According to Tim Miller, The Walk began in 2004 with a typical turnout of 40 to 50 college students.

Less than a decade later, the event has grown so large that this year’s inaugural rendition of the weekly contemporary Christian worship service could hardly be contained by the amphitheater at World’s Fair Park — even in the midst of a rain shower.

UT sophomore basketball standout Jarnell Stokes was among the estimated 1,000 college students coming from as far as Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City who converged on downtown Knoxville on Wednesday to enjoy free barbeque and take part in the event.

“There’s just nothing else like The Walk to me,” said Carson-Newman student Amanda Kidd. “It’s just so upbeat and everything is totally different here than it is in a typical church.”

Kidd said that around 50 students from her school travel nearly an hour each Wednesday to attend the service that is typically held at Sevier Heights Baptist Church weekly during the academic year.

Though the event draws attendees from many colleges, UT students may have noticed concentrated promotional efforts by The Walk in recent days, such as the distribution of t-shirts and ice cream across campus.

Miller is the teaching pastor at Sevier Heights and lead speaker at The Walk. He said that the promotions are part of a bigger picture than simply filling seats.

“We just know it’s important to get the word out,” Miller said. “And we have to use whatever method and means possible. Sometimes we use Twitter, Facebook, t-shirts, but we’re not doing it so that we can get more numbers as much, ... it’s that we understand that numbers represent names and each name matters.”

Miller credited his church with being generous in allotting funds for the ministry to expand and engage college students through related means, such as providing food each week for those who attend.

“We do all that we can to get the word out so that people can come and experience The Walk,” Miller said. “And in so doing, hopefully see the personality and purpose of Jesus. So that’s why we do just whatever it takes to get them there, and then when they come our goal is to teach them Jesus.”

Though The Walk may not vary from other Christian services in the core of its message, Tyler Quisenberry, who is a part of the group that attends from Carson-Newman, said it differs from other churches in the way it delivers that message.

“You don’t get to experience stuff like that every day,” Quisenberry said. “It’s tough to find a place for a bunch of college kids to gather and worship with that style of worship.

“It’s not just sitting in a sanctuary with older people,” Quisenberry said. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But it’s being around kids your age and being in an atmosphere where (you know) people want to be there.”

More information on The Walk is available at www.insidethewalk.com