As a former youth pastor, I found that the one event every year that brought more buzz than anything else we did was Word of Life Reverb. It was never hard getting students to participate. In fact, if I had ever thought about skipping it, I would have probably had an uprising among our youth. They absolutely loved the event. It was one event that they never had any trouble getting their friends interested in attending.
You may be asking yourself, “what is Reverb?” Simply put, Reverb is an all-night, action-packed, evangelistic event for teenagers, and it’s coming soon to several cities. Here are three reasons why your youth group should consider attending Reverb.
1. Students will hear (and have an opportunity to respond to) the gospel.
Reverb is a packed event, but the most important part of the night happens just before midnight, in those few minutes after the main event (usually a hockey or basketball game) where a dynamic speaker clearly presents the gospel to an arena full of students, then gives an invitation to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Each decision is then followed up individually with biblical truth; before students connect back with their youth group, counselors guide them through the decision they made. The gospel is central to all Reverb events!
In my experience over the past several years coordinating the Reverb event in Rochester, NY, the best part for my wife and me is always the response after the message. The speakers don’t waste a moment as they share the need for every individual to get right with God, the problem of sin, our need for a Savior, and how God loved us enough to provide a way to salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. After the message, counselors pour their lives into students and ask them to put their faith in Christ. It is hard to keep a dry eye during these experiences.
Although the most important part of Reverb is accomplished by midnight in the arena, the night continues at other venues. One year, I had the joy of sitting with two young men at a bowling center after midnight, asking the two visitors what they thought of the message. They admitted that they wanted to go forward but were hesitant. Asking them if they wanted to make that decision, I had the joy of leading them to the Lord right there in that bowling center. Missing a frame or two that night was not nearly as important as watching these two students become members of God’s family in those early hours of the morning.
Reverb can provide these types of opportunities for your youth group—opportunities that will have an eternal impact on your students!
2. Reverb creates memories that will last a lifetime.
Reverb is everything students love all in one night. They have access to all the pizza they can eat and all the soda they can drink. They get to enjoy a hockey or basketball game (in most cities). After the main event, they can participate in a giant rally filled with energetic crowd games and prizes. They get to enjoy activities including go-karts, inflatables, skating, bowling, arcades, laser tag, and indoor athletic facilities with sports such as archery tag, flag football, and volleyball. Not only that, but they also get to stay up all night while doing it, creating memories they will never forget!
The energy in the arena is infectious. Team owners always ask me who this group is that brings so much excitement to the arena, and why Word of Life can’t come to every game and bring down the house. Combine the energy of the main event with the rally, the food, the prizes, and the activities throughout the rest of the night, and you have yourself a recipe for an unforgettable night!
3. Reverb is excellent evangelism training for your students.
I close with a true story I will never forget that a pastor shared with me. The pastor’s son was interested in a young lady that they invited to this event, and she came back each year for four years. She heard the message every year, but it was the fourth year when her eyes were opened, and she finally understood what God was saying to her through the speaker. That fourth year, she came forward and placed her faith in Christ. For her, she never got it until that final year of high school; she was so glad she attended one more time. The pastor’s son went on to marry that girl, and today she knows Christ because someone had enough interest in her to keep inviting her until her eyes were miraculously opened to the gospel.
This experience reminds me to never give up— to never stop trying while someone has breath and to give them multiple opportunities to hear and respond to the gospel. We need to always be reaching out to our unsaved friends, because we never know how God will use an event like Reverb to draw students to Him. I pray that we will have the opportunity to witness many students respond to the same Savior that we worship and follow. It is worth what it takes to stay up all night, to see students join this amazing family of God.
Reverb is coming to the following cities this November. Tickets are available now, including half-price tickets for students who do not know Christ. To get your youth group connected or for more information, visit wol.is/reverb.
Friday, Nov. 4
Cleveland, OH
Kalamazoo, MI
Roanoke, VA
Rochester, NY
Springfield, MA
Friday, Nov. 11
Binghamton, NY
Glens Falls, NY
Orlando, FL
Jacksonville, FL
Hershey, PA
Friday, Nov. 18
Atlanta, GA
Providence, RI
Rod Whitney is the Word of Life area missionary for western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania, and the coordinator of the Reverb event in Rochester, NY. He and his wife, Jamie, have served with Word of Life for nearly 35 years, and have three adult children.