A group of people hoping to make a difference met Monday night at Park Memorial Methodist Church for a counselor training session for the Scott Dawson Hope For You Festival June 26-29.

Counselors will primarily be at the festival to respond to those who make a commitment to Christ.

They will be able to gather information and answer questions for those who come forward.

Christians of all ages attended the meeting Monday hoping to glean something they can not only use for the festival, but also for the future.

Aaron Hall, the interim youth minister at Southside Baptist Church, said he was there because he thought the training would benefit the community.

"I really see a need for Christ in the community," he said.

"I know that if people were living the way Christ wanted them to live, we wouldn't be having the problems that we do."

He said one way to help accomplish that is to spread God's word, and he hoped the training session would help his learn to do that.

Jeremy Stanley, 21, and David Bullock, 18, are students at Troy State University and were the youngest ones there.

"There aren't many counselors our age," Stanley said.

"I think that it will be easier for the high school students who want to make a change to talk to someone who is close to their own age."

Stanley said he first heard about Scott Dawson several years ago when his brothers attended Pathfinders.

Pathfinders is a day camp and a mission experience all rolled into one and coincides with Dawson's festivals.

The program involves youth who go door to door and pray with and invite the locals to attend the festival.

Bullock works with the youth at Henderson Baptist Church and said he is excited about the upcoming event.

"I love conferences," he said.

"I think they give us a challenge to bring people in."

He said that inviting someone to a conference might not be as intimidating as inviting someone to church.

He also feels like it's his turn to give back.

"God's done so much in my life and I really feel like I should give something back," he said.