Proud of Our Church!

The first night of the Impact World Tour at Xenia High School last night was a huge success. The gym was packed with teenagers and children who came out to see GX International which consists of awesome skateboarders and dancers.

Throughout the hour and a half performance, several different performers shared brief testimonies of how Jesus had made a big difference in their lives. Several times during the night, they mentioned that they were doing all of this because of their love for God and their love for the people who had come to watch them perform. After each of these comments, I thought to myself, "that might be the first time that many of them had heard anyone say that they were loved."

I arrived an hour and half before the performance, along with what looked to be 125 trained Local Links, to receive some additional training on how we were to help people who would receive Christ during the program. They gave us bibles to give to people and a follow-up procedure to help new Christians begin their journey of discipleship. During the program, I ended up giving my bible to a youth who was around 12 or 13 and accepted Christ that night.

One of the Impact World Tour leaders specifically told me of what a huge help Faith Community has been in providing a number of volunteers to serve as ushers, set-up, local links, and for how our church is providing meals for 70 IWT workers and performers. I saw a number of our church members serving in a variety of ways last night. I am so proud of our church in providing so much support for this wave of evangelism in Xenia.

Toward the end of the performance, people were invited to become a disciple of Jesus Christ by coming forward to the stage. A swarm of children and youth came forward. I don't know how many came forward but my guess is that it was in the neighborhood of at least 200 people. Praise be to God!

Pray for the Local Links as they now begin to make personal contacts with these new Christians to help them in their new journey of faith. Also pray for tonight's performance as Polynesian dancers share the good news of Jesus Christ.

The picture is from last night as skateboarders were performing.