Passion 07 came to a close in downtown Atlanta last Thursday afternoon. Though more than 22,000 college students made their way home and Passion Conferences began looking at future gatherings to reach students around the globe, a legacy of compassion and mission-minded purpose was left behind.

Louie Giglio reads from the Bible during an outdoor worship service at Passion 07.
Photo by Kaysie Dorsey

Speaking to students at the gathering’s closing, Passion Conferences founder/director Louie Giglio said, “Colossians 1:6 says, ‘All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit.’ The same changing power in your lives is working all over the world. This gospel is bearing fruit and growing, and we can see that in what you’ve done through the Do Something Now campaign.”
 
Passion 07 set a goal for individual students and student groups to raise $500,000 for global aid through its Do Something Now campaign. As the Global Awakening: The World Mobilization Area officially closed in the Georgia World Congress Center Thursday, students and groups had pledged over $700,000 toward various global initiatives.
 
Even as Passion 07 asked students throughout the gathering to consider global impact, Giglio announced that Passion Conferences was thinking globally. “Passion didn’t set out to do 40 years of conferences because we’re not in the conference business,” he said. “We are praying for an explosion in the lives of this student generation.”

Over 23,000 gather for a Passion 07 Outdoor Candlelight Service on International Plaza.
Photo by Kaysie Dorsey

Giglio announced that in place of one four-day conference in January 2008, Passion Conferences is planning smaller gatherings similar to the four-day conference format in cities around the U.S. for Fall 2007 and Early Winter 2008. “At these larger four-day gatherings, like Passion 07, a majority of students come from neighbouring states,” said Giglio. “From there, students trickle in from more distant states like California or Massachusetts. Passion wants to get closer to the students who haven’t had a chance to experience this gathering.”
 
The global reach of the Passion message is evident as 33 countries were represented at Passion 07, and Passion Conferences consistently receives requests for overseas events. Looking forward to Late Spring 2008, Passion Conferences plans to launch out to 20 cities in 15 nations. “After years of hating to say ‘we can’t right now,’ the Passion team began asking how it could go to the nations,” Giglio said. “It takes 19 hours to fly to South Africa, and we thought, ‘Once we get started, why don’t we just keep going?’ Go seven more hours, then eight more, nine more, until we’ve gone around the world?”

Chris Tomlin leads worship during final General Session Jan. 4 as students’ Passion 07 Graffiti Worship Art surrounds the stage. On the flip side of the artwork are the names of colleges around the world represented by students at Passion 07.
Photo by Kaysie Dorsey
 
At the opening of the gathering on Monday, the tally showed that 49 U.S. states were represented at Passion 07, all but South Dakota. As Giglio led students in prayer for college campuses during Wednesday’s evening General Session, specifically mentioning South Dakota, it came to the gathering’s attention that one student from South Dakota State University, Nick, did make it to Passion 07, confirming that all 50 states were represented.
 
Passion 07 opened Monday at the Philips Arena and Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta with over 23,000 in attendance and students representing 50 states, 33 countries and 1,165 campuses. Passion 07 was a four-day indoor gathering for college students and was led by renowned speakers Louie Giglio, John Piper, Francis Chan and Beth Moore, among others, as well as artist-worshipers Chris Tomlin, David Crowder*Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman and more.