Fuge Winter Camp pastor has Glorieta history

Bryan Bailey is no stranger to LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center. Born in Abilene, Texas, Bailey moved around with his oil field family before settling in Hobbs, N.M., when he was 7 years old.

"I was at Glorieta all the time as a kid," said Bailey. "Growing up in New Mexico, our church had a house at Glorieta, so every Sunday School Week, Music Week … if it was a week of anything … I’d be in at Centrifuge camp while the grown-ups had their meetings."

In a story come full circle, Bailey, an evangelist and pastor to high school and college students at First Baptist Church, Odessa, Texas, has had numerous opportunities to speak to students, most recently through his role as camp pastor at Glorieta’s Fuge Winter Camp. The camp is designed as a shortened camp experience that takes place during mid-school-year holiday weeks.

Bailey shared about his approach to reaching young people with the gospel and discussed the role Centrifuge camps played in his own life.

Facts & Trends: You have the opportunity to speak at many youth revivals and Centrifuge events. How do you approach each event?

Bailey: I love speaking at events like Fuge and student revivals. I’m not your ordinary youth guy. I told my church when they hired me that I’m not a party planner or a joke teller; I’ve been called to deliver the truth in a matter-of-fact way.

As I prepare, I ask the Lord to show me the message He has for each group. I open the text and allow the Word of God to work for itself. When we meet at Winter Fuge, we open up the Word and get brutally honest. I challenge students that they can’t play around with this. They must make the decision about whether they are going to believe the Bible is true. If it is, how must we respond? It’s cut and dry.

I know my style puts me in a small category. I’m probably not going to make you laugh. At one point early in my ministry I struggled with that as I looked around and saw so many successful speakers who were funny and entertaining. I had to come to grips with what God called me to do. Kids today need adults to skip the sugarcoating and get right down to it. Kids will often thank me for getting in their faces, for being honest and not watering down the message.

F&T: How did students respond at Fuge Winter Camp?

Bailey: It’s incredible to see the Spirit of God move in the hearts of these kids. At [the December] Winter Fuge weekend, the first guy down the aisle was this big, athlete-looking guy. He had tears in his eyes as he made a decision to follow Christ. Afterwards, another student came up and thanked me. He said his friend was always resistant to the gospel. He would tell them not to shove Jesus down his throat. He had begrudgingly joined the group going to Winter Fuge and here he was the first one down. It’s not anything I said, but it’s a cool reminder to these kids that prayer for their friends works.

I give a variety of opportunities for kids to respond. It was great to see a majority of the kids at [the December session of] Winter Fuge respond in some way. At least 15 gave their lives to Christ and more than 10 made commitments to vocational service.

F&T: Besides a straight-shooting approach, what else do you see reaching students today?

Bailey: I believe God has His hand on this generation of young people in this country. The majority of revivals in the past started with teens who were crazy enough to believe God would do what He said He would do.

Kids have so much going on these days; so many distractions. If we can have one hour, I don’t want to waste that. My objective is to dive in, be true to the Word and have these kids leave with an eternal change.

Authenticity makes a huge difference. A mentor of mine told me once that a broken heart preaches better than a golden tongue. I start off different than most speakers because I get right down to the truth that I don’t have it together, but I know a God who does. I express my shortcomings, and I believe that lowers barriers kids might have.

There are so many young people today who have been burned by the church and organized religion. We’ve got to speak to them and communicate that grace is the big game changer. [Churches and ministries] often try so hard to change the packaging, thinking that by changing the externals – the building, the paint or having the latest stuff – they’ll attract this generation. It might last a while, but if you start with the heart, they’ll change from the inside out and be a changed generation.

When God gets hold of them, when they get a glimpse and realize all that He is – that He is the God of the Bible – they can’t walk out without being radically changed.

F&T: With all your speaking opportunities, what is special about returning to Glorieta for Fuge Winter Camp?

Bailey: I’ve been a part of Fuge events at Glorieta for so long, I think it’s nuts that I get to stand up on that stage as camp pastor for Winter Fuge. It’s like I grew up here. I was the kid in the seat for so many events. Then I got to serve on Fuge staff, which was a dream come true. To be asked to speak? Are you kidding me?

I even met my wife at Glorieta when we were both on Centrifuge staff in 2003. Now we’re a two-fold deal. She’s my sidekick and gets very involved in ministering and teaching during the events.

We love seeing so many lives changed on that mountain. Glorieta is a special place. Fuge camps have been around for 30 years and Glorieta for so much longer. It’ll be awesome to hear eternity’s stories about the lives that were changed on that mountain.