Forward 2021

 

So Forward is here, and it's off to a big start at the Gainesville campus, as teens and youth leaders from all over have descended upon us to restart this huge youth conference at our church, just as it was quite a few years ago.  I was there for the first Forward Conferences, back when it was here at the church first starting out.  Since then, it's gone to the Gwinnett Arena, and will return there next year too.  But this year is an unusual one for everyone, and this was just great to see so many kids here.  

I was getting a few pictures of Maddie here early, as I know I won't see her much during this conference.  She's off with her friends and she's having a great time.  There are all kinds of things to do outside, plus food trucks, and then for the actual sessions, there's an amazing service planned each time.

The music, the message from Pastor Franklin, and even the games - all of it was unforgettable, and Maddie was right there in the thick of things.  It was a full day today, and there are zillions of pictures online from all the students who attended, and Maddie took a lot of notes from the message, and cheered for her team in Tribe Wars.  It was a super fun day, but as you can imagine, it was an exhausting one.  And it's only the first day too - we've got a few more of these.  Tonight, we went to bed, and didn't even read.  We just prayed, and were off to sleep very quickly.  But it was a good kind of rest, as we were content in all things this was a spectacular day.