Inside the door of the Salt Palace Convention Center a green sign reads, "Now Entering the Prayer Zone." Sitting on the floor next to the door was a circle of five young boys around blue-haired Ken Miller from Allen, Texas, having a discussion on the role of community.
Miller and the junior-high-age boys were among the 6,000 young people attending the four-day Evangelical Free Church National Youth Conference in Salt Lake City.
The biennial conference, which ended Thursday, invites Evangelical Christian youths from hundreds of congregations around the country to come together for workshops, service projects and other activities aimed at helping youths between 13 and 18 years of age draw closer to God, said Rollo Casiple, conference outreach coordinator.
As Miller's blue hair would indicated, the conference is also about having fun.
"This is a generation of Christian kids who love to worship," Casiple said.
The cost of the conference, almost $400 not including travel, is paid for by the students themselves, although many had help from parents and sponsors. Emily Warren and her friend Erin Waymire, both 15, took a 22-hour bus ride from Wichita, Kan.
Zach Bates, 14, and Matt Safranek, 13, admitted some of their friends back in Phoenix, Ariz., think it's a little weird they like church so much. But instead of being embarrassed, the boys said they just invite their friends to come and check it out.
"Youth pastors are so cool," Safranek said.
Every day began with a rally that was a mixture of worship and motivational speakers, Casiple said. Then the youths chose to attend workshops with subjects such as improving Bible study, choosing good music, maintaining sexual purity and performing service.
As a final service activity, dozens of conference attendees were bused out to the Dream Center, an interfaith resource center on the west side near 1700 South and 1000 West, to play with refugee children as well as others in the neighborhood. The parking lot was full of balloons and beach balls as kids bounced to music while shoving hotdogs into painted faces. It was clear these conferencegoers knew how to mix service and fun.
Other projects were more spiritual. Matt Greenlee, 15, said he went door to door promoting a new Evangelical church in South Jordan. A dozen others stood on the corner of Main and South Temple Thursday afternoon encouraging drivers and pedestrians to pray.
"We also held a free car wash, did public bathroom makeovers (cleaned restrooms for free) and handed out bottled water," Casiple said.
More organized activities were coordinated throughout the week with about 40 service organizations in the Salt Lake area like the food bank and Salvation Army.
Miller and his group of boys visited the Federal Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Home to talk to and play games with residents.
"It's about showing kindness and spreading the love of Jesus Christ," said James Wychers, an associate pastor at his church in Stromsburg, Neb. "It also helps our kids step out of their comfort zones. It's about talking to people about things that are eternal and making an impact with faith to build the kingdom of God."
D.C. Warren, Emily's 17-year-old brother, said he's been given a lot to think about on that 22-hour ride back home to Kansas.
"I'm a fairly skeptical person about spirituality in general. Then I came here, and it's been a spiritual roller coaster for me. When I wake up, I don't know what my views will be by evening," he said.
"If I follow my gut and heart I won't follow (what I've learned), but if I follow the nagging — the pull on my heart — then I guess I'll have to," he said. "This has revitalized a lot of pondering — thoughts and struggles I've had for a long time — and has definitely put a new spin on them."
E-mail: akirk@desnews.com