Remembering OneDay 2000-Sacred. Holy. His.
If there is such a thing as an epicenter of a movement, it’s probably true that the epicenter of the Passion Movement happened ten years ago today as 40,000 university students gathered on a field outside of Memphis, TN. Though Passion was only three gathering old, we felt a sense of urgency that led us to call the students of the nation to a holy fast, a scared assembly…a day set aside to put our faces to the ground and pray for this generation.
More than a festival or concert (no names were used in promoting the event and we didn’t even call it Passion), OneDay 2000 was a day purely set aside for God. Though students arrived in the days prior, no one set foot on the OneDay field until the morning of May 20…with the exception of those who read the Word over the ground 24 hours a day from a wooden tower erected in the middle of the vast grassy slope.
And when the crowd did arrive, they arrived in silence. As you would expect with Passion, clouds were overhead and a steady, misting rain met the morning. But the weather only seemed to add to the serious tone as tens of thousands of people made their way from the various campsites onto what we all felt was holy ground.
I can’t say I have ever experienced anything quite like it, especially given the months and months of prayer and anticipation that led up to that morning. Our team had crossed the nation by tour bus and RV, meeting face to face with students and holding events on hundreds of campuses from coast to coast. And, in response, students had come from the four corners to be represent their campuses and bow before the Lord with their peers. OneDay was billed as: Sacred. Holy. His. And it was all that, and more.
An hour or so before the day began, our leadership team was together praying in a tent off to the side of the main stage. The moment was marked by such a sense of God’s presence that no one wanted to set foot on the platform. No one wanted to taint the beauty and power of His presence. On our knees, the mood was more of, “I’m not going up there…you go up there!”
As the day unfolded, there was no rushing into celebration. Confession and repentance led the way. And then the cross came…visible in our midst and massive in our hearts. I think we were so in touch with our sins (and those of the nation) that we felt we needed its power as never before. I remember standing, somewhat stunned, as students started running toward the cross from the edges of the field…from hundreds of feet away. Their response wasn’t organized or dignified as they sprinted past their friends and literally threw themselves on the ground at the foot of the cross. We were all wrecked by His grace and mercy…and sent out with a desire to amplify the One who bore our shame.
I can close my eyes and be back there in a heartbeat. I can see a generation on their knees…on their faces…bowed down in the muddy grass to be lifted up again to touch the world in Jesus name.
Ten years later I would guess anyone on that field can tell you how God touched their lives that day…and many would say they are where they are because of the calling God put in their hearts at Shelby Farms.
That’s why Shelley and I are here in Tokyo tonight with a Passion Team that still carries the heartbeat of OneDay among a nation that is yet to see His grace and sing His praise. For a time we thought that OneDay 2000 would be the end of our Movement, yet, today, it serves as fuel for a journey that has only just begun.
Along the way we are: Remembering. Grateful. Humbled. His.
LG
May 20th, 2010 at 9:59 AM
I’ll never forget that day. Never
The imprint from meeting God on that field reshaped my heart in ways I will never be able to express in words.
Thanks LG for the reminder.
May 20th, 2010 at 10:01 AM
I was there and it was an enormous crux in the movement of the lives of so many people. God was there and that was all we needed. People saw the glory of God and accepted His call. This day has resonated in the lives of so many and now into the lives of the next generation.
May 20th, 2010 at 10:05 AM
Wow. So grateful for a chance to reflect on this moment today. OneDay 2000 was the beginning of a spiritual journey that has taken me around the world. As a freshman in college, I for the first time got a glimpse of how big God is, and I haven’t been the same.
Thank you for this reminder. Praying the students around the globe are having the same experience at the world tour events.
May 20th, 2010 at 10:07 AM
I was there & it was a life changing moment in my life. I got off work the day prior & drove all night from Shiprock, NM on the Navajo Nation to Memphis, TN to make it just in time. When I got there, I remember getting in line & seeing the drive into the area covered with signs with scripture written on them. Then staff volunteers walked to each vehicle in line to ask us what we were expecting from God & what they could pray with us about. It was amazing! The anticipation was incredible. I could barely sleep that night due to the excitement. The things that God spoke to me that day & that weekend are things that forever changed me. I can honestly say that who I am & what I am doing today is a direct result of what the Father did in my life at One Day 2000.
May 20th, 2010 at 10:39 AM
God used that moment to change my life forever. So grateful for that day…and the days that followed.
