This coming weekend, March 12 – 13, more than 400 young adults from nine states just might raise the roof of the Orpheum in downtown Memphis, as The Rising kicks off a weekend of worship, teaching and service.
What’s The Rising? Their Web site describes it as “a two-day multicultural experience in the urban core of Memphis designed to engage the mind, heart and soul.”
This is The Rising’s second year and director John Bryson is excited about the downtown venue as it “gets young people into the center of our city and they see Memphis in a new light.” Bryson, a teaching pastor at Fellowship Memphis, is passionate about racial reconciliation and he and his team have crafted a culturally-diverse weekend that “represents the diversity and beauty of Memphis” and is the only gathering of its kind in the country.
Vibrant Christian faith is often illustrated by the shape of a cross, with both vertical (relationships between humans and God) and horizontal (person-to-person) components. Teaching will focus on both dimensions and will challenge participants to connect with a church or nonprofit and serve their community. Bryson hopes to instill a vision for a life of servanthood and introduce participants to what he calls “an amazing network of cause-oriented organizations in our city.”
Saturday’s schedule features worship and teaching in the morning, followed by a service project at Zion Cemetery on South Parkway East in South Memphis. Zion, which has fallen into disuse and neglect over the past 15 – 20 years, is the oldest predominantly African-American cemetery in Memphis, is on the National Register of Historic Places and boasts a rich Memphis history. The group will clean up and clear overgrown vegetation, which must be done primarily with small equipment and manual labor.
Bryson urges young people to consider Memphis as a place to live, connect and serve and hopes that the weekend will help enable our city to retain its native talent and attract a new generation of young people to make Memphis their home. He sums up his vision for The Rising in these words: “Lock arms with us and make a difference.”
The weekend is supported by ticket sales and donations from an anonymous private foundation. Registration for the entire event is $49 and is open until March 11. Group pricing is available. Click here for more information.
