Second annual social media fast to focus on dedicating lives to Christ

March 28, 2022

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Recent studies have highlighted the extreme negative effects of social media on the majority of Americans, with some showing the clear link to increased anxiety and depression in young adults. One study saw that adults who spend up to four hours playing games and communicating on social media had depressive symptoms just one year later, resulting from this type of exposure. With 70% of Americans reporting that they use social media in some capacity, many officials find this growing trend a cause for alarm.

One group helping Christians to be faithful in a digital age is the D. L. Moody Center (moodycenter.org),one of the nation’s top spiritual renewal organizations.Because the excessive use of social media has both negative spiritual and mental health implications, the D. L. Moody Center is honored to sponsor the annual “Go Dark, Shine Bright” ministry campaign in partnership with The Shine Bright Project. The innovative initiative begins on May 5, 2022 with a guided social media fast and concert of prayer online and at various locations across New England including the D. L. Moody Center. Throughout the week, believers will gather together to pray in physical locations and via Zoom. In the second ten days, participants will proclaim the good news of Christ with five non-believers, as well as share social media posts that present the gospel and challenge unbelievers to dedicate their lives to Christ.

James Spencer, president of D. L. Moody Center, commented, “When we get lost in the endless scrolling and non-stop notifications of social media, our attention is turned away from where it most needs to be: on glorifying God. Modern life is complicated but the message of the gospel is simple. When we make space for the light of God to shine through, we are amazed at what He illuminates in our lives. But the more distracted we are, the harder it is to look with eyes that see and listen with ears that hear.”

Spencer continued, “The ‘Go Dark, Shine Bright’ project is a Christian ministry devoted to helping believers give God a central place in their lives, grow their faith, and share the gospel through a conscious approach to social media.”

This ministry campaign strongly aligns with the message of D. L. Moody himself, who stated, “In the place God has put us, He expects us to shine, to be living witnesses, to be a bright and shining light. While we are here our work is to shine for Him.”

The D.L. Moody Center is an independent non-profit organization located in Northfield, Massachusetts. Dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of Dwight Moody, the D. L. Moody Center is a catalyst for spiritual formation in New England and beyond through evangelism and discipleship.

The D. L. Moody Center is a destination for spiritual renewal, yet not a school. Nevertheless, there is much to learn by studying D. L. Moody and what God accomplished through his life which began in New England, at the Northfield, Massachusetts campus, the heart of Moody’s ministry as well as his childhood home.

Learn more about D. L. Moody Center by visiting moodycenter.org or follow the ministry on Facebook or Twitter.   

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