CHURCH HOLDS YOUTH EVENT; CONFERENCE PUTS FOCUS ON FAITH.Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Staff Writer WESTLAKE VILLAGE - Loud music filled the air as artists in funky clothes were shown bigger than life on video screens above a stage, and middle school-aged students milled about in the cavernous cavernous /cav·er·nous/ (kav´er-nus) 1. pertaining to a hollow, or containing hollow spaces. 2. having a hollow sound, such as certain abnormal breath sounds. auditorium Saturday. Although at first glance this could have been any youth-oriented concert designed to keep young teens out of trouble, the youth conference at Calvary Community Church had a much more specific message to it. ``They teach us to fully use what Christ says,'' said Mike Lewis, 13, of Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. as his friends stood nearby. ``Don't hide stuff, be who you are all the time and not just at church. This helps us live better.'' The daylong conference, the church's first, offered sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from the Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by , Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , Moorpark and Camarillo an opportunity to profess their beliefs and challenged them to understand their faith. ``When you get them when they are this age, you help them before they make a lot of bad choices,'' said Roman Sanchez, a youth pastor at Calvary and one of the organizers for ``Take a Stand for Christ 2000.'' ``This is when students start to think about God and wonder about spiritual things.'' Many of those in attendance said they wanted to be there because it is a way to connect with their religion on their own level and receive messages designed specifically for them. Besides, they said, there are hundreds of other young people their age to hang out with. ``Not only is it fun to get away from the house, it teaches you what you need to know about faith,'' said Mattie Garske, 12, a Calvary church Calvary Church is the name shared by several churches in the United States:
``It keeps you on track with your faith,'' she added. ``It keeps you always in check with God.'' The conference included lectures from youth pastors A youth pastor, or Christian youth minister, is a pastor who is trained specifically to work with youth. Most youth pastors serve young people between twelve and eighteen years old. , worship bands leading the group in song, and skits performed onstage that illustrated some of the questions most young people have about religion. The message the youth pastors said they wanted to convey through the conference was that the students should be able to proclaim their faith to their families, adults and their peers. Francis Chan, senior pastor at Cornerstone Church Cornerstone Church was founded by Pastor John C. Hagee in San Antonio, Texas, as a non-denominational evangelical church with more than 18,000 active members. History Cornerstone Church was founded by Pastor Hagee in May of 1975. in Simi Valley, said a lot of young people go to church just because their parents do but do not believe what is being said. ``If there are students here who maybe realize they don't believe it at all, then they should say so,'' he said, after his morning lecture. ``There is too much hypocrisy in the church today. We need to bring up a new generation who believe it and live it.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour Conejo edition) Matthew Reithmayr, left, and Jason Harrel perform during Calvary's youth event. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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