coming in second.
Students brought items such as school supplies and hygiene products for “Acts 1:8-crates” to help the people in Johnstown. During Momentum WaSH packs were assembled to be shipped to Haiti and an offering of more than $21,000 was taken to benefit Haiti and Urban Hope, located in inner city Philadelphia, Pa.
The entire conference was involved in Saturday’s outreach called Acts 1:8. Students and adults took the love of Jesus to the surrounding Johnstown community, to areas an hour or more away from Johnstown, and to Haiti through food that was packed.
Momentum 2012 will be at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky., July 17-22, 2012. Buildmomentum.org and facebook.com/buildmomentum will have details as they come available.