Nearly 52,000 Teens Impacted; D2S Ready for More
WASHINGTON – Coming out of conferences that equipped nearly 52,000 students around the country to defend their faith, a major youth organization will make another national round this fall to help teens stand firm in today's culture.
Dare 2 Share Ministries is scheduled to launch a nine-city Survive Conference Tour from Washington, D.C., in November, when thousands of teens will get the big picture that Jesus is returning. And "we must be ready," says the ministry.
"Survive" is part of a five-year tour series, the first of which ended last month and all of which provide fresh, new content every year. It's a different experience every time, say students who have joined Dare 2 Share conferences for several consecutive years.
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A major push by the national youth organization is to get students to share their faith. Conferences in each city see hundreds of students launch E-teams (evangelism teams) to make outreach an ongoing activity in the communities. The 2006-2007 GameDay conference tour saw 5,195 students turn to Christ for the first time and nearly 1,500 youth leaders commit to being a part of a follow-up outreach strategy.
"I was at D2S and it challenged me so immensely! I have been a Christian for nearly 10 years and have known the need to share it, but not until now did I have the courage!" said Kristi Joy, a student who attended a GameDay conference in Phoenix, Ariz. "I don't think I have ever been so challenged in my faith! I am determined to Go! Fight! Win!"
Students also canvassed GameDay's 11 conference cities collecting canned goods as they shared their faith. A total of 134 tons of food – a net value worth of $402,000 – were collected for the homeless and needy nationwide.
"The Dare 2 Share Conference was a tremendous blessing! The 26 tons of canned goods will help to feed the homeless and needy men, women and children who come to Sunshine Ministries for help each day," commented Carol Clarkson, associate director of Sunshine Ministries in St. Louis, Mo. "But more importantly, it was a blessing to see almost 9,000 young people put their faith in action by taking the time to care about others who are less fortunate. The food will last for a time, but the expressions of love and compassion will last for a lifetime!"
Just weeks out of the past conference tour, Dare 2 Share is already working on next year's Survive Tour and according to D2S founder Greg Stier, next year's events "will surpass GameDay in impact and power to transform."
