One name, one voice, one moment.
This was the slogan for Passion 2017. The Passion Conference is a gathering of 18 to 25-year-olds and their leaders to join together in the worship of God.
This year was a big milestone for the conference as it celebrated the 20th anniversary of the very first Passion Conference in 1997. It was held in Austin, Texas with a total attendance of a few thousand college students.
This year 50,000 college students came together in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Dome (home of the Atlanta Falcons).
The mission of Passion Conferences, as stated on their website, is to “see a generation leverage their lives for what matters most.”
These conferences consist of college students hearing from great Christian speakers and musicians, as well as offering a chance for students to meet with their peers from not just around the country but around the world.
This event is hosted every year by the conference’s founder Louie Giglio and the Passion Band featuring Kristian Stanfill, Brett Younker, and Melodie Malone.
In addition to Louie Giglio, this year’s speaker line-up included incredible people such as Christine Caine, Beth Moore, Dr. John Piper, Levi Lusko, Francis Chan, and Katherine & Jay Wolf.
The conference also featured bands and musicians such as Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Matt Redman, Hillsong United, Christy Nockels, and Jimi Cravity.
The conference made national news when David Crowder’s set featured a surprise performance from famous Country music artist Carrie Underwood. Underwood first sang backing vocals on David Crowder’s song “Chains” then performed her own hit single “Something in the Water.”
Another notable part of the Passion Conference is that they always find a cause to rally behind. This year Passion presented “Make History Together.”
Make History Together was a partnership with Compassion International. It’s goal was to get child sponsorships for every unsponsored child in Tanzania, El Salvador, and Rwanda by the end of Passion 2017.
Sponsored children receive food, access to education, a chance to hear the gospel message and other miscellaneous needs met. Sure enough, by the end of the conference not only had Passion raised enough money for Tanzania, El Salvador and Rwanda, but also for all of the unsponsored children in Indonesia.
Several students from Southern Nazarene University attended Passion Conference this year, including myself, and I asked a couple to share their favorite parts of the conference.
Kristian Stitt, junior at SNU, claimed, “It was amazing to come together with so many eighteen to twenty-five-year-olds to worship one God, worshiping one King, and coming together in community.”
Sam Smith, a senior at SNU, had a similar answer when asked about her favorite part of Passion 2017. “My favorite part of Passion was seeing so many college-aged students just to serve God and get to know Him better in a more personal relationship.”
In addition, Sam Smith stated that the way God used that stadium of college-aged students really impacted her heart.
If asked what my favorite part of Passion 2017 was, I would give a similar answer to the previous ones.
There is something incredibly impactful about seeing so many peers so passionate about Jesus and coming together as a generation to serve Him.
For those interested in learning more about Passion Conference, check out their website at 268generation.com.
[author image=”http://echo.snu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/marshalljonesreedit.jpg”] Marshall Jones, Business Manager
Marshall was born in the great city of Houston, Texas. Currently Marshall is a junior at Southern Nazarene University, studying Mass Communication. Marshall has a love for all things bluegrass, coffee and outdoors. [/author]