Amazing Next
Two weeks ago 28 youth and 5 adults attended the Amazing Next Conference in Falls Church. The event was held at Falls Church Anglican in northern VA with over 200 youth in attendance. It was a great conference where we heard four different speakers and a praise band. There was a photo scavenger hunt in Old Town Alexandria. The event ended on The Cherry Blossom, a riverboat cruise on the Potomac. On the boat we had our final session, ate dinner, and ended with a dance party. Everyone had a great time and experienced God in a new way.
The theme of the event was rebellions. Throughout the event they talked about how teenagers are uniquely equipped to lead rebellions. Teenagers are hard wired for passion, less fearful than older generations, don’t have a strong sense of consequence, have the capacity to dream big dreams, and God placed a rebellion in them as a gift to help redeem the world. Many examples were shared of past events, like the civil rights movement and the Sons of Liberty, where young people helped lead the way towards justice. They used many movie references like Star Wars and The Hunger Games as examples of youth led rebellions. Then we discussed the injustices that are happening in our world today. Like school shootings, bullying, poverty, the spread of hate and fear, and many others. The organizers of the event see the young people in our country as our best hope to rebel against those injustices. To stand up for the least of these and to give voice to those who have none. If the youth will rely on their faith in God and follow Jesus’ example, a revolution could happen. Matthew 7:13-14 says “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” These verses were used to encourage the youth to not follow the path of the world but to follow Jesus on the narrow path even if that means rebelling against those who take the wide path.
They closed the event by saying the Amazing Next is what happens after we leave the conference. When we go back to our everyday lives and if we are willing to rebel against the world taking the wide path by taking the narrow path, the world will be a better place. That will be the Amazing Next!
Thank you so much for supporting our youth so they can attend events such as these. Also thanks to the many volunteers who make it happen!
