Youth conference of United Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ draws worshippers to Greenfield, Indiana

They gathered on Friday night, moving to upbeat music and dressed in their Sunday best. Youths and their families from various churches convened at Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Greenfield for the annual National Youth Conference of the United Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ. Groups came from as far away as churches in Lafayette and in Hymera in Sullivan County, and one couple traveled from Pennsylvania.

Joseph Riggs, pastor of Apostolic Pentecostal Church, said the conference had a strong effect on those who attended. “It was very impactful,” Riggs said. “It wasn’t just the young people. Everyone that was there was impacted by it.”

According to the report, the association has a church as far away as California, but the youth conference draws people mostly from Indiana and neighboring states. The conference began more than 30 years ago and has not always been held at the Greenfield church. In recent years, however, it has often met there because the building is centrally located and offers a larger facility than some churches have available.

The conference opens with a service on Friday night. The following day includes breakout sessions and another service.

Lia Matthews, the guest evangelist who spoke on Friday, challenged the young people seated near the front to develop their spiritual maturity now rather than waiting until the future to become people of influence (Psalm 78:4). She told the audience that at a pivotal point in her own spiritual journey, when she was 13, fellow youths were the people “praying me through.”

Source: Read the original report