The 2024 youth rally in Wharton, New Jersey, was held from April 19-21. The theme “Battle Cry: Raising Young Warriors For Christ,” was taken from 2 Timothy 2:4, and “Mighty Warrior” was the theme song. During the two weeks preceding the youth rally, the church spent much time in prayer in preparation for this special weekend.

The opening Friday evening service, called “Clarion Call,” began with an instrumental prelude of “The Battle Belongs to the Lord,” and the youth choir singing “Raise Up an Army.” Testimonies were given by both the father and the husband of the guest speaker, Esther Olusanya, who is the youth leader in Worth, Illinois. Her father testified about how the life of a school mate challenged him to follow him to his church. There he heard the message of salvation and later prayed in his room to get saved. Her husband shared how he settled at the Apostolic Faith Church after visiting many other churches. God saved him from a riotous neighborhood, and he has since been blessed in many ways.

Before the sermon, Victoria Timbilla sang “Be Strong in the Lord.” Reading from Joshua 24:15, Sister Esther preached on the topic of “Choice” and admonished the congregation to choose God since the devil is not a good option. She intimated that believers face a daily battle to defend what they stand for. She added that their choice has an eternal consequence and encouraged everyone to make the right one. A prayer session continued late into the night.

On Saturday morning, a drill/devotional was held with an exhortation by Samuel Bamgbose, ushering the young people into prayer before the forum titled “Battle for Our Faith, Family, and Future.” Panelists included Esther and Foluseke Olusanya, and Funso Ojo, from Oceanside, New York. Daniel Tetteh, youth leader at Wharton, New Jersey, was the moderator. Brother Foluseke, a military veteran, explained how the military training removes any trace of civilian life from prospective soldiers, which led to the correlation between the military and being a Christian soldier. Brother Funso focused on spiritual warfare, reading Ephesians 6:10-20 and talking about how the life of a soldier can be applied to aspects of a Christian life. The children were treated to a lesson on salvation, a life-transforming experience that would make them a light in this world of darkness. The kids then did arts and crafts, each given the opportunity to color a picture which included a handprint painting titled “Be the Light,” which was later framed.

The afternoon session was reserved for an “Earnestly Contend for the Faith” challenge where participants were asked to find chapters and verses in their traditional print Bibles as quickly as possible. The other part of the challenge focused on participants’ knowledge in Scripture, music, and basic information pertinent to the Apostolic Faith Church. While this was very entertaining due to the humor expressed by the contestants, there was also a lot to learn. Afterward, as an outreach effort, some of the youth went to a neighborhood shopping center to distribute tracts.

In the evening, the youth gathered again in the sanctuary for a testimony, praise, and prayer session. There was congregational singing, a combined choir presentation of “Let There Be Praise,” and a trio from Oceanside singing “There Is a Redeemer,” as well as other songs between testimonies. A young man testified about how he felt the need to pray for his baptism on a certain Monday while in Portland. There were no services that day, but he walked around the tabernacle until he found one door open. The Lord honored his effort and filled him with the Holy Ghost while he prayed in the tabernacle. Following a sermonette on prayer for faith, family, and future by the guest speaker, a prayer session ensued that lasted for nearly two hours. Many souls were revived and rededicated to God. 

The Sunday morning devotional service, dubbed “Roll Call,” began with the youth orchestra playing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” and “Arise, O Youth of God.” The choir then sang “Sound the Battle Cry/Loyalty to Christ.” Before the Scripture reading from 2 Samuel 24, the choir sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Sister Esther took her text from Colossians 3:23-24 and exhorted the congregation to give of their best to the Master. Referring to David, she said that even after his failure, he repented and offered to pay the full price for the sacrifice he offered to God. Sacrifices today include services to God, and they should be one’s best and must be without sin. This will surely cost something. A season of prayer followed the message as individuals of all ages poured out their hearts to God.

The youth rally ended with a farewell service on Sunday evening, which began with the orchestra playing “Onward, Christian Soldiers,” and a young men’s ensemble singing a medley, “When the Battle’s Over” and “Hold the Fort.” There were testimonies of victory, including that of a ten-year-old girl who testified of being saved during the Saturday evening prayer session. Before the sermon, a soloist sang “If You Only Knew Him.” Reading from Hebrews 12:2, Sister Esther spoke about the need for Christians to be lights at their various locations and how important it is to keep the faith. She also talked about setting all hearts, minds, and affections on only Christ. This can be done by looking up to Jesus. 

The saints in Wharton are thankful to God for the success of this year’s youth rally and look forward to another one next year, if Jesus tarries.