Ohhhhh, now I get it. All these years I thought people flocked to Billy Graham events because of his reputation. Instead, it’s because people start praying for their friends, relatives and coworkers – in this case, schoolmates – who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
STATEWIDE – Ohhhhh, now I get it.
All these years I thought people flocked to Billy Graham events because of his reputation. Instead, it’s because people start praying for their friends, relatives and coworkers – in this case, schoolmates – who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
And after the Christians pray, they invite the ones they are praying for to hear Billy Graham!
In this case – Rock the River in Baton Rouge on Saturday, July 18 – it is to be Franklin Graham speaking in short fragments between not one or two but SIX nationally-known bands.
“This is just for youth,” Graham said in February at an introductory Rock the River explanatory meeting, which took place at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. “There are young kids today by the millions who don’t know God loves them. This has been a burden on my heart.”
Awareness-building meetings took place in several locations across Louisiana and Mississippi during the last two weeks.
Flyleaf, Canton Jones, hawk Nelson, Red, Superchic, DA’T.R.U.T.H., and Anthony Evans will be performing at Rock the River between 2:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18, on the Levee Lots at LSU. These are the overflow lots for LSU football games, located on River Road between Skip Bertman and Gourrier Roads.
Doors will open at 1 p.m. Gate admission is $10/person. No coolers, alcohol or food is to be brought in from outside. Food and beverage vendors will be onsite all day. Rock the River will take place regardless of weather conditions.
Before the event itself, there are awareness meetings, training events and prayer events. This also is a time of fund-raising and volunteer sign-ups.
“I think this is a great opportunity for people to see young people get saved,” said Wayne Jenkins, evangelism/church growth team leader for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, who attended an awareness event at the Baptist Building in Alexandria. “I hope many of our churches get involved in it.”
Youth leaders from several area churches attended the awareness event in Alexandria.
“We’ve been following Rock the River for several months,” said Jeanette Brady of Harmony Baptist Church in Glenmora. “We do the shoebox ministry in our church, so we’re on their mailing list. That’s how we first heard about it. This is more personal.
“We definitely need to reach the youth of this generation,” Brady continued. “My focus has been on our youth. Rock the River gives us something we can reach out to the rest of the youth in the community with. Our youth can invite them!”
Heidi Johnson is wife of Pastor Brian Johnson at New Hope Baptist in Elmer.
“In our church we don’t have as many youth as we’d like,” she said. “We have youth night and 30 to 50 come to that, from all the churches in the area that want to join in. We want to make sure the youth in our church are spiritually fed; that’s one reason we’re going to Rock the River. We’re trying to get other churches in the community to go with us.”
It’s all about getting young people to pray for their friends, said Jim Mullen, managing director of special training projects for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “They need to be with people they trust, and hear the words in a language they trust, and music is a language they trust.”
In order to help young people share their faith, a five-week Christian Life and Witness Course is available at no cost, Mullen said. An instructional DVD is available from the Baton Rouge Rock the River office. Call Melinda Strickland at 225.923.0717 for it.
A condensed version of the 5-week course is being offered for the last time June 11-13 at Miracle Place Church in Baker, Natalbany Baptist Church in Natalbany, and Woodlawn Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. The Thursday and Friday sessions go from 7 p.m. 9 p.m.; the Saturday sessions, from 9 a.m. to noon.
People who want to be counselors – more young people are needed to be counselors – need to go through the Christian Life and Witness course, and then apply to be a counselor. Applications require the pastor’s signature.
Counselor rehearsal is 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at Istrouma Baton Rouge.
Churches are asked to contribute prayerfully and financially to Rock the River, which has a $250,000 budget. Fund-raising ideas include:
• A Support Sunday offering, with checks payable to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and mailed to Rock the River Tour Office, PO Box 40587, Baton Rouge LA 70835.
• View Rock the River as a project for which some funds have already been designated, such as a portion of an evangelism or community outreach budget.
• Tithe the church’s income for one week.
• Encourage youth to raise money for Rock the River by washing cars, spring cleaning, bake sales and more.
• Pray and be creative in finding ways to financially support Rock the River.
“Starting in Baton Rouge, we’re going to fish the [Mississippi] River,” Graham said. “I’m fishing for the souls of the youth in this country.”
Rock the River is a multi-site event. After Baton Rouge, it will move to St. Louis, Mo., the Quad Cities of Iowa, and the Twin Cities of Minnesota.
“Young people today are the least-churched generation in the history of our country,” Graham said. “They desire relationships. This tour will connect your people to the greatest relationship they will ever know – Jesus Christ.”