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‘ONE Student Rally’ to Precede SBC Convention

By 316Networks.com

Published: June 20, 2009

The ONE Student Rally, sponsored in part by the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists (COSBE), will serve as an outreach tool ahead of the SBC annual meeting in Louisville, Ky.

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Dean Forrest, the event's chief coordinator, says the rally is meant to attract local unchurched youth.

"This is not just another event for local youth groups, but the goal is that the local youth pastors will bring their students and they'll encourage their students to bring their friends," Forrest, a COSBE member, said.

The rally is set for 6 p.m. Sunday, June 21, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Rooms South C201-205. Admission is free.

Dean and Gayna Forrest and their son Geoffrey will lead in praise and worship before evangelist Ken Freeman delivers a message to students. Freeman, a COSBE member from San Antonio, Texas, speaks at youth conferences and retreats. Following Freeman, students will be treated to a concert by Dove Award winners Building 429, a contemporary Christian group.

In addition to COSBE, the rally is sponsored by the Long Run Baptist Association in Louisville, the Kentucky Baptist Convention and North American Mission Board.

Joe Ball, a youth strategist with the KBC, said the state convention has helped promote the event by producing and sending flyers to local youth leaders.

"I hope for a full house of lost students. Hopefully some churches will encourage their students to bring their lost friends," Ball added. "It's a wonderful opportunity to expose kids to a great speaker that's going to bring the truth of the Gospel in a way that's relevant to students."

Forrest said the idea for the rally stemmed from a need he noticed when he served as COSBE's music director during the past few years.

"Historically we've always worked with Crossover. There have been Crossover activities in the past that targeted students, but most of them targeted families," he said.

"It's something that had been my idea as an outreach to students. Last year in Indianapolis was the first year for the rally," Forrest said. "The current officers of COSBE asked me to produce the program again this year. As an organization we realized we could use the rally to reach students instead of just going to the convention to fellowship."

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