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Church NewsMinistry Highlights

51 Students Make Professions of Faith at Northwest ‘The Next Thing’ Events

PORTLAND, Ore.—The Baptist Network Northwest sponsored an evangelistic activity giving junior- and senior-high students from churches in Oregon and Washington the opportunity to invite their friends to a “well planned and executed night,” where they would have a great time and hear the gospel.

Over two weekends in Portland, Ore.; Everett, Wash.; and Moses Lake, Wash., 255 students and leaders participated in one night of games, food, roller skating, bowling, prizes, and more. But most important, students heard the gospel, some for the first time. Steve Gledhill and Kiyle Decker, pastor of First Baptist Church of Ferndale, Wash., were the speakers.

Organizers Pete Steele, Joshua Ausfahl, and Sean Sallis saw God working before the event as well as during it. The congregation at Riverside Baptist Church in Albany, Ore., for example, took a onetime, previously unannounced offering to pay the registration fee for 30 students and leaders to attend the Portland event. With that offering the church was able to send 34.

Two girls who almost did not attend TNT received Jesus Christ as their Savior at the Portland event. They came from different churches and were the last two students to register. One of them showed up unexpectedly with a friend. Leaders had to scramble to get a parental release for her before the group could leave town.

The Everett TNT was an addition from previous years. Joshua Ausfahl, pastor of Baker Creek Bible Church in Bellingham, Wash., says, “We had a fabulous night of Everett Silvertips Hockey, prizes, midnight BBQ, and gym games, finishing up with games in a church. This was a great building block for future years.”

The 50-plus students who made decisions filled out response cards, with comments such as these: “I wanted to talk to God and repent”; “I fully believe what God did for me”; and “I accepted Christ as my Savior.” Baptist Network Northwest and Northwest Youth Ministries are thanking God for drawing these students to Himself.