Impact 2016 "HYDE"

Impact 2016 “Hyde”

TODD N. LOYD·MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016

Explaining Impact to someone who was not there....So there were 1,200 junior high students screaming at a Leprechaun who was tackled by Dora while trying to put election results in a blender that would determine who won between Mr. T and Bob Ross.....

Well maybe that’s not what I should lead with...

Selfish desire, it can change us, transform us. Are we allowing our desire shape us into another person? Or are we following the example of Christ. For over 100 years the story of Jekyll and Hyde has delighted generations. And at its core the story has always been about the heart’s true desire, be it darkness or light.

1:30am Friday night, only a couple of our security guys are out and about. I am riding my California Chariot all over campus desperately hanging on to Impact 2016. It’s really hard to explain that feeling of loneliness. That deep pit in your stomach, day after Christmas kind of sadness that comes when you realize you have to wait a whole year for the calendar to roll back around. For the last 12 days I was surrounded by friends but now it was over. For months the Impact board had been preparing for this event. Not only was it over, but I was the only one one wandering the campus. I scooted around the Lipscomb campus hopelessly wandering for relationship, before finding a few guys late at night and chatting about Impact 2016 till late in the evening on the Elam front porch. I went to bed regretfully missing what was Impact 2016.

I pulled away from campus at 11:30 on the next morning, after celebrating the baptism of Benson Rubio around 11:00 that day. Impact 2016 was in the books. I drove down to Franklin to meet the rest of the board for our annual goodbye lunch. The entire 20 minute drive I kept thinking “did that just happen”? I kept thinking I would wake up in Elam 107 at any moment. This was the 25th Impact and easily in my mind the one that flew by the fastest. I miss you all a great deal. It went by too fast. From nights at the Impact board meetings to mornings with our drama cast the week went by way too fast. I got home around 2:30, mowed the yard, ran my miles and collapsed for the night. That was it, done and dusted.

Looking back over the last 25 years, so many great years stand out. In fact really has there been a bad year? I know some years make more of an impression, some years are personal favorites, but I cannot ever recall looking forward to the week being over. This one was no different, I just did not want it to end.

The real question is, would Impact 2016 stand out amongst its peers? I mean it’s the 25th year, I really hoped it would. I spent more than a few nights praying that this year would be special. I hoped it would stand up against those epic Impact years like…

1995: “Live To Tell” the year that Impact changed from Camp to Community.

2006: “The Story” the year the drama took the teens by surprise, and meant something significant.

2008: “Day Of Reckoning” Perhaps Impact’s heaviest year, taking on a tough spiritual truth.

2011: “Hooked” Our most over the top theme and most memorable drama.No one who was there will ever forget this one.

2013: “Camp” when Impact challenged its own camp culture.

So that was the challenge, would we let the Impact 25th year be a so-so theme or would it resonate? I mean seriously, I lost more than a little sleep over this thing. Impact 2016 “Hyde” has been a theme three years in the making. It was almost our theme in 2014, it was very nearly our theme in 2015 and it was almost not our theme again in 2016. Let me tell you the story of Impact 2016 “Hyde”, okay? Forgive me, this could take a minute. For most of the last year I was operating under the impression that our entire Impact theme was going to be something entirely different. In fact I had a rough outline of a skit, we had already communicated with teachers and speakers, I had a lead actor lined up for a specific part, and we were working on logos. So sometime in April I got two calls in one day that changed this year's Impact theme and set our team scrambling with only a month and a half to go.

Our team had been having some second thoughts about our chosen theme for a while and the “Hyde” theme which we could not shake was still pushing its way into our thoughts. Some of the things we wanted to do with the original Impact 2016 theme were not panning out. Then I got these calls. The first was from Tim Duncan, the youth minister at West Orange. Tim is a very good friend of mine and a trusted sounding board. I told him about our theme and he responded with kind of a “meh”. Then I told him about “Hyde”, and he flipped out telling me “now that would be cool”. Later that same day Casey Rine called to tell me he was bringing his teens from Pleasant Valley, and I started to think. I thought, “if I was taking a group of teens to Impact for the first time, which theme would I want them to see?” That’s what clinched it. 24 hours later it was Impact 2016 “Hyde” and we had a month and a half to pull it off. Truth be told the spiritual theme of Philippians 2, and others>self was still intact. It was just the story and staging that had to be altered. Let me just tell you Shelby and Jessi Kohring are just about the best two people I have ever worked with. They took the change in stride and put together one fabulous looking set in only about 45 days. Then my life for the next month was all about Jekyll and Hyde.

But really, let's be honest, it’s not the theme that makes Impact, it’s the relationships. Sure the over the top theme, drama, sets, the bells and whistles, so to speak are really great. They help carry the message. But it is the relationships and community that are the real driving force behind Impact. It’s the milling around campus, putting your feet in the fountain, the late night talks, those moments standing in front of the Allen doors. It’s standing backstage on the last night singing with the cast waiting for the curtain to open.It’s sitting in the dressing room shooting the breeze with Robert Lindsay. It’s talking after devo with a teen who is pouring out their heart. Those are the moments we will cherish. As much as I like the visuals, matters of the heart are the most important aspect of Impact.

