GameDay
Conference
Comes to St. Louis
By Lane Palmer
It’s
been said that “everybody loves a winner”- and I would definitely agree-
especially when it comes to being winners for God! On February 9th and 10th, 2007
Dare 2 Share Ministries will be at the Scottrade
Center in St. Louis, MO to help every teen in the region become a winner for
God with our new and improved GameDay Conference.
How?
When
teens leave a Dare 2 Share Conference they know WHAT they believe, WHY they
believe, and THAT they believe. This is vital, especially in a church culture
where the vast majority of Christian teenagers stop going to church after they
graduate from high school.
The key to halting this ‘graduation evacuation’ from the Church is
giving teens a powerful, purposeful faith before they graduate. According
to the experts, this millennial generation is active, tribal, spiritual and
optimistic. This combination of characteristics is a recipe for revival, for
awakening, and for a global transformation through the Gospel of Jesus. That’s
why we also train youth leaders at a breakout 
session
during our conference to harness this adolescent excitement and build a youth
ministry that is mission-driven, not meeting-driven.
At a Dare 2 Share conference, speakers, actors, musicians and technicians
converge to build a multi-sensory training event that captivates, transforms
and equips students to advance the Kingdom of God in their communities and
on their campuses. As mentioned earlier, this year’s youth conference is called
GameDay, because
in this athletically inclined teen culture that we live in, the whole idea
of applying GameDay
to the Christian life is powerful. All teens (jocks and non-jocks alike) will
be equipped to view themselves in the ultimate competition, the Christian
life! They will be called to fight to win the battle for their own souls (as
fully surrendered followers of Jesus), their own minds (to know what they
believe and why they believe it) and the lives of their friends (by sharing
with them the good news of Jesus.) As well, the conference weekend will be
interspersed with scrimmages, games, and competitions that will create a ‘game
day’ atmosphere that will have a permanent impact on everyone who attends
based on 2 Timothy 4:1-8 and equips teenagers to
“Go! Fight! Win!” Here’s how it breaks
down:
Go
Preach the Word!
“In the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and
His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word….” (2 Timothy 4:1-2)
This
session kicks off Saturday morning of the training experience. Here teenagers
learn why they can trust the Bible as
the Word of God. In a culture that
embraces ‘Starbuck’s Spirituality’ (a kind of mixed latte of beliefs systems
where there are no absolute truths and no one book has all the answers) it is
vitally important that teens know that they can fully trust the Bible. The GameDay tour will excite and equip teenagers to not just share the Bible with others, but to fully trust the
Scriptures themselves as the fully
inspired, flawless Word of God.
Teens
will also be equipped to study the Bible
for all its worth using the questions “What and So what?” The goal will be that
every teen who attends the GameDay training tour views their Bibles as God’s daily ‘Game Plan’ for their lives and that they
commit to not just reading it, but mastering it.
Fight
for the Truth!
“Be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with
great patience and careful instruction. For the time will
come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit
their
own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say
what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from
the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2
Timothy 4:2-4)
During
these sessions (two ‘fight’ sessions will be taught) teenagers will be trained
to fight for the Truth against the false teachers that pervade and pervert
the world and their worlds.
The
second ‘fight’ session (Saturday afternoon) deals with equipping teenagers to
defend their faith without being offensive. They will master “The 4-1 Defensive
Formation” (four questions and one statement that they can use when sharing
Jesus with somebody who disagrees with one or more aspects of the Gospel.) They
will also learn ‘Apologetics Rule #1’: if you aren’t controlled by the Spirit,
filled with love and trying to listen first (before you speak) then you may win
the argument but lose the soul.
Win
the Reward!
“I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is
in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who
have longed for His appearing.” (2
Timothy 4:1-8)
This
Saturday night training session will challenge teenagers to have an end view of their lives. During this
powerful weekend closing session teens will be equipped to understand that
there will be a Judgment Day, a rewarding stand where they will stand and
receive rewards for how well they ran the race of life. Teens will leave with a
challenge to get a goal before them, a team around them and the motive inside
them to win the reward and hear the words “well done good and faithful servant”
from Jesus Himself on that day of ultimate reckoning!
Get
Ready - because GameDay will be an unforgettable weekend event
that will advance the Kingdom and unleash teens with a game plan that will help
them go, fight, and win!
Don’t
wait! Youth leaders and parents, register your teens today to experience GameDay. It’s one
of the best decisions you can make to equip your teens in their faith! Dare 2 Share
hits the Scottrade Center February 9-10, 2007 and tickets
are only $44 on or before January 12th.
Dare
2 Share still needs volunteers for this event! Volunteer and experience the
conference yourself! For further information, to register
or volunteer please visit www.dare2share.org or call (800) 462-8355.
Lane
Palmer is a Youth Ministry Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries.
