While most LSU students attended Student Government’s annual Groovin’ concert Thursday night, other students decided to attend a different kind of concert: a Christian concert. 

The Carry the Love Festival stopped at the LSU Greek Theater on Thursday for a free night of music and evangelism.

From the first words spoken into the mic, Carry the Love made its intentions clear.

“We’re about to go crazy for Jesus,” yelled prayer leader Brad LaChapell.

For the following two and a half hours, the roughly 130 concert attendees went crazy for Jesus. Some raised their hands in prayer, and some lowered their heads. Others used the amphitheater’s concrete seating like a pew and knelt in prayer.

The event was organized by Circuit Riders, a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to training the next generation of evangelical Christians. Although based in Huntington Beach, California, the organization is using its Carry the Love campaign to spread its reach throughout the world.

According to event organizers, the next stop on the campaign trail is South Africa, where the group will host concerts and do mission work.

In general, the campaign aims to spread the Christian faith on high school and college campuses. According to Circuit Riders, this goal has never been more important.

“There’s brokenness in the world. It’s around 50% of college students that deal with depression, and 10% consider suicide,” said Ben King, an event organizer, and Circuit Rider preacher. “We just believe that Jesus is the answer for a generation. We’ve seen time and time again the presence of God showing up through the music and through the message bringing freedom and healing.”

King is 25 years old and has been with the organization for seven years. Fresh out of high school, an 18-year-old King moved to California from Pennsylvania to join Circuit Riders’ leadership program.

Throughout the event, he was one of the few non-singers to hold the microphone, and his segment was devoted to what he described as the healing power of prayer. He began by asking if anyone in the crowd suffered from depression or anxiety, then prayed for them. He repeated that process for a range of ailments that only grew more and more.

“We pray right now that Lyme disease will be healed,” said King in his final address.

The healing prayers certainly benefited some attendees. Before the final song, King asked anyone who felt a distinct change in their body or mind to come forward.

Kiah Jackson, 18, joined him on stage and was given the microphone. She told the audience about her chronic problem with headaches. A particularly nasty one had been affecting her all day but disappeared after King’s prayer segment.

“I felt the pressure release and heat like fire all down my spine,” she said.

The audience erupted into cheering and applause, and King thanked her for her testimony.

Jackson is not affiliated with Circuit Riders, but young people like her are one of the organization’s biggest resources.

Grant Walker, 21, is a youth leader in one of the organization’s leadership programs. He also drives one of the campaign vans. Walker joined Circuit Riders immediately out of high school and has been with them for three years.

Caleb Farrales, 19, attended his third Carry the Love concert Thursday. He was also at the Los Angeles, California and Tulsa, Oklahoma shows. To attend, he takes a flight from his home state of Colorado to wherever the venue happens to be.

Elias Jones, 18, also joined the organization after high school. Hailing from Nova Scotia, Canada, he enrolled in the leadership program to find other people invested in Christian faith. According to him, the Circuit Riders community has been all he wanted and more.

“They’re all about it. I’ve never met people who loved Jesus like this,” he said.

LSU child and family care major Emily Reynolds also felt a sense of community in the event. Reynolds spent much of the concert in front of the stage, conversing with those around her. She said there were many people who drove in from other cities like New Orleans or Lafayette, something she appreciated.

“It’s so nice to see people from so many places come together to worship God,” she said.