New Hope Baptist Church of Fayetteville’s north campus hosted the annual “Disciple Now” gathering that centered on students in grades 7 through 12.
The gathering, billed as the largest youth ministry gathering in Fayette County, included small group Bible studies led by college students and large group events led by nationally acclaimed speakers and worship bands.
New Hope Senior Pastor Rhys Stenner told The Christian Post that attendees had “an anticipation and a preparedness for what God was going to do.”
Stenner described the gathering as an “incredible time of worship from the first service to the last,” with “unity among the churches.“
According to Stenner, there has been a yearly increase in participation in Disciple Now since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pastor said that for Sunday morning worship, there were approximately 300 students and 12 “unexpected baptisms.”
Stenner hopes the gathering will foster long-term “unity amongst the students” and that they will be “a witness to others about what God has done in their lives.”
The continued growth of Disciple Now comes as there has been an eruption of evangelistic outreaches among younger generations in recent months. In February, students at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, began an impromptu worship service after their regularly scheduled chapel time, eventually transforming into a 16-day revival service.