Farm Fest, a fall festival and evangelistic meeting designed specifically for teenagers, gives BJU students an opportunity to work with hundreds of teens in a fun, carnival-like environment.

Farm Fest features a wide range of carnival games, a volleyball and soccer tournament, skits and three evangelistic services. This year’s Farm Fest will be held Saturday, Oct. 6, at Harvest Acres located at 355 Log Shoals Road in Greenville.

This festival, which has been operated by The Wilds for about five years, was formerly organized by BJU and has been a long-standing yearly outreach of the University.

Farm Fest will allow many BJU students to get involved with organizing and streamlining the event.

On the day of the event, students can volunteer to help organize several of the games and activities. Jordan Baun, director of outreach at the Center for Global Opportunities, estimates that the University will need about 150 students for the event.

Baun also said the days leading up to Farm Fest present a lesser-known opportunity to help. The Wilds needs students to help set up facilities, activities and equipment for the event on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons preceding Oct. 6. Baun said these are particularly helpful ways for societies or discipleship groups to get involved in local outreach.

Volunteers will also have opportunities to influence the teens through their Christian testimonies and through one-on-one interactions with those participating in Farm Fest. Baun said The Wilds anticipates hosting around 800-1,000 for the event.

Baun said, “It’s a terrific time to take all of the things we’ve been hearing here on campus and use those in a one-on-one situation where you’re able to give the Word of God to people and share the Gospel with them.”

Baun also said it’s an opportunity for students to give back to a ministry that could use help and that many of them may be familiar with.

John Branham, a senior university student who worked at last year’s Farm Fest said he enjoyed his experience. “There were a lot of people that I personally talked with that you could tell, just talking with them, that they were just soaking up the compassion that you show them or the attention you were giving them,” Branham said.