Team Impact Crusade scheduled for Church at Quail Creek

By: Rachel Nelson

http://www.amarilloscene.com/

According to Dr. Ed Young of Second Baptist Church in Houston, 1,200 decisions were made for Christ during four nights of a Team Impact Crusade at his church.

"If you are looking to make an impact for Jesus Christ in your community and in your church, then let me personally recommend Team Impact. This team of humble, hard-working guys has done their homework. They come prepared and let me tell you, they work hard," Young said.

Team Impact travels to churches, schools, military bases and other locations to perform amazing stunts including breaking stacks of bricks with their elbows, power lifting heavy weights and ripping phone books in half. In the midst of the intensity, they will present the Gospel message by giving personal testimonies and preaching the Word of God.

There are four chances left to see electrifying performances of strength, force and power from Team Impact in Amarillo. The group of body builders will appear nightly at The Church at Quail Creek, located at 801 Tascosa Road, tonight through Sunday at 7 p.m. Admission to the event is free and those who attend will have a chance to win door prizes such as an XBOX 360, iPOD Video, LCD TV, PlayStation 3 and a Six Flags vacation.

Many Churches have seen the lives of their congregations changed during Team Impact Crusades. Their Web site, www.team-impact.com, said the group has learned that if they can get the crowd's attention, they will listen to what the team has to say.

"Our unique style of ministry uses the gifts of elite athletes performing feats of strength that demand attention. The appeal is nearly irresistible,especially for those who would normally never attend church," the Web site explains. "While the method may be different, the message remains the same -Salvation through grace through faith in Jesus Christ."

Other churches that say they have experienced the move of the Holy Spirit through Team Impact strongly recommend the technique for church and personal revival.

"I've enjoyed getting to know the guys at Team Impact over the last several years. Obviously these are great men of physical strength and stature, but what I like the most about them, what I really love about these guys, is their great strength for Christ and their heart for God," said Dr. Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano.

Graham said the Team Impact crusade is the most effective method of evangelism the church has ever seen.

All ages are encouraged to go to the show. For more information, visit team-impact.com or call The Church at Quail Creek at 806-358-7681.

A Need For Speed

Local singles take a new approach to dating

By: Rachel Nelson

http://www.amarilloscene.com/

The busyness of life can sometimes leave little time for doing the things oneenjoys, so dating on the go is gaining popularity. Amarillo representative Sharee Lamphere of Cupid.com says pre-dating, also known as speed dating, isideal for local singles desiring to meet new people.

"It's a great way to meet people that you wouldn't normally meet, and it's safer than meeting people online," she said. "It's not necessarily the bar scene – it's a little more classy than the bar scene. We promote classy eventsand there's no pressure."

People who participate in speed dating have the opportunity to speak with several prospective matches in one night by spending a short amount of time with each person.

"The ladies sit down and the men rotate every six minutes. You'd be surprised to know that you can tell if you want to talk to a person a second time or not," Lamphere said.

"I think it was the perfect amount of time to where you could meet someone and get to know them and know whether or not you want to talk to them anymore,"said Stephanie Steelman, a local single who tried speed dating. "You'd be surprised how much information you can get in six minutes."

Steelman recently moved to Amarillo from Beaumont and decided to try pre-dating to meet people in the local area. Although she admits that it took a lot of nerve to try speed dating, Steelman said she is glad she had the extra push to help her come out of her shell.

"I think everybody should give it a try just one time just to say you did it.It's not going to hurt you, and you never know, you might meet someone worth seeing," she said.

Steelmain said she met three men through pre-dating that she would consider talking to more.

"If it wasn't for this, I would never have met them. Because of what they do for a living and what I do for a living, we would have never crossed paths,"she said.

According to Lamphere, each person that participates in a pre-dating event can make notes on a "match card." If two people mutually decide they want to talk a second time or go on a real date, they can make contact through Cupid.com.

Lamphere also offers the single match guarantee for one event to those who don't match with anybody. "Then you can come to the next one for free," she said.

For each event that is held, there is an age margin so that the people mingling are around the same age group. According to Lamphere, the age group that tends to be the most interested in speed dating ranges from 27 to 39 years old, but an event will be hosted in June that will invite a younger audience.

Dustin Cantrell is a 22-year-old single who said he looks forward to attending the event.

"I like to meet new people," he said. "I'm not looking to get married next week or anything like that. If it goes somewhere else then it does, and if not then you may have a new friend."

Cantrell said he sees the advantages to speed dating."If it's going bad, you only have a few minutes with them so it's not like you have to cut the date off early or anything like that. Where else are you going to find 10 other people looking to have fun and go on a date? Where else can you do that?" he said.

Lamphere said Cupid.com's pre-dating service aims to recruit professionals to participate in the events in order to weed out potential duds.

"We try to encourage people who have careers; people who aren't living at home with mom and dad; people who have ambition," she said. "It's a perfect way to meet people who are in the same boat whether they have been divorced or they just went full force into their career and now they've decided that they want to do the family thing."

There are opportunities in upcoming months to get a taste of this growing trend.All single professionals ages 35 to 45 are invited to join in at Marty's Dining and Entertainment May 15 at 7 p.m. Bourbon Street Café will host anevent for the 45 to 59 age group at 6 p.m. It costs $35 to those who registerat least two days in advance. Registration is held online at www.pre-dating.com. It will cost $40 for those who register later.

The event for the younger age group will be held at Café Bella June 13 at 7 p.m. It will cost $25 to those who register before June 11 and $30 afterwards.

"I think it's definitely reasonable," Cantrell said. "That'd be a dinner somewhere with one person. A night out on the town is going to cost a lot more than that, and you're meeting more than just one person."

For more information, visit www.cupid.com/predating or e-mail amarillo@predating.com.