And so Impact 2016 was born. Impact 2016 will be remembered for a lot of things but honestly. This is the declarative statement I will make about “Hyde”. That may have been the best Junior Impact ever! I can’t remember a time when I thought Impact Junior went so smoothly. For the first time ever I think I am actually walking away from the event thinking everything might have gone better at Junior. No offense to Senior Impact of course. Senior was still great and I loved every minute of it as well. But really that’s what I will remember most about 2016. There was an odd vibe at times during Senior to be honest.

Other than the strength of Junior the other thing I will remember most about Impact 2016 “Hyde” is the cast of our Drama. Since 1995 Impact has had a skit/drama as a part of its program. In fact it was that first skit “Super Christian’ that really changed Impact forever from a church camp to a community. From 1995-2002 it was little more than a story that featured inside jokes and helped create community. In 2004 and 2005 we put a minor spiritual twist at the end, but in 2006 the skit became a week long parable that concluded on the last night of Impact. Over the years Impact regulars like Haley Sells, Robert Lindsay, Jonathan Tucker, Jessi Kohring, Patrick Chapel, Jordan House, Sam Sherrill, Lauren King, McKenzie Lewis, and many others have lent their talents to Impact alongside, Skid, Rubio, Jon, and myself to form this makeshift theater group. This year that group was joined by Kolton Smith and Madison Massey (yep “stalker song” girl from last year) and they completely knocked it out of the park. It was maybe the best piece of storytelling we have ever done, and honestly I owe most of the credit to the crew. It is a team effort and I love this little team! I truly believe this may have been our finest hour. I cannot wait to start working towards next year. I also want to give Charlie Sells a shout out for his brilliant work on music during the skit, and especially his wife Hayley who helped choreograph the musical numbers which drove our skit this year. It’s hard to believe a little event at Lipscomb had so much talent. It blew everyone away.

While we are here, thanks to Lipscomb’s ETS for possibly the smoothest year ever. Corey, great job dude!

I also want to make sure and acknowledge Skid, Rubio and Jon. The two Davids are easily two of my best friends in the world and I appreciate them so much. I met Skid in 98, and Rubio a couple of years later. Add to that my 30 year friendship with one of my youth ministry mentors Jon Shoulders. Jon was one of the guys who never gave up on me way back in the day. Our friendship dates back to 1988, and he will always hold a special place in my heart. These three guys are the cornerstones of what Morning Impact is today, and I value my relationships with each one of them.

Speaking of which, since we are talking history here, Mike Shepherd returned to the spotlight in a couple of videos this year. He was my original partner in crime on Morning Impact. It is so good to have him back, he did a great job with the roadies.

Kudos the crew of Aubrey, D’Herde, Bagwell, Tucker, Hayes, Knox, Chapel, Moore, and Madaris, what a great lineup to make our team complete. They have made life at Impact so much easier on the David’s, and myself. I am uber thankful for them and their passion for Impact.

So what else is there to say about Impact 2016? Well there was the whole election deal which helped Impact sell a whopping $11,000 worth of t-shirts. And every cent of profit went to charity. Mana International, Best Buddies, and Orphans with Down Syndrome will reap the benefits of you guys buying the heck out of those t-shirts. As a member of the Best Buddies community, I want to say thank you! In addition to that we collected $10,000 at our collection! This means we were able to contribute thousands of dollars to all three charities! You guys and gals rock.

I want you to picture Brewer dancing on stage as thank you ;) And as always Two Wolves!!!!!!

You guys worshiped without restraint with Jordan and Jeremy, you heard some awesome lessons from Brad, Mark, Jeremy, Skid, Chris and Walling. But for the first time ever my teens just kept talking about the classes! They were blown away. Thanks to Justin, Casey, Chris, Ben, Gannon, Danny, Jessie, Adam, and Sean. Great job dudes.

So Impact 2016 “Hyde”…. The Best Senior “Impact’s Got Talent” ever…(”There are Giants in the Sky”. Bet you see Easton in another Impact skit next year ;) the Phantom, “That Guy”, the end of “Wake Up Jon”, the “Settlers” and an epic Civil War video”. Special shout out to Kidron Cannon our new video guy. He was awesome and I pray he can come back in 2017. As much as we missed Paul Skidmore this year Kidron was was an awesome last minute addition.

Great classes, awesome worship, over 100 baptisms, $16,000 to charity, and so much more. Brian D’Herde as Mr. Mysterious, and Jed and Mary at prom, The best BB Purvis yet, and many other memories. So honestly I am already looking forward to Impact 2017. I get two weeks to spend with my Impact family. That’s 4% of my year. Really it is not enough.

Hopefully next year we will not be dealing with housing challenges. Perhaps Lipscomb will not be working on yet another dorm? But if they are Jacob Arthur will do a great job dealing with this. But let’s just say another dorm needs reconfiguring. Well our team will do their best.

So thank you to the entire Impact Board and staff.

Impact 2017 cannot get here soon enough. I only hope that Impact 2016 “Hyde” made an “Impact” on you.

Selfish desire comes in all shapes and sizes. Mine is that Impact could last longer, but that in itself is the point. Living at Impact all year would be what my selfish desire would want. We are called to be salt and light in this world. So even as cool and “spiritual” Impact is, there is a bit of the “Hyde” in me that tempts me there.

So as we close the chapter on the 25th Impact, let the lessons, the relationships, and light you experienced at Impact take hold of you the other 359 days of the year!

Till next time...

Be kind, love God, love others....

Read and act on Phil: 2..... Live for others and not for self!