Passion Worship Band

Passion has been around since 1997 with a desire to see spiritual awakening come to the college campuses of the nation and the world. More than a conference organization, the Passion movement is headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, GA. The small Passion Team is led by Louie Giglio and operates under the direction of a Board that is committed to spreading the fame of Jesus Christ to the 16+million college students of the nation and countless others around the globe. Passion exists to glorify God-uniting students in worship and prayer for spiritual awakening in this generation. From the beginning Passion has been rooted in the confession of Isaiah 26:8: “Yes Lord, walking in the way of Your truth we wait eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.”* As a result, Passion seeks to gather college and university students across the nation and around the world to seek the face of God, asking Him to ignite in our souls a passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ and a desire to spread His fame to everyone on earth. "We believe God is calling out a generation of college students committed to the glory of His name in all things. God longs to bring awakening to every campus, mobilizing the students of today to finish the task of global evangelization in this generation. God is calling us out for this purpose, in this moment, for His renown." History: 1985-95 Passion Founder Louie Giglio gives leadership to Choice Ministries, a campus-based student ministry at Baylor University.    [Beginning with a handful of students with a vision to see their campus awaken to a passionate relationship with Christ, Choice began with a small Bible study in the fall of 1985 and grew to a movement that soon impacted more than 10% of the campus population in its weekly gathering.] June 1995 The vision for Passion Conferences is born (while Louie is on a flight from Dallas to Atlanta). August 1995 Louie and Shelley Giglio transition to Atlanta, GA. Winter 1995 The name Passion emerges as the Board of Directors and other key shapers (Jeff Lewis, Shelley G., Cheryl Bell, Matt Morris) refine the vision and plan for Passion's first national gathering. Fall 1996 A meeting of a dozen campus ministry leaders meet for a weekend outside of Norman, OK, to flesh out the 268 Declaration (birthed out of Isaiah 26:8) in advance of Passion '97. January 1997 Passion ’97 – 2,000 students gather for Passion's first four-day conference in Austin, TX.    January 1998 Passion ’98 – 5,000 students return to Austin for Passion '98 as a result of the previous year’s impact.  Passion's first recording (Passion 98:Live Worship from the 268 generation) is captured at Passion ‘98. January 1999 Passion ’99 – Having outgrown Austin, 11,500 students pack out the Fort Worth Convention Center and Arena for an amazingly powerful four days of teaching and worship.  The vison for the first OneDay gathering is launched in the closing session. September 1999-April 2000 The Road to OneDay 2000 – Campus Tour & Road Reps travel the nation, while regional gatherings prepare students for OneDay 2000. [The OneDay Campus Tour, led by lead worshippers Steve Fee and Candi Pearson, cross the nation multiple times hosting unified worship gatherings on 125 campuses with over 125,000 students. Passion hosts regional OneDay Gatherings in Atlanta, Seattle, Minneapolis, Tulsa, Charlotte, San Jose, Memphis, Little Rock and Austin, hosting 32,000 students in preparation for OneDay2000. Passion Road Reps Brad Horton, John Mark Seelig and Mike Trozzo crisscross the nation in the OneDay RV (complete with the massive Passion “P” logo on the side) encouraging students and rallying others to OneDay 2000.] May 2000 Oneday2000 - Over 40,000 college students representing every state and many nations gather at Shelby Farms, a park on the outskirts of Memphis, TN, for a solemn assembly of prayer for spiritual awakening in their generation.  Holy, reverent, potent.  The ripples of OneDay2000 continue to circle the globe. October 2000 OneDayLink – Students are united via satellite to live gatherings in Atlanta's Roxy Theater and Chicago's North Park University.  Over 25,000 students from 60 campuses join together for a concert of worship and prayer. December 2000 Passion prays, seeking God's direction for the future, wondering if the mission is accomplished and Passion's journey is complete. January 2001 The vision continues. September 11, 2001 (9/11) 1st Passion Experience Tour leaves Atlanta on Tuesday night September 11 with lead worshippers Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, David Crowder Band, Nathan and Christy Nockels and Louie Giglio.  Tour connects 35,000 people in 26 cities across the nation. February 2002 Passion Experience Tour adds a five-city Florida leg with Louie and the David Crowder Band.  Florida no longer felt left out! March 2002 The forward journey is shared as Oneday03 is announced. April 2002 Thirsty 2002 – Passion’s first gathering for college leaders is held in Atlanta. June-July 2002 Passion on the Hill – Meets in Atlanta for eight Monday nights, gathering 16,000 area college students for worship and Bible study centered on the 268 Declaration.    