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BY CARRIE MADREN
UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT

Down front, by the main stage security barrier, a middle school-aged boy jumped up and down with the beat, pumping his fist in the air like no one was watching. Colorful stage lights flashed above as the Christian band Unsearchable Riches jammed onstage, their God- and life-centered lyrics echoing around the enormous conference center cavern.

ROCK 2011, the 6,000-person retreat weekend — set in the eerily quiet dead-of-winter Ocean City — has become a weekend that many conference youth anticipate each year as a time to charge their faith batteries and fellowship with other Christians.

This year’s theme was ‘Give Me THAT Fish’ — a play on the McDonald’s television commercial jingle — which references Jesus’ recruitment of fishermen to become ‘fishers of men.’ Playing live praise and Christian music were the bands Salvador and Unsearchable Riches.

“I woke up this morning so excited — with a feeling that we were just going to worship the King,” said Salvador front man Nic Gonzales, who’s “David Danced” song had retreat-goers dancing in the aisles. “You don’t have to worry about school, or work, just worship the King.”

As bands played, the convention center turned into a hip concert with glow sticks and orchestrated stage lights.

Then, the convention center quieted into a church, with messages delivered by main speaker Bishop Violet Fisher, who inspired and commissioned the youth.

“You have to know Jesus before you can show Jesus,” she said. “It’s not enough to say ‘I love Jesus,’ you need the anointing of the Spirit … Young people, we need your witness, we need your testimony.”

In addition, sand artist Joe Castillo offered sand art performances on The Prodigal Son and The Passion on a light table projected to the main screen. Using his hands, he created pictures on the backlit surface, shaping and sifting handfuls of sand to create two-dimensional images.

Breakout sessions gave youth and their leaders a chance to dive into interesting topics such as Crazy Love for Jesus, Drama in Worship and ‘How to help youth know and live like Jesus’ by Bishop John Schol.

As always, the Conference Council on Youth Ministries — comprised of teens from around the conference — planned and helped execute the weekend retreat. CCYM leaders devised the details of the conference, with help from conference director of youth ministries Tom Price, and served as emcees at each session.

After both the Friday and Saturday night sessions, youth returned to hotels for small group devotion time, where they reflected on the messages, Scriptures and events of the day.

Sunday morning’s service resembled a church service — complete with communion, reflective music and offering. For the offering, youth and youth leaders gave more than $18,000 for the Imagine No Malaria campaign.

Part of the challenge after ROCK’s ‘mountaintop experience,’ youth leaders have found, is keeping teens continually in the Spirit all year long. To make that easier, Price designed a video series to be used at youth groups or gatherings that reinforce the Christ-centered messages and themes learned at ROCK (free online and $10 for a DVD).

This year, those videos will help keep the words of Fisher on youth radars: “You’ve been called to set the world on fire — to turn the world upside down,” she told them.

Following her sermon, more than 2,000 youth came forward to commit their lives to Christ.