Adam Crabb
According to Charlie Moats, youth leader at Covenant Baptist Church, the turnout was better than anticipated.
“The teens all had so many friends on Facebook that it seemed like 8,000 people were invited,” Moats said. “The tent we were using only sat about 350. On our biggest night, Friday, we had 400 to 450 people come out.”
Jam-A-Roo was the brainchild of three youths from Covenant Baptist Church and Washington Avenue Baptist Church. Both churches decided to join in on the idea and invited other churches to do the same. Echoes of Mercy Baptist Church responded to the invitation.
Moats said the event was always about Jam-A-Roo’s theme: one city, one vision, one savior. He said the revival was not about denomination so much as Christians coming together.
“We had people from the Greenway walk over to see what was going on. Some of them were the ones in the altar rededicating their lives and getting saved,” Moats said.
Katelyn Harrod, a member of Washington Avenue Baptist Church, said the event was a blessing.
“It is a great experience and I feel refreshed. I feel better,” Harrod said. “I hope we have another next year. I hope there are more people next year.”
Two local pastors, Daniel White and Barry Fowler, took turns pastoring the first four days. Adam Crabb, a Christian singer, performed and preached Friday night.
“Adam Crabb spoke about how you have to let God step into your situation so he can fix it,” Harrod said. “That really spoke to me.”
Harrod was involved in organizing the Jam-A-Roo shirts. According to Moats, the backstage helpers are the unsung heroes.
“It is the people who were in the background that really made it work. Young and old alike worked tirelessly to make Jam-A-Roo a success,” Moats said.
Moat’s son, Jake, said Jam-A-Roo was a freeing experience.
“There is no restriction of worship. However you worship God, no one is going to look down on you or judge you. There is complete freedom in worship at Jam-A-Roo,” Jake said.
MyLeah Keith from Covenant said those who missed out on Jam-A-Roo could visit the three churches.
“I know Covenant, Washington Avenue, or Echoes of Mercy would be more than happy to have them. ... That was the whole point of this revival. Some people are not comfortable coming to church for the first time,” Keith said.
Organizers can now take a deep breath with a successful Jam-A-Roo event under their belts. Moats said he hopes 2013 will see more variety, more people, and more churches involved.