Great reminder…
EV
May 20th, 2010 at 10:42 AM
Reading this blog post and the comments is pretty encouraging. I kind of feel the same way about Passion Sao Paulo 2008, just for the records, so, even though I was not there in 2000, I can still relate to the feeling you all have, somehow.
By the way, I came to Christ here in Brazil about that same time in 2000 (I was 17 or 18 at the time)… I can’t point a specific day because it was kind of… unusual, so to speak (long story).
God bless you all!
Rodrigo – Sao Paulo, Brazil
May 20th, 2010 at 10:42 AM
Wow, that day and weekend was amazing! Playing guitar and singing worship songs after spending the night in some random school because of the rain. Falling asleep listening to Scripture being read, and waking up in the middle of the night and still hearing it. Piper changed the way I knew God that day, Shane and Shane leading worship at sunset changed the way I thought about church music, and DCB that night was incredible! I am definitely where I am today because of the grace and power of God that was present that weekend.
May 20th, 2010 at 10:57 AM
I cannot believe I actually thought about not going to OneDay 2000 after having been at the Passion 97, 98 and 99 events. It’s hard to believe it’s been 13 years since the first Passion event and 10 since OneDay 2000.
I think my favorite OneDay 2000 experience was driving Beth Moore to the registration area so she could walk down the line of cars, praying with each group of students as she went.
Thanks Louie, Shelley and Passion Staff for keeping the flame burning. It’s been a true honor and blessing to have volunteered all these years.
Praying for the World Tour from Kuwait.
May 20th, 2010 at 11:35 AM
I was there! I will never forget what God did that day and continues to do in my life. It was truly a spiritual marker for me and my future wife who attended with me. Thanks for all you continue to do around the world!
May 20th, 2010 at 11:36 AM
I missed out on OneDay 2000, but I heard the echoes of it, and as soon as I heard that OneDay03 was in the works, I was determined to be there. My experience in 2003 was similar to what you’ve described, and the things I experienced there still resonate in my life on a regular, if not daily basis. Thank you to the Passion team for stepping out on faith, for holding fast to the gospel, and for your ongoing passion to see a generation reached for His name and renown.
May 20th, 2010 at 12:20 PM
From the minute I heard Louie mention OneDay on the campus tour in 1999 (in Fresno, CA) , I knew I would lead a group from Seattle (where I went to school) to Memphis. I had never been to the south and I had never heard from or trusted God so intentionally. And every stage of that whole experience had God’s favor on it. What a holy time. Grateful to now be the doorholder for the next generation to commune with God.
p.s. I loved reading Scripture from that tower, what a brilliant and humbling thing that was to bathe the space in the Word.
May 20th, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Congrates . Glory to God . Happy number 10 . God was there the whole time and will ever be there today and Passion to come . Showing that God’s work in and through God’s people isn’t done . We are to be His Light and salt . We are to go out and possesess the land . We are to be fruitful and multiply . We are to do it always by faith . Putting on the whole armor of God . Giving God all the glory first and true . He is our One true God . Thanks for sharing the Passion One Day music projects with everyone . For I”m sure multitudes have been inspired by the gospel in some way . As the messages in the music was spread . Bless God .
May 20th, 2010 at 12:33 PM
I remember that just being a holy experience that I had never had before. I was probably broken and repaired 10 different times throughout the day. Exhausting and purposeful! I remember the roars from all the different camps the night before, and just feeling like I was a part of something huge! The weather was amazing. I remember that ominous storm front during the afternoon that separated just as it got over our heads (at least that is how I remember it. I hope I’m not making that up). I remember the call to worship once the last scripture was read over the field, and how we all let loose. I remember how the earth shook under our feet that night as we danced and celebrated what God had done. What a humbling, motivating and awesome day!
May 20th, 2010 at 1:15 PM
Wow ! love the story and all the coments. God is so amazing!
May 20th, 2010 at 1:42 PM
Wow, what an amazing day on a journey together. I had the amazing privilege to travel out to Shelby Farms from California, though alone, I went with the Spirit of God. Though there were a few bumps in the road, and I was scheduled to read from the Tower the night I arrived, I had a flight delay, which subsequently had me miss a greyhound and got into my campsite at 3am. I was taken in by a group from Rochester, NY, as the lone Asian traveler from California. From the actual morning of May 20th, 2000, just began an amazing time with God, in prayer, and in worship with 40,000 of my peers. I’m humbled and amazed by the way that God worked into our lives, and how you and the Passion Team and Choice Ministries board challenged us to step out in faith, live our lives for God, to go to campuses that maybe didn’t have campus ministries, and to pour our lives into the next generation of college students. The movement from that day helped to shape the last 10 years of my life, and while I’m no longer on staff with my church or serving in college ministries, I wouldn’t have changed a single thing.
