For years, Rachel has been the creativity behind the morning am:DEVOS at AreaOne camps and conferences. This year in addition to those duties she took to the camera to share some of the things God has spoken to her about. This video is first in a series of three. 

For the AreaOne Summer Conference 2014 we decided to move away from our usual motion graphics for more of an organic story telling style of filming. Earlier in the year we had been attacked online by several atheists. The resulting experience led us to start challenging them head-on. We didn't want to fire back just to argue, which would most likely have been pointless. Rather, we refocused all of our efforts to compete for the hearts and minds of this upcoming generation of youth. While I have a relationship with Christ and have an understanding of just how deep and complex the Christian faith is, too often youth get a slanted story thanks to a biased media. The mocking caricatures that those in pop-culture and the  media make of Christians influence youth to reject the very idea of God through the vehicle of shaming and bullying. This video is first in a series that responds to these issues and shows that there may be more to Christianity than what students have previously thought.

My brother is a master mechanic that can do just about anything with a good set of tools. It's always amazed me how he can listen to an engine and know what is happening inside. This is similar to how God knows everything about us, including our hidden secrets. He built us and He knows us better than we know ourselves. This video is our first attempt at story telling and while there is much room for improvement we were generally happy with how it turned out. Next time we'll get my brother's national championship drag car for the shoot and we'll probably need a faster camera, too.
Kiley Butler, President

Looking for the latest information about the 2015 AreaOne SummerCons? Click the link below for a printable version of the 2015 event information. For questions or to register call 888.GOAREA1 ext 2.

We are excited to announce that registration for AreaOne SummerCON 2015 is now open. The 2015 lineup includes worship with The Digital Age, keynote speaker Alan Shlemon, hosts Kiley and Rachel Butler and youth pastor/adult track leader Danny Sartin.  You can register or request an info packet by clicking the links below. 

Months in the making, we are happy to release the 2014 AreaOne promo video. Created by filmmaker Dan Baker, this video is expressly created to be show to youth groups and in church services.  The video can be streamed directly from AreaOne or from our page on Vimeo. Other options include downloading the video from AreaOne for use in video presentation systems. Call 888.GOAREA1 ext. 1 if you need additional video downloading or playback options.

The students at AreaOne 2013 were treated to surprise guest Abigail Smith. Abigail's video "Terminal Cancer Wasn't In My Plans" has inspired many and we were so honored that she was able to speak at AreaOne. The audio file below is her message to the students and the video below is her story.  Abigail continues to fight this disease and we continue to stand with her in prayer. 

We are excited to announce that the next generation of AreaOne conferences is about to take off and we have an amazing lineup to start this new era. Nabeel Qureshi and Cameron McCallister from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries will carry the keynote speaker positions. Grammy nominated progressive worship group "Leeland" will lead worship for the entire week. Kiley and Rachel Butler will return as hosts and Danny Sartin from Deeper Still Missions will head up the youth worker sessions. The 2014 AreaOne Student Conference is designed to inspire and challenge the faith of teens and adults alike.  Join us on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri this coming summer for a truly unforgettable student ministry experience!

For close to a decade and a half AreaOne has been hosting summer camps for youth groups. This year, however, we are changing the name and concept from camp to conference. The original vision of AreaOne was to train students to be able to defend their faith and live out a Christ-centered worldview. Over the years we drifted from that approach and became burdened by the high numbers of students leaving the faith and the church. We knew it was time to do something more effective and God has led us to return to our roots in 2014! Fun remains on the menu, but we will now be much more intentional with the content of our teaching. Come prepared for in-depth worldview training and vertical worship that is designed to transform and strengthen a student's faith. The schedule this year will reflect some of the changes we are making. You will also notice that we are shifting away from the rock concert style environment of most camps and will instead create a more intimate "in-the-round" setting. This new design will help students better engage with the speakers and the training they will receive. 

As we began to plan for this shift a couple of years ago we researched other event options available to youth leaders. On one hand, you have the traditional camp (which is what we've been doing) that focuses on teaching, but also puts a high priority on fun and entertainment. The purpose is to make sure that each person in the youth group has a great time and leaves with at least one new truth. On the other hand, you have specialized conferences that cater to the top tier of teen leaders. These events focus primarily on apologetical and theological teaching and are marketed to the more academic students. Our vision is to create an event that is in the middle of these two extremes: a conference for the entire youth group that presents apologetic and worldview teaching that is clear, understandable, and relatable to all of the students in your group. Supporting this vision are Nabeel Qureshi and Cameron McCallister from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. Both of these men are dynamic speakers and are known for connecting to audiences of all ages. We are excited they will be at AreaOne 2014. Join us! You can register your group or request information online by clicking the buttons below. Feel free to call us for more information at 888.GOAREA1.

After a decade and a half of life changing camps and conferences we are embarking on an entirely new chapter of AreaOne. Watch for the announcement in August to see where we are going and how these changes will impact your students for the Kingdom. Excitement does not begin to describe where we think God is taking us. Registration for the new AreaOne opens 9.1.13.

Todd Agnew is a veteran of AreaOne camps and over the last ten years he has been both worship leader and main speaker. Now joining the AreaOne 2013 teaching team, Todd will be leading the morning student breakout after Jason Petty/Propaganda's morning teaching session. We are also excited that Todd will join Propaganda and Rend Collective Experiment in concert during AreaOne. 

You can sign up your students for AreaOne easily by registering online.