Teddy James
AFA Journal staff writer
January 2015 – Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is home to some of the most beautiful scenic attractions in the country, especially during the fall and winter seasons. For 30 years, it has also been home to one of the largest youth conferences in America.
On the weekends of January 16-18 and 23-25, over 12,000 teenagers from youth groups across the country will flood Gatlinburg for a time of evangelism, worship, discipleship and fellowship. They are coming for Resurrection.
Ministering to the church family
Dr. Steve Blakemore and the rest of the team with Resurrection Youth Ministry Inc. decided on the name “because we wanted to be clear concerning the focus of the event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the resurrected life of discipleship and faith.” Once the focus was decided, the location was next. Blakemore told AFA Journal, “We wanted to hold it in a place youth groups can relax and have fun, so we chose Gatlinburg, Tennessee, because it is a destination for many winter events.”
Even with thousands of people present, RYMI wanted each person to experience intimacy with God. Blakemore said, “From the beginning, we geared the event around a worship experience with only one band and one speaker. We did this to create the dynamic of a youth retreat rather than a big convention.”
That intimacy is felt from the moment teenagers arrive to the last session on Sunday morning. On Sunday morning, every believer in the conference participates in communion. Blakemore said, “For many, this is the most moving aspect of the weekend. Thousands upon thousands of people receive the Lord’s Supper together as a final act of corporate worship before heading home to serve Jesus in their own contexts.”
Ministering to the young family
It is easy to look at an event that ministers to teens, college students, and adults and think it does enough. But RYMI saw a blind spot in its ministry. Blakemore said, “It occurred to a young married couple, Jason Roe and his wife Holly, that we should endeavor to do something for children and families with young children. So we helped start a new ministry called RezKidz.”
RezKids follows in the footsteps of Resurrection, but it has some unique twists not present in most conferences.
Top among those differences is that RezKidz is not designed for large church groups. Instead, it was created for families with young children. From the style of speaking to the delivery of content, everything is done with children ages 3 to 10 in mind. The gospel is clearly presented for both parents and kids.
Blakemore said RezKidz offers something very important to parents: “We invite sponsors to give parents resources that will help them be godly parents. So this event is just as much for the parents as it is for the kids.” 
Resurrection • January 16-18 and 23-25
Speaker: Reggie Dabbs
Worship leader: The City Harmonic
Contact: resurrectionyouth.com or call 865-690-4080 ext. 4137
RezKidz • January 18-19
International talent including The Lads, Skadoodles, Tim and Amanda Cowles, and TuneTime, a ministry for children two through six years old
Contact: rezkidz.com or call 865-293-4137.