Soli Deo gloria!
PS. I’m still wearing my shirt from OneDay. http://twitpic.com/1pg6t8 (Albeit, it’s a little bit more “Holy” than before. My wife begs me almost every day to get rid of it, but I just can’t!)
May 20th, 2010 at 3:45 PM
I too will never forget that day. I smell the smells, feel the cool misty morning and sense the pleasure of God Almighty as we gathered together for His Name and Fame. For the Glory of God to the end of the age.
May 20th, 2010 at 4:09 PM
I can only imagine…God is truly starring up something 4 passion.The love 4 every nation,the joy of our hearts,the glory of the One who gave it all. Am in tht wave all for His Name and Reknown.Asante sana Mungu wetu(thank so much our God).
May 20th, 2010 at 7:01 PM
My eyes are filled with humbly grateful tears in response to the sovereign providence of God’s grace and generosity in my life. This prayer “has become” and “continues to be” the consuming desire and compelling drive in my life. God, kindle in me the desire to go anywhere, at anytime, at any cost, to do anything to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. What else can I say, but in awe of God.
May 20th, 2010 at 7:45 PM
I was there! The power and the presence of God was unlike any other i had experienced before that weekend. Thank you Passion Staff for your passion and heartbeat to see God glorified among the nations……the world tour is just the tip of the iceburg. Praying for yall
May 20th, 2010 at 8:51 PM
To be His. broken and remade, all by wreckless Grace!
OneDay
May 20th, 2010 at 11:37 PM
My sister-in-law, who had previously volunteered at Austin and Ft. Worth, said “This will be massive, and Louie’s looking for plenty of volunteers.” Then a whole group from HFBC organized to help. I recall that we drove the RV’s up from Houston, registered students as they arrived, manned the Resource tent at the #2 city center, helped folks unload their gear and then pitch their tents, read Scripture from the tower in the middle of the night, organize the water buffaloes … and then, wow, Beth, John, Voddie and Louie. I’d attended PromiseKeeper events before, but they don’t compare to the enthusiasm and pure joy of college students, which is a little glimpse of heaven. Louie and Shelley, thank you for following God’s call in your lives.
May 20th, 2010 at 11:48 PM
WHOA!…is all that I can say. I was there and I will never forget the work that the Lord did in my life. I met Christ the year before at age 19. The Campus tour leading up to OneDay and OneDay itself has been a catalyst in my walk w/ God. Life has not been easy since I met Christ but it has been filled w/ His love and mercy and grace. Isaiah 26:8 has been embedded into my DNA. It is the core of my very being. OneDay has truly been a stone of remembrance of God’s faithfulness. I still have my wristband and DVD and CD from OneDay! I play them often and allow the Lord to do a new work in me. I recall my first steps with God. May I never stray from that passion and devotion and desire to spread His fame no matter the cost! Thank you LG for reminding me.
I am so grateful to all of the ministry team at Passion. Y’all have encouraged me, challenged me and led me into the presence of the Lord unlike any other people. Passion has shaped my walk in ways that I can’t even explain. Know that I am praying for all of you on this adventure w/ God! Love y’all dearly!
May 21st, 2010 at 3:51 AM
sir louis! i’m soooo fired up! went to your conference @ manila last 2008. and i’m looking forward to seeing more of God this time around! God bless and see you! :)
May 21st, 2010 at 8:58 AM
Read & studied through Joel yesterday. Wasn’t at the 2000 event, but my mind was all over OneDay and considering our nation, our college students, our need to be face-to-the-dirt. Thanks for the confirmation with your post. =)
May 21st, 2010 at 9:31 AM
thanks for this encouraging testimony. the Lord is mighty indeed.
May 21st, 2010 at 1:02 PM
Hi Guys
Tell the land of the rising sun the Glory of the Risen Son
Enjoy today at Tokyo
God Bless
Rob
May 21st, 2010 at 9:43 PM
The moment with the cross changed my life even years later through the DVD recording. I got a glimpse of grace that I hadn’t had before…
So thankful to be apart,
Anna
TOKYO, today is your day… counting down the hours all the way in TX! :)
May 22nd, 2010 at 8:39 PM
Fuel for the journey, indeed. I too will never forget the cool of the morning and the weight of glory that blanketed us all. The whole journey to oneday was His. The echo of that day rings out through the whole world an into heaven even now. Thank God for his choice servants who have served so many of us so well. Remembering and reveling with you.
