By Message Staff
LAFAYETTE – Organizers and participants of the 30th Youth Evangelism Celebration are thankful for the 1,081 students who made a decision for Christ.
“YEC was truly a celebration of the past and present,” Louisiana Baptists Youth Ministry Strategist Steve Maltempti told the Baptist Message. “A history of excellence propels YEC forward. Students and teenagers are engaged with relevant entertainment and the Gospel message.”
Held Nov. 19-20 inside Lafayette’s Cajundome, YEC challenged Louisiana Baptist teens to share what Christ has done in their lives through messages by evangelist Clayton King. He encouraged students not to believe the lies of Satan but instead lean on God’s truth.
“The biggest lie is God doesn’t love you,” King told the students during one of his messages. “That’s a lie. God loves you. He loved you so much that He made a path for you to be saved.”
During all four sessions, King offered a chance for students to step forward and declare a decision for Christ.
By the end of the two-day spiritual encounter, 1,081 students had made some type of faith decision: 325 statements of belief, 212 responses to a call to ministry, 463 acts of repentance to restore fellowship with Christ and 81 other commitments. Students will now be connected with a local church for follow-up and baptism will be encouraged.
The theme was “Now,” based on 2 Corinthians 6:2.
In addition to messages by King, participants enjoyed music by Rush of Fools, acts of illusion by Brock Grill and testimonies from students around the state. YEC 2016 concluded with a time of music led by Building 429.
Students and adult leaders were also challenged to share their faith with classmates, family members, co-workers and others. During the Monday afternoon session, King led participants through a training session on how to use the Road to Life tract to share the Gospel.
This was the second of a seven-year rotation to equip students with tools to share Christ. For those who began as a seventh grader during the 2016 YEC, they will be trained with seven different evangelistic tools by the time they are a senior.
Students practice sharing the Gospel using a tract given out prior to the Monday, Nov. 20, 2017 session of YEC. Brian Blackwell photo
This is the final year for YEC in the Cajundome. Next year, YEC returns to the Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria, where it enjoyed a 27-year run before renovations of the facilities forced a move to south Louisiana.
Look for a story later at baptistmessage.com and in a print edition of the Baptist Message.
Building 429 closes out YEC with a concert. Brian Blackwell photo
