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Area churches cooperate for all-night youth event
Local churches are crossing denominational lines and “fusing” together to offer “Fusion,” an all night lock-in for area youth, on Friday, Jan. 20.
The lock-in will feature The Joshua Band from Rome, Ga. Led by guitarist/singer Josh Wood, the Christian band blends sounds from alternative rock, pop and folk genres. They have opened up for well-known Christian artists including Shane and Shane.
Guest speaker for the evening will be Charley Patten, the area’s new director of Young Life, an organization that seeks to spread the message of Jesus to teens, according to the Rev. David Powell, associate pastor of Webster Baptist Church. Patten uses humor and applicable life lessons to encourage and relate to teenagers, Powell said.
In addition to music and a message, the lock-in will include glow-in-the-dark basketball, X-Box tournaments, movies, indoor soccer, three-on-three basketball tournaments, foosball, and other activities that will run through the night. Pizza, breakfast, and snacks will be served.
The lock-in is completely free of charge and open to all junior and senior high youth. It will run from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at First United Methodist Church of Sylva’s new Family Life Center. Youth can still join in the lock-in even if they cannot arrive until after 7 p.m.
First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First United Methodist, LifeWay and Webster Baptist churches are co-sponsoring the event with involvement from other Jackson County churches.
The lock-in is the first event planned by area church representatives to reach out to local teens, said Powell.
“This lock-in is a great opportunity to reach out to the youth of Jackson County to give youth a chance to see that we all belong to one universal body of Christ no matter what church or school we attend,” said Powell. “And events like this are great for adults as well because we are reminded we have a common goal and how much more the earthly body of Christ, the church, can accomplish when we we all pull together to labor towards God’s will in our community and the world. It is my prayer, and that of the other ministry team members, that this event will be a launching point for future joint efforts.”
Jon Brown, director of Christian education at Sylva First United Methodist, echoed Powell’s comments.
“I think there has been a real need for churches to come together and set aside our differences and exalt Jesus Christ, the one Lord and Savior of us all, no matter what denomination we are,” Brown said. “Several youth leaders in the area began praying and meeting together several months ago, and determined a joint event would be a good place to start with unity efforts. It’s also much easier to put on a big, fun event with several churches pooling resources.”
For additional information on the lock-in and permission slips, contact Jon Brown at First United Methodist by telephone at 586-2358 or by e-mail at jbrown@firstumcsylva.org.
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