May 28th, 2010 at 2:55 PM
Louie – that was the day we launched our ministry! What a special and memorable day. God is alive and He is active… ten years later… and ten thousand more years from now. What an awesome and mighty God we serve.
Blessings to you and Shelley and the whole Passion team as you travel the globe lifting high His holy name.
In HIM,
Marc
May 31st, 2010 at 11:22 AM
I was only 11 years old when my oldest sister and two oldest brothers attended this conference, but I remember that I really wanted to go with them! My brother Karl often speaks fondly of OneDay’00. He said that he came with such a hunger to see the Lord and to worship the Lord with his generation. He said that no one knew what to expect, it seemed even the leaders didn’t know what to expect. There was an anticipation, waiting to see what God was going to do. There was such a unity, of which one could even recognize in the OneDay DVD. Everyone was stuck there together with no place to go, all for the same purpose: to seek the face of God.
The OneDay’00 CD has been my all time favorite CD. It flows out of pure love and desire for the presence of the Lord.
May 31st, 2010 at 11:58 AM
Since then, I’ve had the joy of attending Passion conferences as a student and as a volunteer. God’s had me join my brother Karl and his wife as they tour America as well, preaching the Gospel and leading congregations in worship to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I’ve learned so much through the conferences and touring. God has brought me to places that were beyond my reach. I’m so happy in Jesus!
My friend also heard the Lord’s calling on her life when she attended OneDay’03. She was a young believer and she heard the Lord call her to take the Gospel to all of the nations. She has been to many nations so far, and she is currently serving with Heather Murcer.
The Holy Spirit has been present at the conferences, telling God’s people, “This is the way, walk in it” and leading God’s people to places we never thought we could go. Praise God!!! Thank You Holy Spirit for guiding us in paths of righteousness for God’s Name sake! God is Lord of the Whole earth and He sits on His throne as King forever and ever and ever! Amen!
July 6th, 2010 at 11:34 AM
I have been searching for anything I can find on OneDay03 in Sherman Texas. Such as images etc. I was a Volunteer there and con not find anything. If anybody can help me Please send info to jessecampbell59@gmail.com Thanx & GOD BLESS !!!
July 21st, 2010 at 11:26 AM
My wife and I were actually talking about OneDay 2000 yesterday. we volunteered with Student Life to assist with Registration and it was such an amazing experience for us. Having Beth Moore hang out with us and pray alongside us was so awesome. Of course, at that time, I had no clue who Beth Moore was (even though everybody else did), which she thought was a cool thing. Would love to do this again. Louie, Voddie, Piper, Moore, Tomlin, Redman, Nockels, and whoever that lady was that sang “It’s all about you, Jesus” with Nathan Nockels playing guitar. wow. awesome.
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:46 PM
I remember sitting drenched in my tent as a huge storm blew threw one night at One Day 2000. It was the same with the Spirirt of God.
Thanks Louie and all for listening to Father and being obedient to lift up Christ above all through One Day 2000. I walked out of that conference with a call on my life directly into one of the most challenging times I have ever faced. And i failed in the challenge. BUT, God is faithful in the fight and even after the fight, after the failure. Charlie talked about “soul veils” at one of the break-out meetings and I have carried that through the difficult times as well as Beth Moore reading Psalm 130 (which in recent years has become my favorite Psalm). And i will never forget the pressing in at the foot of the cross.
One Day 2000 is a spiritual landmark for me. Thanks again.
August 4th, 2010 at 9:33 PM
I was told by someone who went to this that you all prayed for the lost college students during that day. I find it no coincidence then that just under 2 months later I was saved during a time which I was working with a college missionary who had been to OneDay 2000 and then came to my church afterwards…..God’s timing is perfect, I love Him and I will forever be thankful for the prayers of the saints at OneDay who lifted up the lost such as I……
HE IS
January 18th, 2011 at 9:15 PM
How great to have found this post! I’ll never forget that day. God did so many great things. John Piper! Matt Redman! And who was that woman who taught, “This thing I hold in my hand is a lie!” ? Such a great time.