Teen Talent 2011 Slated for Next Week at Lee University
Cleveland, Tenn.—Lee University is proud to host 2011 Church of God Teen Talent from August 2-6, as part of a new format for the biennial youth event.
According to Church of God director of Youth and Discipleship Tom Madden, Teen Talent is an international program for youth in the Church of God. The competition aims to help young people discover their talents to better serve the Lord. The five-day event features competition in music, art, drama, multimedia, creative writing, and Bible for youth ages 13-19.
This is the first year since the beginning of the program 50 years ago that Teen Talent has not been staged as part of the Church of God General Assembly, the convention held every two years where business of the Church of God is conducted. In 2010 the announcement was made to hold Teen Talent on the in-between years, which allows more youth to be involved, more focus to be given to the program, and is an overall less expensive venue for the participants.
Competition will be held at Lee University and North Cleveland Church of God. Students, parents and staff will be housed in Lee University residence halls with meals offered at the dining hall. Activities for Teen Talent participants will be coordinated by Lee throughout the week, including a block party and a night of worship featuring Voices of Lee and speaker Lee President Dr. Paul Conn.
Categories of competition will be held at multiple locations across the Lee campus and at North Cleveland church. The climactic awards festival will take place outdoors on Saturday evening, August 6 at 8:00 as up to 2,500 participants and their families are expected to gather on the lawn of the new Science and Math Complex at Lee.
Dr. Walt Mauldin, Chair of the Lee University Teen Talent Steering Committee said, “It will be an honor for Lee University to host the International Teen Talent Competition. Our Steering Committee comprised of faculty, staff, and students have worked tirelessly in preparation for this event, and we believe it will be a week to remember on our campus.”
Mauldin went on to say that numerous evening events will start out with Starlight Praise on Monday night, a Block Party the following evening, a Night of Worship on Wednesday, Battle of the Bands, and Teen Talent Wipe Out on Friday. The week will conclude with the award ceremony on Saturday night.
“We are extremely excited that Teen Talent will be hosted in Cleveland on the campus of Lee University,” stated Tom Madden. “Over 750 individual entries in five talent divisions will allow students to demonstrate the development of the talents and abilities God has given to them. This is the 50th anniversary of teen talent in the Church of God which has helped produce many gifted musicians, pastors, writers and leaders in the church world. Hosting the event at Lee will give many students and parents the opportunity to see our flagship school firsthand who might not have had the opportunity. We believe this is a win-win for everyone involved.”
Lee will be streaming the competition live on multiple players which can be accessed from home computers, iPods, iPads and iPhones. To view the live stream, visit www.leeuniversity.edu and click on the link provided.
For more information about Teen Talent, including a breakdown of categories of competition, schedules and registration information, visit www.cogyouthanddiscipleship.org/teentalent.
