Some join trend toward Christian 'cool'

While local Christian youth may not be as "cool" as the emerging pop cultural Christian scenes in the nation, a small group of Sisters High School Students is finding its own way to relate the faith to peers.

Church and youth groups are the latest "cool" teen scene around the nation, according to a May article in The New York Times. The article cites worshipers who have "gained attention by creating alternative churches in coffee bars and warehouses and publishing new magazines and Bibles that come on as anything but church."

"Wired," a new album by the band Third Day, "which plays Southern rock with Christian lyrics," entered Billboard's Top 200 this week at No. 12, just behind Evanescence, "a hard-rock band that mixes Christian and secular songs," according to the article. The article also mentions two new Bibles in teen-magazine format, "Revolve" and "Refuel," which "mix dating tips with a complete New Testament."

Lena Womack, senior at Sisters High School, said she wishes she would see more of an explosion of modern Christian expressions, such as alternative Christian music.

"I don't see it here," she said. "I did when I lived in Colorado. It's kind of sad we don't, isn't it? God is saying I am an exciting God. I can provide you with fun and exciting songs."

The Christian pop cultural movement claims to be an effort to relate on a level the un-churched will understand.

Womack organized a prayer group named "The Call," which meets at students' houses every Monday night, to pray for the "salvation" of other students, Womack said.

The group, which started six months ago with five students, has grown to an average of 12, Womack said.

On special weekends, the students organize entertaining outings that don't involve drugs or alcohol.

"We've taken the people we've prayed for bowling and to dinner and we pay for them," Womack said. "It's to show that Christians can have fun without the drugs, without the drinking and without the sex."

One hundred and twenty students, or about 26 percent of the 455-student population at Sisters High School, attend youth group, said Bob Macauley, Sisters High School Principal.

Philip McDaniel, a junior at Sisters High School, said he sees students at school wearing T-shirts which tout the name of a youth group based at Sisters Community Church -- "The Hanger."

Some students find it "cool" to listen to Christian music bands as well, McDaniel said.

"It's more cool because there's bands with the same type of music," he said. "There's punk rock bands that cater more to teens and youth groups have skate parks."

But for all its popularity, the surge of youth group attendance has not necessarily resulted in a surge of virtuous behavior, Macauley said.

"Being at youth group doesn't make you spiritual," Macauley said. "We have youth group kids with behaviors all over the map. But they're in the right place. I appreciate the youth leaders mentoring the kids."

Womack said part of the urgency behind organizing "The Call" came because she noticed more of her long-time friends starting to "party," and she noticed a breakdown in zeal among professed Christians.

Womack said she knows that her peers drink and do drugs because sometimes they talk to her about it.

"People who I never in my life would have dreamed would be going to a party and drinking have been and it's been a big deal for me," Womack said. "It's been a springboard for gaining momentum for 'The Call' because friends we have grown up with are going to graduate and have all this freedom and we're like, what are they going to do with it. I will not attend the parties -- because I want to be above that -- and it's not very appealing to think of my friends getting wasted."