More than 40,000 college students and young adults welcomed the new year by flooding the Philips Arena in Atlanta, where this year's Passion Conference was held. The conference, for the first time in its history, is also being livestreamed at two other locations: the Infinite Energy Arena in Atlanta, and the Toyota Center in Houston.
Passion, an annual conference which began in 1995, has focused on "igniting a passion" in college students and young professionals between the ages of 18 to 25. This year, the conference is centered on the theme, "The Jesus Generation United for His Fame," and concludes on Monday.
Louie Giglio, the founder and leader of the Passion movement, kicked off the first night on Saturday with a sermon that focused on the resurrection of Jesus. Giglio focused on the meaning of Jesus' death in Passion 2015.
"Last year at Passion 2015, we began and ended with three words: 'It is finished.' And tonight, we start with three words: 'He is risen,'" said Giglio, and emphasized the fact that Jesus' resurrection is a reality.
"The enemy wants to relegate this reality to one holiday a year -- Easter. But this needs to be celebrated every day," Giglio said. "He is risen on this day. All the realities of Jesus being alive are true, and He is living in my life right now."
"The deck may have been stacked against you, but the stone has been rolled away for you. The message at Passion is Jesus has risen. The Son of God is alive. It is a reality, it is a fact. We all celebrate what God has done."
Other renowned speakers, including John Piper and Ravi Zacharias, also spoke throughout the conference, and artists such as Chris Tomlin and Hillsong led the congregation into worship.
Passion has also been known for its philanthropic efforts, such as by collecting donations from conference attendees to help combat human trafficking through the "The End It" Movement over the past several years, which added up to some $8 million in donations. This year, the conference organizers are also encouraging attendees to donate socks and towels to give to homeless shelters, and to donate funds to build a hospital in northwest Syria for displaced women and children.
