"Music is the language of the soul."
-Michael V. Novak
In the late 1980's, when Michael V. Novak began his youth ministry career, he vowed to someday have a program that brought together two very important aspects of his life: music and ministry. That idea came to fruition in the form of Jammin' With Jesus. The high octane, high energy show is designed to get you on your feet and in your heart. It is chock full of talent, emotion, fun, games and laughter. The common denominator in all of it is music, whether a popular song from the past or present is being performed as prayer or a wild and crazy skit gets derived from recognizable lyrics, the various acts will astound you!
It starts from the very first moment. The opening number is always critical because it carries with it the expectation of energy needed to participate in the program. And let me tell you, as an audience, you never sit and watch. From note one you are totally and completely immersed in the Jammin' With Jesus show.
The show is put together quite simply. All youth group members are asked to perform a minimum of one act with the following stipulation: the act MUST include music and must include a gospel message. The message can be incorporated at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end, but it must be tied into the performance. And oh yeah, the teens are also asked to get as wild and crazy as their imaginations will allow them!
Whether it ends up with one person or a multitude of people on the stage or somewhere close, the show combines bits and pieces of talent, outrageous fun and scripture. Shows in the past have included flashlight dances, live bands, solo acts, skits with the devil, jumping up on tables, and rapping to hymns. Popular church songs become hand clapping, foot stomping interaction with the crowd and rock classics becoming solemn prayer. All acts aren't perfect, but then again, why should they be? It is an imperfect world and we are all imperfect people. So why not just take a little time to jam with Jesus in our hearts?
Back in the day, when JWJ was taking flight, it became legendary! With a world tour (encompassing two cities about 30 miles away) and an iconic T-shirt design, Jammin' With Jesus once housed over 500 participants. Dispersed between the high energy main stage performances were break out jam sessions, in which the audience participants could branch off to separate rooms of their choosing for small group discussions on various topics, led by adults and high school teens. Topics included World Youth Day memories, Blessed Mother Mary, Meditation, and the loss of a loved one.
Over time, the break out sessions changed and evolved and JWJ became one major jam session, three hours long. The crowd, as always, remained riveted to what they experienced. Since the year 2000, when Jammin' With Jesus first began, there have been a total of 10 performances. Each had its own unique title and each had its own design, both on the T-shirts and on the stage. The cost has always been minimal, in fact, free, but the experience is priceless. If you plan on attending JWX XI, you better be ready to scream, shout, and get yourself knocked out by the goodness of the Lord. Maybe rap will move you, maybe prayer, but one thing is guaranteed...you will spend the entire evening feeling the presence of Jesus alive in your heart.
Those in attendance will never forget the year that two Canadian youth group legends were invited to perform at Jammin' With Jesus: Nick and Eric. They arrived from the Great White North just in time for the closing act. They were given directions to get on I-94 from Sarnia, but took the bridge from Windsor, not realizing the discrepancy in directions. They did as they were told, getting on I-94. Ending up in Jackson, they finally made the phone call to get them where they belonged. They arrived just in time for the closing number.
One young man, who was an exceptional athlete and student throughout high school, always accepted his awards while wearing his Jammin' With Jesus T-shirt. But it's not the design on the shirt that matters, it's the design of the individual underneath, and you, too, can experience life to the fullest by attending or better yet, performing in the next Jammin' With Jesus. Stay tuned for the next installment. Or better yet, call Michael and have him bring Jammin' With Jesus to your church!
It starts from the very first moment. The opening number is always critical because it carries with it the expectation of energy needed to participate in the program. And let me tell you, as an audience, you never sit and watch. From note one you are totally and completely immersed in the Jammin' With Jesus show.
The show is put together quite simply. All youth group members are asked to perform a minimum of one act with the following stipulation: the act MUST include music and must include a gospel message. The message can be incorporated at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end, but it must be tied into the performance. And oh yeah, the teens are also asked to get as wild and crazy as their imaginations will allow them!
Whether it ends up with one person or a multitude of people on the stage or somewhere close, the show combines bits and pieces of talent, outrageous fun and scripture. Shows in the past have included flashlight dances, live bands, solo acts, skits with the devil, jumping up on tables, and rapping to hymns. Popular church songs become hand clapping, foot stomping interaction with the crowd and rock classics becoming solemn prayer. All acts aren't perfect, but then again, why should they be? It is an imperfect world and we are all imperfect people. So why not just take a little time to jam with Jesus in our hearts?
Back in the day, when JWJ was taking flight, it became legendary! With a world tour (encompassing two cities about 30 miles away) and an iconic T-shirt design, Jammin' With Jesus once housed over 500 participants. Dispersed between the high energy main stage performances were break out jam sessions, in which the audience participants could branch off to separate rooms of their choosing for small group discussions on various topics, led by adults and high school teens. Topics included World Youth Day memories, Blessed Mother Mary, Meditation, and the loss of a loved one.
Over time, the break out sessions changed and evolved and JWJ became one major jam session, three hours long. The crowd, as always, remained riveted to what they experienced. Since the year 2000, when Jammin' With Jesus first began, there have been a total of 10 performances. Each had its own unique title and each had its own design, both on the T-shirts and on the stage. The cost has always been minimal, in fact, free, but the experience is priceless. If you plan on attending JWX XI, you better be ready to scream, shout, and get yourself knocked out by the goodness of the Lord. Maybe rap will move you, maybe prayer, but one thing is guaranteed...you will spend the entire evening feeling the presence of Jesus alive in your heart.
Those in attendance will never forget the year that two Canadian youth group legends were invited to perform at Jammin' With Jesus: Nick and Eric. They arrived from the Great White North just in time for the closing act. They were given directions to get on I-94 from Sarnia, but took the bridge from Windsor, not realizing the discrepancy in directions. They did as they were told, getting on I-94. Ending up in Jackson, they finally made the phone call to get them where they belonged. They arrived just in time for the closing number.
One young man, who was an exceptional athlete and student throughout high school, always accepted his awards while wearing his Jammin' With Jesus T-shirt. But it's not the design on the shirt that matters, it's the design of the individual underneath, and you, too, can experience life to the fullest by attending or better yet, performing in the next Jammin' With Jesus. Stay tuned for the next installment. Or better yet, call Michael and have him bring Jammin' With Jesus to your church!