5/8/08
Young crowds for Christ come out at MFBC
By Jerriod Grizzle

Submitted Photo

More than 450 youth and nearly 200 adults attended Youth Night at Manning First Baptist Church on April 30. More than 35 people gave their lives to Christ while more rededicated their lives. Rev. Steve Hale from the First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia led the service.

“The whole goal for the ministry is God and how He has called us to reach out and to show love,” said Nick Erickson, youth minister at Manning First Baptist Church describing the youth revival that took place April 30.

The first day in May is historically the National Day of Prayer and the night before, more than 450 youth and about 200 adults gathered at MFBC to take part in what Erickson called an “awesome revival.”

“We welcomed everyone and everyone was welcomed and that was apparent. We didn’t care who came and since it is a Christian event we opened the door and told everyone ‘Hey, we love you and God loves you too,’” said Erickson. “We had students from all the schools in the county.”

Keynote speaker for the evening was Rev. Steve Hale, a minister of the First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Georgia.

“It was fabulous having Hale here. He told the youth about parts of his life and no matter what pain anyone is in, God’s love is strong and Christ has the ability to pull them out and through faith they can overcome. Christ is the only way that they can achieve that,” he said.

Erickson said that 36 people accepted Christ as their savior and 100 people rededicated their lives.

“It gives a boost to all the faiths not only us but all the churches in general,” he said.

Erickson said that after people accepted Christ into their heart, there were staff members on standby to help explain to both old and new Christians that Christ was with them and how to let their faith grow.

“We want the youth to be involved in church and be in a daily walk with Christ,” he said.

Any youth event or any event in Clarendon County for that matter would be nothing without food and for Erickson, pizza was the food of choice.

“We went through 90 boxes of pizza and then there were some that didn’t get any because they came in late,” he said.