The Overflow Movement: Truth vs Tradition
On Friday March 20, The Overflow Movement held their second program with the theme “Truth vs. Tradition” and it was far beyond everyone’s expectations. You may have seen their flyers and a few of their short visual clips circling around Instagram and Facebook. The Overflow movement, founded by Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Bethel Fellowship’s youth ministry, is a fairly new idea where [a collection] “of young Christians come together with a goal of experiencing God’s love and His power, then pouring that same love and power out to the rest of the youth of our current generation.” The Overflow Movement holds their events bi-monthly; their first one was in January called “Hope is Rising.”
The night was filled with amazing talent, featuring Overflow Movement’s very own rap group called C.M.M., Christ Must Move, and a short skit demonstrating the difference between truth and tradition. They also had an open mic segment, where people used their different talents to glorify God. There was a chance for us to mix and mingle, starting with the café, and the Q&A section, where we discussed our thoughts on truth, tradition, and everything in between. Tobi Oke gave a powerful message on; you guessed it, truth vs. tradition. The night ended with so many youths deciding to not just let go of their traditional ways, but to remember and understand the purpose of tradition.
I spoke with one of the Founders of The Overflow Movement and member of the media team, Ihide Ehikhamenor, to find out more about this new “movement.”
What inspired The Overflow Movement?
“We [CAC Bethel Fellowship] had a similar program like this called Reflections, and it was good, but for one reason or another, it just died out. So a group of us, ’the squad,’ came up with the idea to bring something like Reflections back that will be more vibrant and attractive for the new youth of Bethel Fellowship and get them involved. We spoke with our Pastors about this idea and got an immediate O.K. to bring it to life.”
How do you guys come up with the themes of The Overflow events?
“The leaders begin praying and preparing for the events two months before each event. So while getting ready for the current event (promoting, casting, etc.), we already have our theme for the next one. Our themes are catered to the youth of the church. We meditate on what issues they are facing and try to incorporate it in the themes. They are our main audience.”
What type of impact do you want Overflow to have on the youth’s lives?
“We want to see our youth grow spiritually and edify each other using their God-given talents. And it won’t stop at our church; we want to see them impact their friends at different churches, their schools, work, etc. The Overflow is a platform where they can receive the full gospel of Jesus Christ and present it in their own unique way. Hopefully, the rappers we saw tonight will encourage any other rappers that were in the crowd to use their talents for God as well. We just want people to have fun and be open in the presence of God. Things of that nature.
What’s next for Overflow?
“I don’t want to say too much, but we will be having a summer series called ‘Back to the Basics.’ It will be a three part series where we talk to the youth about the simple, but foundational parts of Christianity. The first event of the series will be on May 15th. We are also looking forward to the new, diverse acts for the open mics. Stay tuned!”
The Overflow Movement holds their events at CAC Bethel Fellowship, located at 7513 Northern Ave. Glendale MD, 20769. To stay updated on their next event, follow them on Instagram @theoverflowmovement and add them on Facebook at Tom Overflow!
Written By: Toyin Akinwande
