Jamie Lambert:
YXL Director

Aside from being a University of Tennessee alumni and fan, Jamie is known for his unique use of the English language.  Make sure you ask him to explain his favorite phrase, "dumber'n a coal bucket" and his favorite game "Hey Cow!"  After his recent graduation from Metro Atlanta Seminary, he was promoted to Associate Pastor and Ministry of Youth at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, GA where he has been serving as youth pastor for the last 8 years.  Jamie and his wife Bethany have been helping lead YXL for since 2007 and are "more excited than new born calf" (another Jamie expression) to be directing this year.

Davy Stephenson:
Speaker 

YXL is delighted to have Davy Stephenson back as one of our main speakers this year.  You never know what zany antics Davy will bring to his sermons, from preaching with the Bible on his head to break dancing during the message to demonstrate how King David danced before the Lord.  He currently serves as Pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama.  Prior to being called to Grace, he served at Briarwood Presbyterian as a church planting fellow, as a youth pastor in Orlando and as a camp director at Camp Westminster in Atlanta, GA.  The only negative about Davy is that he graduated from University of Tennessee.  However, his ability to make a chair out of a piece of wood with a chain saw on stage in front of several hundred people in under 3 minutes more than makes up for his misplaced appreciation for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Davy and his wife Kelly have one rambunctiously awesome son, Graham, and another child on the way.

Raymond Causey:
Evening Speaker

Raymond Causey, former director of the Urban Family Ministry, is now pastor of South Atlanta Community Church in Fayetteville, GA. Raymond is a graduate of Biola University where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Communications with a minor in Biblical Studies. Raymond is a national conference speaker with Familylife’s  “A Week-End To Remember” Marriage Conference. Speaking engagements have taken Raymond across the U.S., Africa, Bahamas, Australia, and New Zealand. Raymond has been the guest speaker at several Universities and Christian radio broadcasts. Raymond has been the guest chapel speaker for the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins professional football teams. Additionally, Raymond serves on the board of the Metro Atlanta Seminary, and is the author of the book “Changing for Good” (Inter Varsity Press). His wife Donna is a conference speaker, Bible teacher and mentor. Raymond and Donna have four children: Kimya (married), Whitney, Brian and Courtney. Raymond and Donna have been married since 1979 and currently reside in Riverdale, Ga, just outside Atlanta.

They say that newlyweds make the best conference worship leaders, so we searched far and wide to find not only a gifted song writer and musician but a newlywed as well.  Andrew and fiance Stephanie are getting married in April of this year so make sure to congratulate them at YXL.  Andrew is a native of the Bahamas, a graduate of Covenant College and now serves as the Community Evangelism Director at New City Fellowship in Chattanooga, TN.  One of Andrew's passions is to help young men and women understand the beauty of worshipping God as the body of Christ.  This should be another year of exciting worship experiences as Andrew (and possibly Stephanie) lead us with a variety of music styles, representing numerous cultures.

We are excited to have John Craft, RUF campus pastor at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, returning this year to be our first ever Theologian in Residence (TiR).  For the past two years, John has been both a main speaker and a seminar leader at YXL where he combined his slighty off-centered brand humor with his love of God's word to help us better understand what it means to be a follower Christ living in a fallen world.  This year as our TiR he will be leading the "Institute of Theology" during the first seminar time (you can read more about this on the daily schedule which is also posted on the website).  We asked John to teach an interactive, college level class on Apologetics and World View to which he whole heartedly agreed.  He also plans to be around during the week to answer any deep theological questions (and sports questions) that you might have.  Our challenge to you is to try to stump our TiR during the week.  John's personal challenge at YXL this year is to try to stay in the raft as we go down the Ocoee River.

John has been the RUF campus pastor for the last 4 years and together with his wife, Leigh, have two children, William and Lizzie.  He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Covenant Seminary.

Read the Letter from the Director and get more information on what to bring and what to expect...