The Fruit of Fascination

Fascinate lasts three days, but it’s impact can last for years—even decades!

That’s the heart behind IHOPKC’s high school conference, July 21–23, in Kansas City.

Now in its 10th year, Fascinate offers teens, parents, and youth leaders an environment in which to encounter Jesus in meaningful and practical ways.

“Our staff and our leadership team spend the weeks leading up to the conference asking the Lord to move in powerful, life-changing ways,” says David Sliker, a senior leader at IHOPKC and a Fascinate speaker. “The testimonies that we have heard over the years tell us that He does.”

Those testimonies include many young people finding significant freedom in the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, youth groups getting set on fire with love for Jesus, and whole families being transformed in powerful ways. Some testimonies are immediate, David says, but there are also the joys of seeing young men and women still loving Jesus years after they first come to Fascinate.

The conference aims to help teenagers and leaders grow in their love for Jesus year–round, by providing them practical tools to successfully live out their passion for Him long after they leave.

“I always care the most about fruit that remains,” David says. “It’s not enough for me to see a young man free from sin in his teens. I want to see that same young man singing with tears and love for Jesus in his 60s.”

Teenagers are at a crossroads—facing choices about what they will do, who they will become, and what they will worship. Decisions made by a teen impact them and their family for generations to come. Events like Fascinate can help them focus on Christ, His power, and His plan for their lives.

“I’ve seen the power of decisions young people make to follow Jesus—and how those decisions matter when they have their own kids years down the road,” David says. “Twenty-five years of youth ministry have connected me to so many stories of the teenager who cries at the altar, free from addiction and shame at age 15, which then empowers them to disciple their own kids in purity and passion for Jesus years later.”

The conference, which features Mike Bickle, Corey Russell, Cory Asbury, Jaye Thomas, Misty Edwards, and others, aims to help teens encounter Jesus, grow in prayer and the prophetic, and learn about topics like dating, relationships, and family. This year’s theme is “Learning to Live in Unshakeable Faith, a Great Need in This Generation.”

For David, Fascinate is a chance to see lives—and communities—shift: “I hear so many stories of teenagers starting prayer meetings and Bible studies in their schools, spending hours in the Bible, and singing worship songs rather than playing tons of video games, stories of teenagers becoming crazy evangelists in their schools, things like that,” he says. “I love stories of the love of Jesus conquering fear and shame and making people free and bold.”

The conference is for high school students, but is open to all ages. Group rates are available, and conference admission is included with Awakening Teen Camp, a senior high camp, which runs July 20–30.

And for teens who come reluctantly or with mixed motives? The Lord is well able to move.

“We don’t care if your parents or your youth pastor make you come,” David says. “Jesus is real, powerful, and glorious, and He is still going to light your heart on fire like you’ve never known before—even if you’ve only come to flirt and impress the girls.”

Learn more about Fascinate

Adam Wittenberg

position

A Detroit native who was raised in Vermont and Connecticut, Adam worked as a newspaper journalist until 2012, when he moved to Kansas City to complete the Intro to IHOPKC internship. Afterwards, he earned a four-year certificate in House of Prayer Leadership from IHOPU and is now on full-time staff in the Marketing department at IHOPKC. He also serves in the NightWatch (overnight prayer hours) and is active in evangelism. He, and his wife Stephany, have a vision to reach people everywhere with the good news of Jesus Christ.