Our Youth Weekend Away
By Sorcha Brown
Before the summer holidays began, we had the privilege of taking our young people away for the weekend. We spent an amazing weekend in Irthingborough at the Frontiers Centre in the early summer, 11th - 13th July. We had a total of twenty come with us to share God's love and enjoy some fun games. We really wanted this weekend to be a space where the youth were able to develop their friendships with each other and with Jesus. On this weekend, we continued our Youth Alpha course to give them a more structured conversation with God and introduce the Holy Spirit to them.
Earlier this year, we started a youth Alpha course that allows the youth to discuss where they are in terms of their relationship with their faith. A part of this course included an Alpha Weekend Away Day, which correlated nicely with the timing we were planning our Youth Weekend Away. The discussion for the weekend was their relationship with the Holy Spirit, either investigating and deepening it or introducing it to them and allowing them space to invite the Holy Spirit openly into their life. The young people were engaged with conversations, asking questions that allowed them to explore themselves and the Holy Spirit as one. A section of the weekend was dedicated to praying for those who wished to invite the Holy Spirit into them. We allowed them to step forward with their eyes closed to indicate their willingness. As leaders, we took time moving around the room praying for each individual that the Holy Spirit would fill them. It was then delightful to witness the young people praying for each other and supporting them through this step in their faith journey. Seeing so many young people purposefully opening their hearts to the Holy Spirit was moving, and to see them praying for each other was a proud experience.
Another aspect of the Youth Weekend Away was allowing more time for the young people to deepen their bonds with one another. Through games, free time, and activities, the youth spent a lot of time with each other. We had outdoor sports, including archery and football alongside a slip n’ slide and a ring toss. In the evenings we spent time on the field playing a big game of rounders or under the canopy playing card games and relaxing from the day, allowing time for conversation and laughter. We also went canoeing! We all very much enjoyed spending time on the lake, some jumping in, others taking a more casual paddle. In one section of the activity, the instructors got us to do a trust exercise/ game; we had to hop from one boat to the next and swap seats with one another without letting those hopping fall in. Safe to admit, this was not the easiest activity, but it was fun jumping from boat to boat trusting one another. Overall, the youth enjoyed spending time on the water with each other. Over the course of the weekend, the young people spent time with those they wouldn't necessarily see every week and have created a beautiful relationship with one another.
We are thankful for the accommodation that we were able to provide to the Young People. The Frontiers Centre had a variety of activities to choose from, including canoeing and the outdoor games that we were able to set up in our space outside. The catering provided a range of foods for us to enjoy and a large space for us to share our meals together. We are also thankful that they had plenty of room for us to take so many young people, with more room to spare. This allowed the young people all to be in a room together for the Alpha course, and to also go to separate spaces for our small group discussions as well.
Overall, this weekend away was an amazing experience that we were able to provide our young people with. As a result of this weekend away, we have noticed more inclusion in their social dynamic and a more open and supportive atmosphere to discuss God and their faith journey with one another. We are thankful for all your support and prayers that enabled this weekend to happen, and to those who donated, this would not have been possible without you. A special thank you to those who baked us cakes and snacks for the weekend; they were amazing. We are hoping to do more things like this in the future! We are planning, in the summer of 2026, to go to Satellites - a national Youth Festival where they can praise God with people their age from across the country.
