HISTORY CELEBRATED, HISTORY MADE: IYC ORLANDO LOOKS BACK, LOOKS AHEAD AS LIVES CHANGED
By Carl Stagner - By chogministries - Posted July 10, 2024 - In All Church of God, CHOG, IYC: International Youth Convention, Youth Ministries
Michael Thigpen speaking at IYC2024.
“God is always hovering over your life and he’s waiting to speak…for you to be in the position to receive what he’s saying.”
While the world obsesses over generational schisms, the church recognizes the value of learning from one another from generation to generation. Stories and testimonies of IYCs past didn’t detract from the Spirit’s movement among the students and their leaders this year. In fact, it strengthened the resolve of attendees to prioritize the mission of Jesus, one with a proven record of fruitfulness. While the 5K in support of the work of God in the Philippines certainly inspired missional imagination, the mission of Jesus was solidified in hearts through the overall witness of the week in Orlando as an estimated four hundred indicated a call to ministry. Compelling preaching and insightful teaching, combined with inspirational worship, clearly contributed to the harvest of souls and commissioning of the called. With a lineup of God-given talent like SEU Worship, Jeff Mugford, Michael Thigpen, Lori Maldonado, Adam Rentas, and Heather Thompson Day, it’s not hard to picture an outpouring of divine origin.
Confronted session after session with the palpable presence of God, students couldn’t help but consider the gravity of what God had done for them and the ready-to-be-unleashed potential of what they could do for God. In view of these realities, speaker Jeff Mugford posed the principle, “God doesn’t call you to change the world. He calls us to be faithful, available, and committed.” With a notable emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit during the second session, Michael Thigpen discerningly observed out loud, “God is always hovering over your life and he’s waiting to speak…for you to be in the position to receive what he’s saying.” Appealing to the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, while demonstrating the need for cross-generational storytelling in Session Three, Lori Maldonado insisted that “God has entrusted us to share that story of redemption. It’s a treasure to share the good news!” READ WHOLE ARTICLE HERE
