NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Former President George W. Bush will be among the speakers at LifeWay’s The Main Event, a two-day conference for men on August 1 and 2 in Nashville.
Bush will take the stage along with the winningest football coach in NCAA history Bobby Bowden, three-time NASCAR cup champion Darrell Waltrip, retired U.S. Army Maj. Jeff Struecker, whose battlefield heroics were immortalized in the film Black Hawk Down, Lifeway president Thom Rainer and several others. Three-time Grammy Award winner Michael W. Smith will lead worship.
The theme for the event is from Isaiah 53:5, “by his stripes we are healed,” which Lifeway men’s ministry leader Jason Ellerbrook says is “wrapped around honoring the wounded warrior.”
According to Ellerbrook, the conference will honor those who serve in the United States Armed Forces “who have sacrificed to give us freedom on earth,” but will ultimately challenge men to “honor Christ as the one who gave us eternal freedom through His victory over sin and death.”
Having a former U.S. president as a speaker is significant for any conference, but it is especially so for The Main Event, only in its second year of existence. Despite the lack of an extended history, Ellerbrook knew the conference would be something special shortly after they began promoting it.
“In two weeks we had over 4,000 registered for the event and 100 for the pre-conference,” he said. “Last year we had 5,000 men attend, which sold out the Curb Center at Belmont University two months before the event.”
This year’s conference will be in the much larger Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville and will challenge even more men in their faith and commitments. “Our goal is to see men come to know Christ and more fully experience him,” Ellerbrook said.
“Men who attend The Main Event will experience a sense of honor, dignity and respect,” he said. “We are all wounded and broken – that we have in common. However, Jesus can be the ultimate common denominator. Through him we can experience victory and lead a full life.”
Ellerbrook said registration will be capped at 10,000 and organizers are expecting the event to sell out well in advance of August. Early registration for the conference, which begins Friday evening (Aug 1) and runs through Noon Saturday, is $69. A preconference for ministry leaders will be held Friday afternoon (Aug 1) and is $39.
A full list of the speakers, schedules and other information about The Main Event, is available at LifeWay.com/MainEvent.
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