Blessed Assurance for Young Adults
Photos courtesy of Calvary Chapel Philadelphia, PA.
This next generation is catching a new vision for what it means to walk with God, often spurring them on to action. More than 300 of them attended Calvary Chapel Philadelphia, PA’s, annual Philly Young Adults Conference in October 2024.
Young adults gather at the café at Calvary Chapel Philadelphia, PA, during a break at the church’s Young Adult Conference in October. The annual event focuses on the needs and experiences of 18- to 30-year-olds.
Between sessions, café workers cheerfully take orders for beverages and snacks, popular with conference attendees. Fellowship also included pickleball courts set up in the parking lot.
Reaching a Special Audience
And having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:21-22
During a small group session at the conference, a young man shared, “We are so focused on the things we are uncertain of when there are things we can be certain of.”
Speaker Tony DeFranco, executive pastor at CC Fellowship in St. Petersburg, FL, opens the conference; previously, he had served for 10 years at CC Philly. He encouraged the audience to pursue biblical literacy and to curate content from the culture with biblical standards.
Daniel Unger, one of three overseers of the young adult ministry at CC Philly, explained, “I think the topic was perfect for young adults, especially in terms of ‘blessed assurance’. There’s a big thread in the theme that goes to the young adults in the world that you can’t know anything, and that’s what’s being taught. And the Bible says the opposite, that there’s a lot to be known, and that we can be assured in our salvation.”
After Friday evening’s session, there was an extended time of prayer and worship. Here, two men encourage each other through prayer. Attendees talked about shared experiences, including navigating a culture hostile to the Gospel, limiting culture’s influence in their lives, and standing firm with the truth.
Focusing on 18- to 30-year-olds, the conference drew over 300 young adults from seven different states and 41 churches. CC Philly young adult leaders Josh Focht, Daniel Unger, and Jim Gibbs collectively lead the Philly Young Adults ministry, meeting twice a month on Monday nights as a large group and in-home groups throughout the year. Each October they gather, drawing young adults throughout the nation for a united purpose—to grow in Christ and in community.
CC Philly greeters welcome people before the beginning of Saturday’s session. “We need to be surrounded by people of the Word,” noted one participant.
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11
“After the Friday message, we prayed with over 60 people whose hearts the Lord was really working in to realize they can be assured of their salvation. Maybe some of them were doubting the Lord. Some of them were in spots where they just wanted to repent and come to the Lord,” Josh expressed. “We had so many people even during worship who were just waiting to be prayed for and just say, ‘Lord, I want to give you my life. I’ve learned that you are the One who gives a blessed assurance, and I want to believe that.’ And the number of people who we got to pray with, asking that the Lord would fill them with the Holy Spirit and light a flame again in their hearts, was incredible.”
A Lonely, Distracted, & Anxious Generation
Chris Covington, who oversees the young adults at Calvary Chapel Clayton in North Carolina, attended the conference along with his wife, Acacia, and young adult leader Cindy Sparrow. They brought a group of 10 young adults. “One major challenge we are facing today [in young adult ministry] is navigating the culture,” Chris observed. “They need to know how to navigate the culture and how to stand firm when the truth goes against it—and to not be influenced so much by it.”
Three men engage in a hearty conversation. One leader from Calvary Chapel Ellicott City, MD, shared how this generation is “seeking truth instead of the temporary” and “someone with a stable foundation.”
Cindy added, “And at the same time, another issue that seems to crop up and show in different ways is anxiety.”
Beriya, a 25-year-old with the CCEC group, shared how the “love of sin and depression” were keeping her peers from fully walking with God. Others among the group relayed how it is “fake expectations from the prevalence of cell phones” (Colin, age 20) or “social and situational distractions vying for their attention” (Steven, age 22) that draw them away. Ethan, age 19, grew up in the church and noted how intellectualism has its root in that many are “familiar with the concepts, but not the practice.”
… That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3
Jim Gibbs (left), one of three leaders of CC Philly’s young adult group, talks with some of the men who are part of the church’s active program. “The conference’s purpose is to be fed in the Word, and then stir one another up in conversation and fellowship,” stated Daniel Unger, another young adult leader at CC Philly.
“I was disconnected after COVID-19, but coming to Calvary and finding community, finding fellowship with those my own age, I realized God had a greater reality for me,” one young adult concluded.
