The day after Ascension, nine thousand young Christians converged on the Zénith in Clermont-Ferrand for ECHO, the largest evangelical youth gathering held in France.
At the entrance, a particularly well-stocked exhibitors’ village: stands selling T-shirts with Gospel-inspired punchlines, goodies, games, workshops… while on the outdoor esplanade the music is in full swing, getting a multicultural, cheerful youth dancing. “It’s like a Christian Disneyland!” says one participant.
On the Zénith stage, moments of collective worship, with carefully prepared rhythm and staging, electrify the audience. Prayer team members, recognizable by their green bibs, come to pray alongside some teenagers deeply moved by this spiritual experience, sometimes in a state of intense emotional agitation.
But behind the show, something deeper is at play. Organized since 2006 by the Assemblies of God, this gathering is part of an evangelization process that now targets young people in search of meaning and rituals. It is part of a return to faith observed in society in recent years, and is attracting more and more teenagers, proud to display a faith that is no longer in any way old-fashioned.
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