Motion Student Conference brings 15K to Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — The power of faith brought thousands to Birmingham this week.

The 16th annual Motion Student Conference, sponsored by Church of the Highlands and Highlands College, filled Legacy Arena from Thursday through Saturday.

Motion is all about students taking charge. Church leaders said one of the primary goals of the conference is having young people lead others to grow their faith and become leaders themselves.

“During these sessions that what we really challenge students with is to discover that calling and then to leave here and go live it out, which is incredible,” said Mark Pettus, the president of Highlands College.

The conference brought over 15,000 students from all over the world to Birmingham.

“I’ve learned more about God, more about the word, more about the Bible, more about myself than anything, more about my confidence in who I am with Christ,” Hoover resident Felipe Ferrer said.

Ferrer has been coming to these conferences for as long as he can remember. He said his leadership skills and faith grow each year.

“You have to be in the room to experience it,” Ferrer said. “It’s all your brothers and sisters around the same age, all in the same season of life, and it is truly one of the best feelings.”

Pettus said the conference is about creating the next generation of church leadership. Attendees broke into small groups led by Highlands College students.

“It’s important for us to put other young leaders around the next generation,” Pettus said. “So they are encouraged and strengthened in their faith, and their experiencing God, not just in the big room, but in their small groups, which we think may be more important.”

The conference ended with an arena full of students reflecting on what they have learned by writing down messages and holding them to the sky.

“Believing them, declaring them as we step out in motion after the conference is over,” Ferrer said. “So we’re just declaring things, writing things we have learned, things that God has done in our hearts. It’s awesome.”

Organizers said anyone, regardless of religion, is welcomed and encouraged to attend the conference.

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