Rush 2006 exceeds expectations

The second Rush conference for western Canadian youth, sponsored by Willow Park Church, Kelowna, B.C. was held Feb. 3–5. Melissa Fedderson sends this report.

As I stood in the prayer room after the Rush weekend I began to weep. I just couldn’t help it. I was so overwhelmed by love for the family of Willow Park Church, who poured so much into the young people who came. Hundreds in our congregation contributed their time, prayers, resources, and gifts.

Jon Buller (white shirt) and Terry Peters lead worship at Rush 2006.

Some 900 youth, representing 30 churches (about half of them Mennonite Brethren), spilled into our sanctuary Friday, Feb. 3, and heard about “A Life Worth Living.” Speaker Mike Peninga was passionate as always, and we could feel the Holy Spirit heavy in the sanctuary, from the opening prayer by Willow Park youth pastor Joel Fedderson to the closing worship song Sunday morning.

The auditorium erupted after the opening prayer, for the youth had arrived with hearts open to God stirring in them. I attribute that to the many prayer warriors. This was confirmed when I entered the prayer room to find a list of all registrants, prayed for and taped to the cross.

This prayer was written on the back: “Heavenly Father, you know each one of these young people. You know each hair on their heads. I thank you for each one who came. I pray for protection and the fruits of the spirit to be shown and expressed. Thank you Lord for the opportunities these kids have and that ears and eyes will be open to your Word; that lives will be enriched and enlightened.”

Jon Buller and Corey Doak led the conference in powerful worship sessions all weekend and drew us into the very presence of God. The musical performance by Starfield was inspired as they brought us into a place of intimate worship and then a flood of celebration. Thousand Foot Krutch had an energy Saturday night that left the kids fired up to serve God.

Saturday afternoon was a highlight. We all made the journey up to Big White for snowboarding, tubing, skating, sleigh rides, snowshoeing, and a day at the spa. Later, a comedy show by Daren Streblow had the kids in stitches for an hour-and-a-half and received a standing ovation.

Rush 2006 exceeded expectations and we can’t wait for Rush 2007! There’s a lot of excitement around this event where kids are challenged to be radical followers of Christ. We are looking for a bigger venue and partnerships with other churches for next year, eagerly anticipating what God will do in the lives of many youth.