3/15/07

At Carolina Forest, they’re slurpin’ Snickers for Jesus
By Brian Jarvis

BRIAN JARVIS/Manning Times
Youth group members of the Carolina Forest Community Church at Manning happily take part in a candy-eating contest. From left: Christy Bauer, Leigh Fleming and Tommy Green.

The scene is straight out of the Disney Channel, beginning with a teen band ensemble jamming catchy tunes like “Fly Away” and “Trading My Sorrows.”

The audience, gathered Sunday evening in the auditorium of the F.E. Dubose Career Center, quickly jumps to their feet and sways to the music; both young and old are casually dressed in jeans and untucked shirts.

A few minutes later, the real fun begins when volunteers are asked to step onstage to compete in a contest to see who can scarf down a Snickers bar the fastest. Unsurprisingly, every pubescent hand in the front row shoots up.

Two kids are selected, but their enthusiasm turns to frustration when they realize their candy bars are frozen. Nevertheless they give it their all through much head-shaking and body-twitching, as the crowd’s cheers turn to guffaws.

By the final competition, the Disney antics have morphed into Fear Factor when contestants are asked to chug a full gallon of whole milk for a $20 prize. None of the contestants are capable of doing so – if they were, someone should call Guinness to put in his record book – but they do manage to throw up in a nearby trash can as friends egg them on with friendly taunts like, “Hurry up before it expires!”

14-year old contestant Taylor Lee, in fact, repeats the feat like an ancient Roman partygoer: drink and puke, drink and puke. When asked later why he kept going back for more, his answer serves as an unknowing metaphor for the entire night.

“Temptation,” he replies.

After all, this is church – and every activity has a message.

The youth group of Carolina Forest Community Church at Manning meets twice a month and, if you haven’t figured out already, takes pride in their unorthodox approach to fellowship.

“Christianity isn’t as hard as trying to eat a frozen candy bar,” notes youth leader Kenn Jameson, neatly summing up the first game’s metaphor with an unforgettable dozen words.

“Jesus is all about having a blast,” agrees fellow youth leader and Snickers-snacker contestant Christy Bauer. “I don’t think He wants us to mope around.”

Most impressive is the turnout of equal parts children and adults, as many parents and grandparents accompany their younger kin. Whatever reason you can think of not to go to church, they claim, you can’t find it here. The dress is come-as-you-are and the sermons are salutary; Sunday morning services are preceded by a full breakfast free of charge; small groups are held every Wednesday and serve as therapeutic musings on life and everything in between.

“Instead of being about hell and damnation, the sermons are encouraging to get you through the week,” Jameson said. “My vision for the church is to get big. I’d love to have 5,000 or 6,000 people.”

Campus pastor Jim Fleming, who helped sponsored Nick at Nite last fall and first began holding services out of his home as an offshoot of Carolina Forest’s headquarters in Myrtle Beach, describes his church as anything but traditional and calls participants students rather than members.

“We’re more contemporary style,” he said. “The Biblical teaching we strive to give is what you can use in your life this week. It’s the same message, but an ever-changing message given in an ever-changing way. We want to give our students a place they can come and have a good time while receiving a message. We have a student worship band, game time, interactive time, devotional time...” Fleming smiles. “And then we eat.”

During his devotional that evening before the meal, in fact, Fleming sums up the meaning of Carolina Forest ten times better than any newspaper reporter ever could.

“Thanks for the fun we’re having and please keep us from getting sick from drinking all that milk so we can enjoy the fellowship we have.”

The Carolina Forest Community Church Youth Group meets the first and third Sunday of every month from 6:30-8 p.m. in the auditorium of the F.E. Dubose Career Center. Regular services are held Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and all are welcome. Please note: participants do not need to be a member in order to join the youth group. For more information contact campus pastor Jim Fleming at 505-3208 or visit www.carolinaforest.org.