October 2002 OneDay Link – The second OneDayLink unites 60,000+ students from over 130 campuses to live sites in Atlanta and Dallas for worship and prayer.  The location for Oneday03 (Sherman, TX) is announced during the satellite link. April 2003 Thirsty 2003 – Passion hosts over 1,200 collegiate leaders for the second Thirsty Conference. May 2003 OneDay03 – In spite of severe weather (the storm of storms that almost washed the gathering away before it really started) over 20,000 students gather on a ranch outside of Sherman, TX.  A seemingly miraculous weather turnaround allowed the gathering to go on under perfect conditions as students literally put their faces to the ground as they prayed for awakening in their generation. June 2003 Passion on the Hill hosts 2 summer gatherings as reconnecting points for students after Oneday03. September-November 2003 2nd Passion Experience Tour unites over 80,000 people in 35 cities.  The stop in Boston, a free event funded by an offering given by those at the previous 24 nights of the Tour, proved to be historic as 2600 students filled the Orpheum Theater just off Boston Common.  This night represents the largest gathering of Christian college students in the history of Boston. March 2004 Thirsty Conference number 3 gathers over 1,800 leaders in Atlanta. April 2004 The Passion Experience Tour NYC, following in the steps of the Boston gathering, packs out the 3000-seat Beacon Theater on 74th and Broadway in Manhattan.    September-November 2004 Subway Series – Passion returns to NYC in partnership with local ministries and churches for the Passion Subway Series.  Over the course of 10 weeks Passion hosts five free gatherings throughout the city (Staten Island, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island) seeking to spark a movement throughout NYC and the surrounding Metro area, home to over 1,000,000 college students.  Over 8,000 students attend the Subway Series. January 2005 Passion 05 lands in Nashville, TN, as Passion returns to its roots and hosts a four-day conference with over 10,500 people. Main sessions in the Gaylord Entertainment Center are complemented by smaller Community Groups, Breakouts and Late Nights throughout the downtown area. “Yes Lord, walking in the way of Your truth we wait eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.”   Isaiah 26:8 November 2005 Passion Toronto In the spirit of Passion gatherings in Boston and NYC, Passion hosts it's first international event in the heart of Toronto, Canada.  With over 300,000 university students in the metro area, Toronto is a collegiate mega-center with the potential to impact the entire world.  Held in the Ricoh Coliseum and funded by students at Passion05, Passion Toronto united 4,500 university students from the Greater Toronto Area, lifting up the name of Jesus over the city and praying for the campuses there. January 2006 Passion06 Passion returns to Nashville, Tennessee, with a sold out four-day gathering drawing students from across the nation and around the world.  Over 18,000 jam downtown Nashville and the Gaylord Arena to consider what it means to live fully for the glory of God. March 2006 Thirsty 2006 Leaders from across the nation gather in Atlanta to worship and lean into the teaching and experience of these days – asking God to make clear His mission for their lives and ministry as they invest in this collegiate generation. January 2007 Passion 07 Four amazing days ring in the New Year as 22,000+ students representing every state in the US and dozens of countries flood downtown Atlanta for Passion 07. The Do Something Now campaign was launched, wedding worship and justice, raising over one million dollars in four days for eight global causes. As well, the vision for a multi-city Passion World Tour is launched, and though it will mean no national Passion event in January 2008, the students cheer the global dream and give over $250,000 on the spot to help fund the journey. May 2007 Thirsty 2007 A time to rest and refuel – Thirsty once again unites college ministry leaders for worship, prayer and teaching, challenging leaders to live for what’s ultimate and encouraging them in the journey ahead. October 2007 Boston Regional [USA] The first of six Regional Gatherings before the Passion World Tour, Passion Boston saw our return to the heart of New England for the fame of Jesus.  Gathering on the campus of Boston University, 1600 students spent a raucous weekend celebrating a common Savior and praying for a fresh awakening on the campuses they represent. Chicago Regional [USA] They came from all across the Midwest, as students gathered in Chicago to find rest and rescue as they unite with their generation and pursue a deepening relationship with Christ to take His light back to their city/campus. January 2008 Los Angeles Regional Passion finally lands on the West Coast as 3800 gather in the Nokia Theatre in downtown LA. Four potent sessions rock us to the core with the challenging and compelling message of “less of me and more of Jesus.” www.268generation.com