The Evangelical Covenant Church of Port Allegany and UNITE

by Jani Gustafson

I had the opportunity to speak with JT Madison, the lead pastor at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Port Allegany, PA, about the transformative power of UNITE for his entire church. Last summer, JT and his wife Carri took 11 teenagers to UNITE at Bowling Green State University—a five-day event with powerful worship, engaging youth group sessions, heartfelt prayer, exhilarating afternoon activities, and meaningful acts of service. Their whole church rallied behind these students both financially and prayerfully; the kids really felt the support lifting them up!

JT and Carri saw this as an opportunity that would be a great way to cultivate deep and meaningful relationships with and among the teens. They were not wrong! After experiencing UNITE’s mountain-top moments, they offered a three-week devotional called Rhythms. This was designed to help transition from those incredible mountain top experiences back into daily life. And quite unexpectedly the teens took it a step further by initiating a weekly Bible study! God began working wonders in their hearts—one girl even asked to be baptized!

The youth group has since been revitalized—28 kids went bowling for Halloween! The congregation is excited to watch this growth unfold week after week. They often approach JT and Carri with questions about attendance numbers.

JT firmly believes that attending UNITE allowed God to ignite a new passion for Him within these young hearts. It has become clear that when we invest in our youth through worship and relationship-building opportunities like UNITE, we are not only nurturing individual faith but also strengthening the very fabric of our church community. Together, through God’s grace and guidance, we can witness remarkable transformations as our young people grow into passionate followers ready to embrace their faith journey.