MATTHEW VALCHO
Staff Reporter
Thousands of college students poured into the Toyota Center in downtown Houston this weekend for Passion 2015.
Passion is a Christian faith-based gathering of college-aged students representing hundreds of schools across the nation with the purpose of worshipping and learning about Christ.
Respected Christian speakers gave talks at different sessions throughout the weekend with different bands and singers such as David Crowder and Chris Tomlin performing at each.
Louisiana Tech students attended the Passion 2015 Conference, as well as the previous gathering in Atlanta in early January.
Attendees of the Passion Conference hold up signs to show their solidarity with the End It movement–Photo by Matthew Valcho
Scott Felder was one of the students who attended the conference in Atlanta.
“I would not call it a big church service,” said Felder, a sophomore mechanical engineering major. “It is basically just a big party with 17,000 other brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Three conferences were held in January. The first two were in Atlanta at the Phillips Arena while the final gathering was in Houston at the Toyota Center. Both arenas have a capacity of at least 18,000.
Katie Rose, a junior speech pathology major, also attended the Atlanta conference.
“It is a chance to get away from school and learn about God with thousands of other Christians who have the same mindset as you,” she said.
Rose said Passion is not just a chance for Christians to gather together, it is an opportunity for students to get involved with organizations fighting for human lives.
One such organization is the “End It Movement,” a coalition of non-profit organizations whose goal is to end modern slavery for the 27 million estimated people enslaved.
Organizers said Passion has made it a point to raise awareness and funds at all of its conferences.
In 2013, Passion was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The 60,000 attending students raised more than $3 million to help fight slavery.
Lindsey Crawford, the executive director of Freedom13 Ministries, said the organization’s mission is to aid men and women in escaping sexual slavery.
“There are millions who have somehow come into sex slavery and sex trafficking one way or another,” she said. “It is not like they woke up one morning and said, ‘Hey, I want to be sold into sex slavery.’”
Crawford also said the work Passion and many other organizations do for “End It” has made a difference.
“Passion has really brought it down to a more personal level,” she said. “Slavery is an issue around the world, but also here at home. ”
Feb. 27 is Shine a Light on Slavery Day.
Crawford said students who want to learn more and get involved can go to enditmovement.com.
Email comments to mvv002@latech.edu.