Organizers and participants of the 2025 Youth Evangelism Celebration praised God for the 571 students who recently made decisions for Christ in the Laborde Earles Coliseum in Alexandria. They also were grateful to Him for the more than 5,300 teens and adult sponsors who attended YEC (the largest annual gathering of Louisiana Baptists).
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“I’m always amazed at how many people come together to make this annual event happen,” Louisiana Baptist Youth Ministry Strategist Lee Myers told the Baptist Message after the conclusion of YEC event, held Nov. 23-24. “It truly is a cooperative effort, from Louisiana Baptist Convention staff, production teams and an army of volunteers, who all play a part. But the biggest impact comes from our youth leaders and local churches who make sure this weekend becomes a reality. Louisiana is blessed with incredible adults who love students, support student ministry and help create moments where teenagers can encounter Christ.”
Be changed
Anthony Vargas, student pastor at Together We Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in Yukon, Oklahoma, told students to admit their need for change and to cry out to Jesus for mercy.
Referencing Luke 18, Vargas said Jesus hears, heals and sees individuals in their brokenness.
He explained that a blind man approached Jesus and asked to be healed, and in the end, he was changed.
Vargas told the students to respond to Jesus’ call just as the blind man did, emphasizing that the Lord can change anyone.
“I don’t believe you’re here by accident,” he told the crowd. “I believe you’re here because God wants to do something crazy in your life because Jesus doesn’t just fix lives. He transforms lives.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Brian Blackwell and originally published by the Baptist Message.
