The 250 volunteers went through four hours of training, starting in March. There is also a staff of professional psychologists and Christian counselors to intervene in serious situations. There are two or three cases like that a year, he says, though last year there were none among more than 1,300 people who responded to the call. Lord, the altar ministry chair, said 434 people responded Thursday night, more than have ever responded to an opening-night call before. As they enter the counseling tents, each person is matched with a counselor of the same sex.
Counselors stand in a line to be matched up with respondents.
Then the counselor sits down with his charge or charges. Each respondent fills out a form, giving the person's name and address and the name of his or her home church. Another says he's let his involvement with sports dominate his life. The counselors pray with the people who've come forward. Some of the sessions take place quickly.