If you aren’t convinced, or haven’t been hit by this reality yet, consider the following:  (according to Barna research), only 45% of students in middle school and high school attend church on a regular basis.  Only 35% of students are involved in a youth ministry program.

That may not seem like groundbreaking information.  We tend to blame hectic schedules, over-involvement in sports and extra-curriculars, lack of parental influence, and the list goes on.  We tend to think that today’s student isn’t receptive toward deep spirituality, or that there is no interest in church in today’s student MTV culture.  The result of this mentality is that we don’t expect to have a lot of influence in the broad student culture today.  35% of students involved in a youth group doesn’t surprise us…of course they would go elsewhere.

But here’s the alarming thought:  75% of students actively pray to God.

This means that today’s student is desperately searching for who God is and what He’s about, but they aren’t finding those answers at a church.  They aren’t just going elsewhere, they are leaving to go elsewhere.  According to George Barna, the leader of the research which revealed the information above, “Young people are not spiritually transformed merely by attending a church, knowing a few Bible stories, or being friends with the youth pastor.  It takes addressing students on a much deeper, personal level – such as developing their intellect and vocational passions as well as cultivating their curiosity for the complexities of life.”

If we are to reach today’s students, we must shift the way that we communicate.  This is not relying on a gimmick, or a lights and sound show…this is a new approach bridging the full reality of God with the present reality that students face everyday.  Who’s up for the challenge?!

I cannot believe that Awaken 2010 is almost here.   Leaders…mark your calendars and bring your group for an unforgettable experience, November 19-21st.  Also, be on the lookout for Awaken Leader Devotionals to share with your group over the next couple of months.

This year features some new environments and faces, as well as some of our longtime friends.  Chris Lindsey will be leading our worship during our main worship sessions.  Anthony Mossburg will be playing original music throughout the weekend.  Dave and Brian return to make us laugh at some pretty epic songs.  Michael Rhodes and Jake Kaufman will be speaking and sharing with us all weekend.  A new environment called the Worship Path will debut.

Our focus for 2010 is “Glorious.”  Our hope is to throw a spotlight on the character and nature of God…to display Jesus Christ in His full beauty, un-edited and un-refined, in a weekend of worship and discovery.  Our dream is that a glimpse into the character of God will result in change, hope, and rescue in the lives of students and leaders alike.

Keep following this blog for more updates.  Beginning next week, we will be launching weekly devotional guides for leaders to begin prepping students for the Awaken experience and what God has planned.  Hope that you all are having a great summer!

Early registration deadline is November 4th, 2009….just a little over a month away!  If your group registers by this date, you score the rate of $25 per person…as well as have the option to take advantage of our free housing offered through local members.  You can still register after this deadline, but you will 1) be asked to pay a late fee, and 2) will not be eligible for free housing.  We hope so much that you are planning on being a part of the 2009 Awaken experience!

Be gearing up your students for a weekend of worship, direction, and movement.  It’s going to be incredible.

A few months ago I was asked, “What do you think is the biggest problem that teens in your group face today?” After talking through it a while, I realized that their biggest hurdle was the result of what may be our biggest failure. I was able to sum it up like this: We have worked harder at teaching them restraint than we have at fostering aspiration. Maybe this isn’t just limited to youth groups. Maybe on a whole, Christianity has been watered down to abstaining from sin to the detriment of the second half of this verse. Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2Timothy 2:22 Christianity isn’t about killing desire. It is about advancing passion and desire towards greater things. Don’t waste your time on this empty, shallow stuff that will leave you spinning your wheels, but go after these other things that will propel you into deeper living. Yet the message that most of us get today from Christianity is “Don’t do bad things and be nice.” I propose (knowing I’m by no means the first) that maybe what we do and what we say should be sending a message that is more like this: Passion, desire and aspiration are not your enemies. The enemies are the dead-end activities that use you up leaving you with less than you came with. Run from those and bring your passion, desire and aspiration into a way of living that will cause them to grow into something big enough to feed your soul and the soul of many others.

Could it be that one of the biggest challenges the religious of today face is that they have been told how to live, but they have not been shown how to be alive? Coming to understand that there is a difference between living and being alive is one thing. Learning to be “alive” is a horribly mountainous other. There is so much literally trying to suck the life out of us, most of which has been created at the hands of humans, that a lot of our energy is used up on escaping the high walls of the rut. You may be well aware of what to avoid, but after successful avoidance will you have any idea what then to do with yourself? That is the problem. Beyond the struggle to recognize this need for aliveness, lies the more difficult question of “What now?”

This is where creativity is needed – creativity that allows you to see your life wide open – creativity that finds solutions – creativity that rearranges. My hope for this generation and for those specifically at Awaken is that they begin to see what passionate and full living is. Not in a ritualistic, black and white, this step after that one sort of way, but in a here is how to question, to seek, to risk, to explore, to pursue, sort of way. Maybe this is the fullness of life that Jesus was talking about. It is a fullness that is not dependent on circumstances, but one that indulges in the journey of passion and desire as we are being reconciled to the Source of passion and desire. I hope you can make it to The Awaken Student Conference in November and hope together we can move deeper into full living.

Michael Rhodes (Keynote Speaker for Awaken ’09)

 It’s time to start gearing up for this year’s Awaken student conference! I’m so amped about the potential of this year’s event to spread the fame of Jesus Christ among this student generation. Please save our date…November 20-22, held once again at the Blennerhassett School facilities in Parkersburg, WV. This year promises to be like no other event we’ve hosted in the past. Our vision is to connect students to the reality and the potential of becoming fully alive in Christ. We are going to connect students with thinkers, performers, writers, and artists who are using their gifts in unique ways to display the fame of Christ. Imagine how much different our world will be in twenty years if we connect students to the idea that what they’re good at is what they’re gifted at is what they can use to display the fame of Christ!

Awaken ’09 is going to be an unforgettable moment in the lives of your students. We are bringing back experience/station worship, open mic at the Awaken café, and some pretty unique musical talent. More information regarding our speakers, worship leaders, bands, and breakout session leaders will be available soon. So, help us to connect students with the fame of Christ by bringing your group to the Awaken conference. Our registration price is $25 per student, but this year we are offering a unique special: if your church group refers a new church group that has never experienced Awaken before, then your group can register for only $10 per person (if you bring a group of twenty, that’s a savings of $200)! I believe this year is going to be huge…that God will move throughout the entire weekend! Stay current with updates by visiting our blog  or by stopping by our facebook page and leaving us some feedback.

Thanks for being a part of the Awaken experience. Be praying for God’s movement, and we will see you soon!

Jake Kaufman

(P.S. – We are hoping to have registration packets in the mail by the end of this week….we are just waiting to finalize a few more details.  I cannot wait to release our full line-up to you guys…it’s going to be an amazing weekend for sure!)

SAVE THE DATE for this year’s event….taking place on November 20-22, in Parkersburg WV.  More details on the event will be posted next week…it’s shaping up to be an incredible and unbelievable weekend experiencing God together.

YOUTH LEADERS:  If you come with or refer another church from your area to experience Awaken for the first time, you can save money on your group’s registration!  What a steal!