Gathering Leaders Include Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, John Piper, David Crowder Band, Beth Moore, Matt Redman, Others

(Nashville, Tenn.) September 15, 2004 –Passion Conferences presents Passion ‘05, a four-day indoor gathering for college students from around the nation and world, to be held in “Music City USA,” a.k.a. Nashville, Tenn. January 2-5. Leading the gathering will be world-renowned speakers Louie Giglio, John Piper and Beth Moore, among others, as well as such acclaimed artist worshippers as Charlie Hall, David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman and Shane and Shane.

Unlike Passion Conferences’ OneDay (2000) and OneDay03 (2003) outdoor gatherings that drew 60,000-plus college students, Passion ‘05 will be held indoors at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in the heart of Downtown Nashville. Passion ‘05 is also providing smaller breakout sessions called Community Groups, Family Groups and Late Nights in various venues throughout the downtown area within walking distance from the arena. The Community and Family groups are designed to allow students to unpack what they learn throughout the week in small group environments and the Late Nights give students a chance to “hang out” after the evening session ends each night. Speakers and artist worshippers will join each Late Night session.

“The heartbeat of Passion is the glory of God—specifically, a generation of students living radically for His name and campuses across the nation awakening to His fame,” says Louie Giglio, Passion Conferences founder/director. “But, if we're honest, phrases like ‘living for His glory’ can easily lose their meaning, a concept that on any given day is detached from the reality of our lives. Words are cheap. Life is hard. Making our lives count for what matters most is a worthy goal, but a serious proposition and a concept that must be thoroughly absorbed if our lives are going to be shaped by and for His renown.”

Chris Tomlin adds, “The beauty of Passion 05 is that not only will students worship together in an arena packed with thousands of faces representing campuses from every corner of the nation, they will have the chance to sit and process what God is doing in their lives with a small group of students they connect with through the smaller community groups that make up the fabric of the conference.”

Specifically designed for college students, those between the ages of 18 and 26 years of age, Passion ’05 will also have special Community Group for a limited number of High school seniors. Detailed schedule and registration information can be found at www.268generation.com, with discounts for early registration ending today. Registration fee includes conference materials and lunch on January 3 and 4.

In order to make Passion '05 happen, hundreds of volunteers are also needed to serve throughout the conference in various jobs. For people over the age of 26, Passion Conferences requests they attend as a volunteer or as a leader of a group. Those interested in volunteering at Passion '05 are asked to submit their contact information on the volunteer contact form.

Passion '05 is rooted in Isaiah 26:8 and the 268 Declaration, calling students everywhere to discover what it really means to live for the Glory of God on their campuses and throughout the world.

The Passion movement began in 1995 with a stirring in the heart of Passion founder Louie Giglio. Born out of a desire to see the 13 million college students of the nation awaken to the reality of a glorious God, the vision took shape under the leadership of men like Louie Giglio and the board of Choice Ministries, the non-profit umbrella for Passion Conferences. Like-minded campus ministers then met together in 1996 and paved the way for the first of three Passion gatherings (1997, ‘98 and ‘99) that united over 18,000 college students with the desire to see God magnified in their lives, their campuses and throughout the earth.

Since then, millions have connected with Passion through one of the several gatherings, such as the OneDay gatherings and the Passion Experience Tour featured by the New York Times, CNN, among others, or through five Passion worship recordings and three DVDs that have been released worldwide, selling more than one million copies. The domino effect has spawned a movement that has circled the globe.

The unique purpose of Passion is to gather college students from campuses and churches across the nation, uniting them across ministry and denominational lines to seek the face of God together in worship and prayer. Affirming and valuing the work of local churches and campus ministries, Passion seeks to foster unity and connectivity among them, encouraging them to draw strength and encouragement from each other, resulting in a louder anthem of God’s renown.