Riverside Community Church presents SHOCK Fest, a cutting edge youth event to change teenagers' lives by connecting them to a gracious God. This event begins at 7 pm Wednesday, December 26 and runs for two hours nightly through New Year's Eve. This week was chosen in response to the fact that teens complained of nothing to do between Christmas and New Year's.
SHOCK Fest is a six-night, alternative youth rally which intends to challenge teenagers to face some of the tough questions in their lives and to help them seek answers. SHOCK is an acronym created by Todd Rosspencer, Youth Pastor at Riverside Community Church located at 4850 Jurupa Avenue in Riverside, CA. P*Todd, as the kids refer to him, explains the acronym this way.
S – Stand in awe of God (worship)
H – Hang out with other Christians (fellowship)
O – Obey God (discipleship)
C – Contribute time and talent (ministry)
K – Kindle conversations about Jesus (evangelism)
Each evening, SHOCK Fest will be divided into two segments. The first half features high energy, passionate worship music, interactive games, powerful adult speakers and student testimonies. These students will share their deepest hurts and how God helped them through them.
The second half of SHOCK Fest features interactive venues where teens can simply hang out and make new friends or where they can respond or dialog on what they have heard during the first hour. The venues currently scheduled are:
Debate Hall – where students can wrestle with their peers and adults on “hot” spiritual concepts.
Art Den – where students can express themselves through visual art.
Party House – where students hang out and listen to music, munch on food and develop friendships.
Counseling Corners – where students can talk with volunteer and professional counselors.
Basketball Tournament – where students can challenge themselves and their buddies on the court.
Labyrinth – where students can spend an hour in a guided spiritual journey.
Other special features of SHOCK Fest include special guest Justin Lookadoo and a trip to the Knott's New Year's Bash. Lookadoo is a nationally recognized, high-energy motivational speaker/author that connects with students of all ages through comedy; empowering students to experience life without drugs, alcohol and violence.
While SHOCK Fest is planning to receive 750 teens each night, Pastor Todd has told his volunteers that this event isn't about the numbers, it's about 'the one': the one person that God brings to you to engage with. The one person in whose life you can have a positive impact. Rosspencer also hopes that those involved will also get SHOCKed.
For more information, please contact Todd Rosspencer at 951-686-1886 or Rohnda Bank at 951-452-9163. You can also visit www.shockfest.info or www.myspace.com/
