by: Tim Bernitt - Wichita, Kansas
January 28, 2007

I am happy to say that the 2007 version of the Heartland Teen Rally, entitled “MyJesus” and hosted by the Wichita Church of Christ was a rousing success! Over 150 teens from 13 churches in seven states attended the Rally in which Brian Craig of the LA Church of Christ was our guest speaker. We chose Brian both for his musical talents and his status as a “kingdom kid” who was baptized when he was 17-years old. Brian is now in his thirties, is married with three children, and has been in the fulltime ministry for several years now. And Brian delivered incredibly as both a speaker and a musician, impacting the hearts and lives of these teens in a powerful way.

The Rally got off to a good start Friday evening with Brian speaking about the significance of teens being disciples of Jesus, and the importance of making and preserving in their decisions to follow Jesus early in their lives. This was followed by a mixer Deejayed by Rob Milner in the fellowship hall. Teens from various churches were arriving all night long from cities like Omaha, St Louis, Lawrence, Tulsa, Colorado Springs, Dallas and Kansas City. The teens from Denver arrived in Wichita at 2:45am on Saturday morning, but they were all at the breakfast that was served from 8am to 9am!

Saturday was dominated by a strong snow storm that dumped 8 inches of the white stuff, starting early in the morning and lasting all day long. But it was HOT at the building where the Teen Rally was forging ahead. Brian hit a home run with his “MyStory” speech in which he shared the story of his life and his conversion as a teenager. The highlight of the day occurred immediately after this speech, when there was an open mic time, and the teens from many churches, one by one, opened up, shared struggles and victories, confessed sins and talked to one another about the challenges of being teen disciples of Jesus. It truly was a powerful time in which the Spirit of God was moving in an inspiring way. Because of the snowstorm, the Saturday afternoon activities were reshuffled so some of the teens could stay at the building, and the evening events were cancelled. But the teens were still able to have valuable fellowship time together with teens from other churches, so much good was accomplished.

The climax of the Rally was the Sunday morning worship and concert at the church building. Brian led the worship with Psalms and Scriptures interspersed with songs as he took us through communion in a unique but powerful way. For example, Brian sang solo several songs he had written over the years, and he was accompanied on several of his popular songs by the Wichita Church of Christ band. The place was rocking to the songs “Be with Me Lord” and “Men Who Dreamed!” At the end of the service, Tom Grier, a junior at Wichita South High who was baptized earlier this year, baptized his friend, Ivan Hurley. What a perfect way to end a great weekend of fun, family and fellowship in the Heartland fellowship of churches! “There ain’t no party like a Heartland party, cause a Heartland party don’t stop!”

Hear Megan Taylor sing the Teen Rally theme song MyJesus and watch the 2007 Teen Rally Video (19 mins)