I saw something last night I’ll never forget.

I went to speak in Barnwell, South Carolina.
You ever heard of it?
Didn’t think so.

I hadn’t either, until I spoke there in 2002 for a 5th quarter event.
Do you know what that is? It’s a worship service that happens after high school football games. The preacher usually doesn’t get up to speak until around midnight.
I don’t do those anymore. I’ve paid my dues. Plus, I might say cuss words if I preach that late. Or start talking gibberish, at the very least.

Anyway, I remember being shocked at how many kids showed up for the event.
Here in Barnwell, the outskirts of the edge of the middle of nowhere, about 500 kids packed out the room.
I guess you could explain it by pointing out that there was nothing else for these kids to do on a Friday night.
But I remember thinking: this youth pastor, Lee Clamp, has his junk together. He has a big vision in a small town. He’s turning Barnwell upside down.
He’s been at the church over 10 years, by the way. The average tenure of a youth pastor is 18 months.

Well, last night, 5 years later, I was privileged to be a part of the grand opening of their brand spanking new, cool-as-heck 1.7 million dollar youth building!

Walking in and seeing flat screen TVs on every wall I said out loud:
“Holy cow. Are we still in Barnwell?”

Now I mean no disrespect to Barnwellians, or any other small town peeps. Remember, I grew up in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, so I can talk.

It’s just that Lee and his youth ministry team are doing a cutting edge thing in an unlikely place.
That inspires me.
I’ve heard youth pastors and pastors moan and complain about how “that just wouldn’t work in this town… the people don’t have any vision” (that being any innovative, knock ‘em dead idea that they’ve seen at a conference or read about in a book.)

But somebody in Barnwell got it. Some godly people got the vision, and gave almost 2 million bucks to make it happen.
Take that naysayers.

Lee told me it wasn’t easy.
In fact, he told me that one lady heard the vision of how Lee wanted the place to be decked out with nothing but the best, hippest, most comfortable couches, chairs, and other furniture.
She had another idea.
You’ll love this one:
“Lee, why doesn’t everyone just bring a piece of furniture they’re not using at their house, and you could furnish the whole place without spending all that money? Between all of us at the church, I’m sure we could fill the place with our old furniture.”

No dice. Lee wasn’t playing that.
The way he saw it, reaching the kids of Barnwell with the gospel deserved first rate resources and first class design.
They pulled it off.

And last night, over 50 students stood up and publicly received Jesus.
In Barnwell.
You know what?
Hundreds more will follow.
This year alone.

You know why?
Because of an uncompromising vision that isn’t limited by geography or tradition.

Rock on Lee.
Rock on Barnwell.

Leaders:
Quit making excuses.
Get a radical vision and make it happen.
Wherever you are.
With whatever you have.