What’s known as Tax Day for adults will be God time this year for thousands of middle school and high school students in the Pikes Peak region.

Organizers of “One Big Wednesday” expect up to 4,000 teens ages 12 to 18 to spend three hours Wednesday night at the Norris Penrose Event Center seeking unity and hope in the Christian faith.

“Our hearts’ hope is that they would see each one of them is seen, valued and loved,” said Paden Rogers, student pastor at Cross Fellowship Church in Black Forest. He’s part of Colorado Springs Area Youth Ministries, which is presenting the regional event for the second year.

Twenty-nine local churches are involved in producing the inspirational worship activity, which is free for attendees, who can bring their friends. No one has to be attached to a church or identify as a Christian to participate, Rogers said.

Doors open at 5 p.m. at the center at 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road, with the event held 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m.

“Our vision is we want to be in the community with the community of churches, supported by the community,  to reach a community of teenagers with the Gospel,” Rogers said. “Students hear the Gospel, experience the hope of Jesus, and they know their life has meaning and purpose.”

The event is open to all denominations and will feature merchandise tables, concessions, fellowship spaces for students to connect, worship by leaders from various churches who form the Colorado Springs Collective and guest speaker Shane Pruitt, national director of Next Gen evangelism at the North American Mission Board, which is the domestic mission agency of the Southern Baptist Convention.

“Teenagers now more than ever need real hope and truth within the midst of a world of chaos and lies,” Rogers said.

“Teenagers feel living out their Christianity is going to cost them something – they’ll be ousted, considered less than, categorized to be in a certain group of people,” he said. “We want students to know there is a community they can belong to.”

Teens will declare “We are the church,” in representing a unified body of Christ, he said. “There’s a lack of unity amongst churches and amongst Christians that we are in this together, and teens need to know that.”

Last year’s inaugural kickoff drew 1,384 students from 67 area churches and 250 volunteers. Gospel clubs formed at some schools after the event, Rogers said, and existing Bible clubs grew in participation and outreach.

“We had teenagers from churches from Limon to Colorado Springs and everywhere in between,” he said. “There were many students who said, ‘I didn’t know there were this many believers my age that wanted the same things I wanted and thought the way same way as I did.’”

The first 500 teens through the doors will receive free T-shirts, and everyone can be a part of audience games and giveaways. Though attendance is free, teens are asked to register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/one-big-wednesday-tickets-1978468889708/.