The original idea was to give young people in Muhlenberg County “a party with a purpose,” according to co-founder Josh Rich.

Crave Central was created, Rich said, to provide a safe place for young people to be in an atmosphere with no drugs, no alcohol, no sexual promiscuity and an alternative to self-abuse or even suicide. In short, Crave offered none of the negative influences young people might find elsewhere.

A lot has happened in the past year. Crave The Movement has taken the word of God to Chicago and a host of other cities. The response has been more amazing than anyone ever dreamed, Rich said.

Last week, Crave Central “invaded” Louisville. And again, the results were tremendous, according to Rich.

“The Vernon Club in Louisville was nice enough to allow us to use their building as a venue,” Rich said. “We had over 300 young people, who showed up. And that was in the middle of a snow storm. There was over 4 inches of snow. We really believe there would have been a lot more in attendance if the weather had been more cooperative.”

Rich said the response from those, who did make it through the snow storm was overwhelming.

“There were a lot of tears shed,” Rich said. “There were over 50 people saved. And, I don’t think there was one person there, who did not feel the spirit of God in the room.”

Rich noted that much like with the recent Crave Chicago event, police officers were also moved by the event.

“We had Louisville Metro Police officers, who came to the event,” Rich said. “When we first arrived, they were not exactly sure what it was we were doing. They were a little hesitant of the whole idea. But by the end of the night, one officer was begging us to come back again. They were just so touched by the turnout and the whole atmosphere.”

Rich noted that the owner of The Vernon Club was also hesitant about Crave at first, Rich said.

“But by the end of the night he was asking us to come back and do another Crave Louisville at his club,” said Rich. “He was just so happy with the turnout and the atmosphere.”

The Crave Central movement shows no signs of slowing down, according to Rich.

“Our next scheduled stop is Cleveland,” he said. “That will be this summer. Our next Crave event in Central City will be coming up in March.”

Crave The Movement is a non-profit organization looking for a new, larger venue in the Central City area. The Living Word Church has donated its sanctuary for Crave events since the group’s inception.

“Anyone interested in helping financially can contact us and find out more atwww.cravethemovement.com.” Rich said. “Any donations will go toward student programs, so that we can have personal time with students. We also need funds to create future Crave events as we continue to grow. Our dream is to make this a movement that takes the word of God everywhere. We've shared the word already with more young people than we ever dreamed. It’s all the work of the Holy Spirit.”

Paul McRee