Another group of 25 came from CC Breath of Life in Upper Marlboro, MD. Vandell, an articulate young man of 21, offered insight into his generation and what prevents them from fully surrendering to the Lord—“Influence,” he stated. “What are you being influenced by? Where we are in time is huge. People are lovers of themselves, and we see that with social media. The body of believers is huge. We need to be influenced by that community.”
A man talks to God in a solo prayer. After the Friday night session, more than 60 people requested prayer, seeking assurance of their salvation, doubting the Lord, and coming to repent of sin, according to Josh Focht, a CC Philly young adult leader.
Alicia, age 23, who traveled with Vandell, added, “We have different influences through social media and how, even in the workplace, we are surrounded by the world. We need to be surrounded by people of the Word.”
Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 1 Corinthians 15:33
Fellowship was a big aspect of the conference this year as well, including the pickleball courts set up in the parking lot and a large outdoor seating area, along with the café. “The conference’s purpose is to be fed in the Word, and then stir one another up in conversations and fellowship,” stated Daniel Unger of CC Philly.
Young women pray over a participant. Many indicated that anxiety, the love of sin, depression, and social and situational distractions were among issues they often deal with.
Tony DeFranco, executive pastor at CC Fellowship in St. Peterburg, FL, was on staff at CC Philly for 10 years and returned to be this year’s conference speaker. “The greatest challenge in this generation is too much of an openness to things they should be guarded against, making them wide open to false teaching in the interest of not being rude,” he shared. “The solution is legitimate biblical literacy and to curate content with biblical standards.”
Arms draped over each other’s shoulders in fellowship, two young men worship. “We had so many people even during worship who were just waiting to be prayed for and say, ‘Lord, I want to give you my life,’” Josh Focht said.
Spurred to Action
Jake Flores, a staff member of Calvary Chapel Ellicott City (CCEC) in Maryland, brought a group of 24 young adults to the conference. He shared how this generation is “seeking truth instead of the temporary” and “seeking someone with a stable foundation.”
This was his first time at the conference. “One of the many things that stood out was definitely when Pastor Tony [DeFranco] was speaking on the assurances that we have in Christ contrasted with the uncertainty that we find in the world,” Jake disclosed. “I know for myself as I finish up college, it is really easy to harp on the uncertainties of the world, like: Where am I going to work after college? Do I have my life figured out? What do the next five years [hold] for me? But resting in the assurance that God has given us, I think one of the bigger assurances is the ability to communicate with God through prayer. I’ve definitely found myself prioritizing that more because it has helped put everything into perspective.”
The theme of the conference was “Blessed Assurance”. Pastor Tony spoke on the assurances that we have in Christ contrasted with the uncertainty that we find in the world.
The profound impact of these simple truths on Jake has taken him on a path to action beyond himself. The young adult ministry at CCEC had died down after the Lord had called the couple leading it elsewhere. With a recent influx of young adults to the body there, the Philly conference was a catalyst to something bigger. “I’ve gotten together a couple of people, including myself, to help coordinate and lead the group as we attempt to restart it.” Jake expounded, “We've taken some time to get together and pray and plan. We are hoping within the next month or so to make it official and start having gatherings again and go from there.”
Facing the Future
The uncertainty, loneliness, anxiety, self-love, and influence from the world stands in stark contrast to the vibrant body of believers gathered at CC Philly.
“The harvest is ripe for laborers to go out into the field, but we must do the work to destroy apathy and laziness,” Tony added. “Rather than concern for your own health and well-being, go share the Gospel. Get out into your community.”
Men prayerfully worship and immerse themselves in the presence of the Lord.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. 1 Peter 3:15
Josh Focht shared, “After COVID, we saw so many young adults just googling ‘young adult fellowship’. They’d find us, and they were learning about Jesus. We had so many guys who just gave their life to Jesus. They learned about Him and how much He loves them.”
Josh Focht closes out the conference on Saturday afternoon.
CC Philly will host its next Young Adults Conference on October 10-11, 2025. They also post a weekly podcast on Apple podcasts and Spotify. For more information, visit youngadults.ccphilly.org.
Calvary Chapel Old Bridge, NJ, will also be bringing back its Vertical Identity Conference on April 25-26, 2025. The two-day conference for teens and “twenty-somethings” is focused on equipping this next generation to walk uprightly with the Lord and to know who they are in Him. Featured speakers will be Pastor Ray Dash of The Rock Christian Fellowship in Newark, NJ; Pastor Josh Lawrence of CC Eldoret in Kenya, Africa; and Patti Height of Out of Egypt Ministries for a ladies’ session. For more information, visit ccobya.com.
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