It’s been seen on 60 Minutes, The O’Reilly Factor, and Good Morning America. It’s been featured in the New York Times, People Magazine, Seventeen, Time Magazine and in dozens of other news articles across the country. The name is unique – Silver Ring Thing. But what is this “thing,” and how is it impacting the youth of America?

Students receive their rings and SRT study bibles.

Silver Ring Thing is a distinctive sexual abstinence program for middle school and high school students that uses a high-tech mix of sound, lights, special effects and comedy sketches. It is presented in a three-hour live show that calls youth to live a life of purity and sexual abstinence until marriage.

Follow-up is a huge component of SRT. Students attending the shows are sent e-mails twice a week for four months to help support them with their decisions using the Bible as a reference. Parents who attend the parent seminar and the show also receive e-mails on a regular basis, giving them information on how to help their child stay pure and what’s going on in the youth culture today.

The churches of Florence Baptist Association hosted the Silver Ring Thing at South Florence High School Oct. 21. There were 255 students and 54 parents in attendance. There were 28 responses to the invitation, and 141 students chose to purchase a ring as a symbol of their decision to remain sexually pure until they are married.

There was an overwhelmingly positive response by those who attended the event. Eddie Stewart said, “I have been in youth ministry for more than 25 years, so I’ve used a lot of different abstinence materials. Silver Ring Thing is, by far, the most positive, high-energy abstinence program I have ever witnessed. This is the second time I have taken my youth group to a SRT event.”

The interest in Silver Ring Thing in South Carolina is growing, with events being booked in all areas of the state: Lugoff – Jan. 13; Conway – Jan. 27; and Shandon Baptist Church, Columbia – Feb. 10. For a complete list of scheduled events in South Carolina or to host SRT events in your area, visit www.silverringthing.sc.