Shane Pruitt, national next-gen director for the North American Mission Board, speaks during a student retreat held in Black Mountain from Oct. 10-12. The retreat was sponsored by BeDoTell, the student ministry of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. — Pastors and ministry leaders are celebrating 50 students who made decisions to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior during a retreat that drew hundreds of attendees to western North Carolina over the weekend.
The event, BeDoTell’s Fall Retreat in the Mountains, welcomed approximately 800 students and leaders from more than 40 churches in the region to Ridgecrest Conference Center from Oct. 10-12 for a weekend of worship, Bible teaching, small group time, recreation and fellowship.
BeDoTell is the student ministry of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina that equips and encourages students and youth ministries across the state with the core values of: be Christlike, do discipleship and tell others.
Throughout the weekend, guest speaker Shane Pruitt, national next-gen director for the North American Mission Board, taught through the Book of Jonah, emphasizing the event’s theme of “Relentless Grace.” During his messages, Pruitt highlighted God’s grace for the sinners in Nineveh, for Jonah after he ran from God’s call to preach to the Ninevites, and for those who are in need of salvation today.
In a social media post from the weekend, Pruitt wrote:
“God did the miraculous last night at NC Baptists BeDoTell Retreat! Over 50 teenagers made professions of faith in Jesus for SALVATION! To God be the glory! Revival Generation!”
At the conclusion of one of the retreat’s worship services that saw a number of students respond to the gospel invitation for salvation, event organizers asked attendees in the audience to raise their hands if they had been praying for one of the individuals who trusted Christ.
“We had dozens of students up front who had just received Christ as Savior, and you look out and there’s 100 or 200 hands raised of people who had been praying for them and wanting them to make this decision,” said Daniel Rose, student ministries strategist with N.C. Baptists.
“Many of the people holding up their hands had not only prayed, but also had an important part of inviting and bringing some of those students to the retreat.”
In addition to the 50 salvations, event organizers said another 10 attendees answered a call to vocational ministry or missions, which Pruitt also noted on social media at the close of the weekend.
“What a joy preaching at the NC Baptist Be.Do.Tell. Retreat this weekend! There were many students who made professions of faith in Jesus for SALVATION and a lot of others that surrendered to a calling of ministry and leadership or missions!”
Pruitt also challenged attendees to share the gospel with their friends and family who don’t know Christ.
“Shane talked about how Jonah was called to Nineveh, and he really challenged the students about where God is calling them to share His love and relentless grace,” Rose said.
In another moment from the retreat, Pruitt posted on social media a photo of students gathered around the worship stage praying for the lost with the following caption: “Hundreds of students praying for their spiritually lost peers and family members. Instead of worrying about a Generation, we have a lot to learn from them and their passion for the Lord! Revival Generation”
Pruitt often speaks of a “Revival Generation,” which he describes as a movement of young people who are dissatisfied with cultural Christianity and have a genuine hunger for truth and authentic faith. Pruitt says he regularly prays for this generation and believes God can use them to lead a new wave of spiritual awakening. He encourages churches, leaders and parents to pray for and invest in this generation and not to write them off.
“He has a heart for the next generation, and he’s willing to invest in them through his time, his energy and his resources,” Rose said of Pruitt. “We can certainly learn from the investment he’s made in the next generation. If we all did that, I think we would see a lot of fruit like he’s been seeing in his ministry.”
Pruitt will deliver the convention sermon at this year’s N.C. Baptist annual meeting, which takes place Nov. 10-11 in Greensboro. Pruitt is scheduled to preach during the afternoon session on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at approximately 3 p.m. He will also be a guest on an upcoming edition of the N.C. Baptist podcast.
Organizers said they were encouraged by the attendance and response at the weekend mountain retreat after not being able to hold the event in 2024 due to the impact of Hurricane Helene.
BeDoTell has a second fall weekend retreat for students scheduled in eastern North Carolina in November. The BeDoTell Fall Retreat at the Beach will take place Nov. 14-16 at Fort Caswell on Oak Island. The featured speaker will be Eddie Briery, senior pastor of City Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. Briery will also teach through the Book of Jonah around the theme of “Relentless Grace.”
