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They’re all a part of Bluefield College’s Winter Blast, a two-day ski adventure worship weekend, January 18-19, 2014 on the beautiful BC campus and the exciting slopes of nearby Winterplace Ski Resort.
Outdoor enthusiasts, church youth groups, Christian music fans, prospective college students, and all other Bluefield College friends are invited to participate in the winter youth event that will feature worshipful music from contemporary Christian band Manic Drive and meaningful messages relevant to teens today from one of the nation’s leading voices in youth ministry, Duffy Robbins.
Winter Blast will begin Saturday, January 18 at Bluefield College with registration at 4 p.m., followed by dinner and a concert at 8 p.m. with Manic Drive. A high-energy three-piece band with a dynamic musical approach, Manic Drive has toured extensively across the United States and Canada. From their previous three albums – Reset and Rewind, Reason for Motion, and Blue – the group has scored multiple top 10 and top 20 singles on Billboard’s Christian Hot Radio and Christian Rock Radio hit lists.
Their most recent project, Epic, was produced by multi-platinum, award-winning producer/songwriter Rob Wells, who has worked with the likes of Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Miranda Cosgrove, and Backstreet Boys. This album, say band members Shawn Cavallo (singer, guitarist and keyboardist), Keith Comer (drummer) and Michael Cavallo (lead guitarist), is by far their most daring.
“The musical direction we are taking with Epic explores different styles of music, including a primary foundation of rock and adding clear elements of pop, funk, dance and hip-hop,” said Shawn Cavallo. “Working with Rob Wells has been extremely exciting. He expanded the creative boundaries of Manic Drive, pushing us to a whole new level. As an artist, I appreciate his challenging us to improve ourselves artistically while at the same time keeping a direct message of faith in our music.”
With lyrics that resonate with listeners, challenging them to “take a stand in faith to impact the world,” Manic Drive’s Winter Blast concert promises to fun and inspirational.
“Our shows are high energy, and we like having fun with everyone there,” said Michael Cavallo. “We never take ourselves too seriously. But, at the end of the day, we are on a mission that far exceeds entertainment. Our driving force is our desire to reach those who don’t know Christ with His message of hope, as well as to encourage believers to a closer and real-life walk with Christ.”
Day one of Bluefield College’s Winter Blast will conclude with a late night pizza party, dodge-ball tournament and other various games in BC’s Dome Gymnasium and Student Activities Center. Day two, Sunday, January 19, will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a worship session led by Robbins, a professor of youth ministry at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and a 35-year veteran of youth conferences, seminars, workshops, camps and retreats.
With his warm conversational style, quick sense of humor and unique ability to make scripture come alive, Robbins has spoken nationally and internationally, touching the lives of thousands of youth around the world. In addition, he is the author of 15 books and hundreds of articles on teenage discipleship, youth ministry, parenting, and growing faith.
After worship and lunch on day two, Winter Blast participants will head to the slopes at nearby Winterplace Ski Resort for a Ski Celebration from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. With 28 trails on more than 90 acres of skiable terrain, Winterplace serves as the off-campus setting for BC’s Winter Blast. Winterplace has nine lifts, a top elevation of 3,600 feet, and a long run of more than a mile, not to mention the fact that it has the largest snowtubing park in the state of West Virginia.
The standard two-day package for Winter Blast, January 18-19, costs $185 per person. For the extreme Winter Blast adventurer, an added day of skiing and an extra overnight stay is available, Thursday, January 17. The three-day package, January 17-20, costs $259 per person. Both packages include ski rentals, lift tickets, meals, games, hotel accommodations, the concert and the worship services.
To register or for more information, visit www.bcwinterblast.com or contact BC’s Alex Marcus via e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 276-326-4465.