Goldrush, Perimeter Church’s annual youth conference planned and executed entirely by students, has now changed its name to Rush. The conference will still be the same, just with a new name to reflect the excitement that comes from five days of worship, teaching, and service projects led entirely by students from Perimeter.

This year’s Rush conference will be July 11-15 at Perimeter, and it is aimed at students entering grades 7-12.

Rush has grown considerably since it was first launched in 1994 as Goldrush.  According to the conference website, “Students are realizing that this week gives them an incredible rush and an increase of intensity in their relationships with peers in small groups, the community in which they serve and with Christ.”

Because of these factors, the leadership decided after the 2015 conference to shorten the conference name from Goldrush to Rush. The conference includes times of worship and large group teaching, small group discussions, seminars, and local service projects.

What makes Rush unique is that students from Perimeter lead every element of the conference. Students run check in, lead all the aspects of worship, conduct seminars, deliver the evening messages to up to 800 students, and even run the sound board.

Jeff Summers has been the high school director at Perimeter for nine years, and working with his students to plan Rush is an important aspect of Summers’ job and the student ministry of Perimeter. In addition to the planning and choosing students to participate, Summers and his team of adult volunteers coach the student speakers on message structure, audience connection, illustration usage, and theological accuracy.

Summers sees that students find the experience empowering, and conference attendees love to learn from their peers.

“We want students to understand that they can lead their peers and don’t have to wait until they are adults. For Perimeter kids, it is a chance to explore their gifts and see how God can use them and their abilities and personality,” he said.

For more information on Rush, including how to register, visit https://www.perimeter.org/Rush.