The Scripture:

"And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, 'We've never seen anything like this before!'"  (Mark 2:12)

Each year over 12,000 come together to celebrate the God of The Resurrection. Through the message of a nationally-known gifted speaker and worship led by a nationally-known contemporary Christian band, young people are able to focus on the worship of the triune God in and through Jesus Christ.

For Resurrection 2012, we’ve pulled out all the stops. During this experience, you will encounter the Lord in new and deeper ways. For many people, Resurrection is an opportunity for “conversion,” “decision,” and “revival.” For others, it becomes a moment of realization that their faith needs to grow deeper and more serious. What will it be for you!?!

We invite you to come and be with us and experience the life-changing power of Jesus Christ - the One who is The Resurrection and The Life.

The Message: Reggie Dabbs

Born to an unwed teenager who at one time considered abortion as a viable option for solving her "problem," Reggie Dabbs considers himself fortunate to be alive. With no place to go, the pregnant teenager ended up living in a chicken coop in Louisiana. It was there she remembered a former school teacher, Mrs. Dabbs, who had said to her students, "If you ever need anything, call me," and gave the students her home phone number. The girl called.

Mrs. Dabbs went to Louisiana, picked up the girl, and took her back to Tennessee where she and her husband, whose six children were adults by this time, took the girl into their home and cared for her until after the baby was born. They continued to care for little Reggie as foster parents until he was in the fourth grade, and then they officially adopted him and gave him the Dabbs name.

As the Dabbs' reared Reggie, they instilled in him strong moral values, for which he is genuinely grateful. They also ingrained in him the fact that in every situation he faced, he had a choice. What he did with those choices was entirely up to him.

In the sixth grade, Reggie began playing the saxophone and hated it. At the insistence of his parents he continued to practice and to play. Not until his freshman year in college did he actually enjoy the instrument, and today, he plays with fervor and expertise.

After graduating from college, Reggie began his public speaking. Reggie speaks in a humorous style about many topics facing kids and youth today, including drugs, alcohol, and suicide. Reggie also talks about the importance of family and also about dating relationships. Most of all, Reggie drives home the fact that "You can never change your past, but you can change your future!"

Reggie makes his home in Ft. Myers, Florida, with his wife Michele and their son Dominic.

In Concert: Leeland

GRAMMY-nominated progressive rock act Leeland has been known to deliver songwriting beyond its years and worshipful rock so genuine it disarms the honest cynic. Often quoted as one of Christian music's most gripping live bands, the 2006 debut Sound of Melodies and 2008's Opposite Way quickly established Leeland as a leader in the worship community and beyond. While both previous albums were GRAMMY nominated and drew a combined eight Dove nominations, Leeland's measure of success has always been the human heart.

"During the past year, God has caused a total shift in our thinking and the way we approach our ministry," says Leeland keyboardist Jack Mooring. His brother, the band's principal songwriter, lead singer and guitarist, Leeland Mooring profoundly states: "If we're not loving people, then we're just making a bunch of noise." That's quite a statement coming from a leader who's influencing a new generation of worshipers.

And that's precisely the point. With passion and conviction Leeland has transformed its sound into a call to action; asking followers of Christ to be the hands and feet of God.

"Worship, justice and action are not separate," explains 21-year-old Leeland. "They are united. They work together. When you have an amazing encounter with God and you experience His love during worship, the fruit of that should be your life overflowing with action and love – justice – to the world around you."

You can learn more about Leeland by visiting their website, www.leelandonline.com, and by visiting their YouTube channel.

Worship Music: Wayne Kerr

After a fanastic year of worship and music at Resurrection 2011, Wayne Kerr is returning to Resurrection for 2012.

Wayne shares, "By far the coolest thing about me I could ever hope to share is this: God truly changed my life!!!"

In college my life took a turn when I gave Christ the steering wheel. I began playing piano out of nowhere by ear, and began writing songs. All through my college years, I played piano every day, as if being called to some end. Even after winning an art award and being flown to the UN in New York, I knew there would be more to my life than art. After school and 2 years of Graphic Design, I quit my "day job" in 1995 to pursue music ministry and go wherever God would allow me.

Since then God has done amazing things. I've been to Japan (4 times), Indonesia, Costa Rica, all over the US, and am totally thankful for any opportunity to share HIS goodness with anyone who would listen. As of today, I do about 180-200 dates per year, some solo, some with my band guys, who are amazingly talented but more importantly, love the Lord with their lives.

God is faithful and any good thing I've been a part of is because of HIM.

You can find out more about Wayne Kerr's music at www.waynekerrmusic.com or visit his YouTube channel.

The Ministry:

Prayer Ministry
In addition to praying generally for this ministry, you are invited to participate in two specific prayer-based opportunities available at Resurrection: the Prayer Room and the Prayer Path. The Prayer Room will be available in the Convention Center throughout the weekend for anyone in your group to use. The Prayer Path will be offered on Saturday.

Leaders’ Prayer Breakfast
Leaders’ prayer breakfasts are scheduled on Saturday morning of each weekend: Weekend 1 at 8:00 a.m. for Session A and 10:00 a.m. for Session B; Weekend 2 at 8:00 a.m. only. The breakfast will be located upstairs in the Gatlinburg Convention Center. Please send at least one adult from your group to help undergird this event with prayer. Reservation cards will be included in the December information packets.

The Schedule:

The program is the same both weekends. Resurrection will offer two complete sessions during the first weekend. You will stay with either Session A or B throughout the weekend. During the second weekend, there will only be one session.

Use the charts below to help you determine which session will best fit your group's needs.  Please make your selection carefully as we may not be able to accommodate changes. 

A deaf interpreter will be provided during Session B on the first weekend and during the only session on the second weekend.

Weekend 1: January 13-15

Weekend 2: January 20-22

Opportunities abound for free time. Shopping, skating or skiing at Ober Gatlinburg, Lazer Tag, Go Karts are just a few of the offerings in and around Gatlinburg.

In addition, a prayer room and a prayer labyrinth will also be offered on Saturday at the convention center.

The Talent: Youth Offerings

A talent offering from each of the twelve Holston Conference UMC districts and talent offerings from groups outside the conference will be performed at Resurrection. If you are within Holston Conference, please contact your District Youth Coordinator for information on how to audition. Contact info for each coordinator can be found at www.holstonyouth.com. If you are from outside of the conference, please contact Laura Lambert for more information on auditioning.