As I packed my bag to head to Tampa, I double checked that I had everything: newsletters, TUMI brochures, World Impact signage, pens, business cards—check, check, check. Then I got on a plane and headed to one of the most unique and hype conferences of the year: Flavor Fest.
Flavor Fest is an annual conference hosted by Crossover Church in Tampa, FL. It was unlike any conference I have ever been to. During the day, it buzzed with Theological encouragement and challenges from a powerful and diverse lineup, and the evenings were filled with the best beats and lyrics hope-filled hip-hop has to offer. The men and women from the day sessions were joined by a cast of others—from youth groups to mentors to pastors—who wanted to see what God is doing in hip-hop culture. On a given day, there was spoken word in one room, a three-on-three tournament in the gym, spontaneous free-style in the hall, and artists like MC Jin were throwing down on the main stage.
To a newbie like me, all of this activity could be overwhelming, but there was a spirit of unity and praise in the air. Among what could have been chaos was a thread that tied it all together: Flavor Fest exists to train up urban leaders. Leaders who love hip-hop, leaders who shepherd congregations filled with youth who love rap. Some of those leaders were so passionate about church planting that they hung out at the World Impact booth while Social Club brought the house down.
Those leaders, pastors, youth coordinators, mentors, and called followers of Christ were why I lugged a suitcase full of resources to Tampa. They were why I lost my voice talking to new friends about church planting. They are why partnerships are important. I want to be part of a network of Godly men and women who bring Kingdom transformation to the block, and, yes, I would even miss out on hearing JPoetic perform to make it happen.
Candy Gibson is World Impact's National Marketing Director.
