Youth from churches across Blount County will be coming together APRIL 18th for a 15 mile walk carrying the cross from HICKORY VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH, ending at RIO REVOLUTION and the Awake21 event, “Good-Good FRIDAY.”
Awake – 21 CrossWalk Details
Awake -21 Good Friday Youth Crosswalk: A Journey of Faith and Unity
This Good Friday April 18th, we invite your church’s youth to join us in a powerful expression of faith and devotion: the Awake-21 Crosswalk. Teenagers from 6th to 12th grade will carry a wooden cross—a symbolic representation of Jesus’s journey to Calvary—throughout our community, taking turns as others follow in support and reflection.
This crosswalk embodies the call to “take up your cross and follow Jesus” (Matthew 16:24), offering young hearts a transformative opportunity to connect deeply with Christ’s sacrifice and love.
The journey concludes at RIO Revolution at the Good Good Friday Event with a community worship gathering, where the cross will be carried in and presented during a time of shared reverence and celebration. It’s an incredible moment of unity, a chance to bring together youth across Blount County to grow in faith, fellowship, and purpose.
Join us in making this event a cornerstone of your church’s Good Friday experience. Let’s empower the next generation to walk boldly in their faith and inspire others along the way.
For more information or to get involved, contact Tim Gardner (865) 603-0295 or Trisha Gardner (865) 603-3982.
Awake 21 Crosswalk 2025
Start: 9:00 am at Hickory Valley Baptist Church
End: 5:30 pm at RIO Revolution Church walking cross into event
Timeline:
FRIDAY, APRIL 18TH
8:30 am Arrive at Hickory Valley Baptist Church (3920 W Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Friendsville, TN 37737)
**Check-in with Tim and Trisha Gardner**
8:50 am Event guidelines/Prayer
9:00 am Crosswalk Begins (1st leg)
10:30 am Water break on side of 321 at a pull off
12:00 pm RIO Central Church (370 S Long Hollow Rd, Maryville)
First Leg: 7.1 miles
12:00 pm Lunch (Provided)
1:30 pm Begin 2nd leg
2:15 pm Tractor Supply for break
3:30 pm Greenbelt Amphitheater/Old Courthouse
4:00 pm Buses leave for Revolution Church
4:30 pm Muster in Parking lot at Revolution Church
5:30 pm Walk into Good Good Friday Event
Second Leg: 5.8 miles
Rules for Crosswalk:
- Keep track of your group at stops and during walk – They should check in and out with you during the walk
- I will ask if we are good before we step off after breaks, you will have to let me know if there is an issue
- Crosswalk is for the kids
- Everyone will get a chance to carry if they want to
- Not everyone is happy we are here… Show Jesus anyway
- Be flexible on time changes during the event – it will happen
- Safety is paramount – no horseplay
- The goal is to walk – stay out of vehicles unless needed
- We walk 4 wide max. There will be times when we will need to walk in formations less than 4 wide. We also want to stay out of the grass.
- Stay 15ft behind the cross
- Cross sets the pace
- No one is allowed to be to the left of a leader
- If you need to drop out fall back and quickly get in a follow vehicle
- We do not pick up anything off of the road or on side of road – pick up and you own it
If you would like to serve alongside the Youth Groups or be a blessing by serving those taking place in the event, there is a need. We will need volunteers to serve food, drive vehicles, hand out snacks, supervise the youth, and/or financial giving to help make this event possible. We do not charge the Youth or the Youth Groups anything to participate so anything given to the event is a huge blessing.
Thank you,
Tim Gardner / RIO Townsend Youth Pastor
…PLEASE HELP…
We need help… with Drivers, Food Service, Chaperones, and Medical Personnel. If you are a Youth Leader and would like to join us in this historic undertaking, please fill out the form below…
CROSSWALK REGISTATION FORM
Awake21 