Soul Survivor
Soul Survivor and Momentum 2016 welcomed over 26,000 young people and saw 1,527 make commitments to follow Jesus. During Week A in Stafford over 600 young people went out in small groups to work with local churches and organisations to bless their communities through social action projects.
Greek Orthodox Youth of Great Britain Summer Camp
Since 1992 the summer camp has brought together 9-17-year olds from all over Britain. They share ten days of activities, discussions, games and prayer in the beautiful Shropshire countryside. One leader said: “I saw the joy in the face of the future of Orthodoxy, and I think that’s what camp is all for.”
Keswick Convention
William (12) said: “I really enjoyed the deep teaching and the fact that the youth team really tried to engage everyone without forcing them to participate. The ‘big issue’ seminars on topics like evangelism and freedom of speech were a lot like adult talks and really encouraged me.”
Creation Fest, Cornwall
Creation Fest’s Sanmarie Moore said: “Many young people came to know Jesus or ask questions about their own faith through music (we had a silent disco), skating (with skate Bible studies and pro-skater demos and testimonies) and having fun together with treasure hunts and relevant talks such as ‘does God care who my boyfriend is?”
New Wine
One of the leaders said: “The theme this year was ‘Together’; in light of national and global events it felt pretty prophetic! There were very special moments, such as the live Skype call with an Iraqi church leader being interviewed about the persecuted Church.”
CPAS (Ventures and Falcons)
Graham Archer, director of ministry at CPAS, said: “It’s been another incredible summer with many stories of God changing young people’s lives on Venture and Falcon holidays. During July and August we ran 85 fun-packed holidays where 3,750 children and young people had the opportunity to explore life with Jesus, many for the first time. Feedback from one of our Falcon holidays – which cater especially for children facing disadvantage – told us of about 15 young people who said yes to following Jesus in one evening, some of whom had started the week with a complete rejection of God.”
Aquasports
Organiser Phil Knox said: “At Aquasports we waterski, canoe, windsurf and sail all day and talk about Jesus in the evening. It was the camp’s 49th year and we saw five young people make first time commitments, a dozen more make recommitments and a bunch more encountering God.” Here’s what some young people said:
Luke: “This week has been a real eye opener in faith and in life. On Tuesday I decided to become a Christian.”
Eva: “The last year has been really hard but at Aquasports I realised that God wouldn’t leave me to do things on my own, and the people here have always cared for me and have helped me realise that God is by my side.”
HTB Focus
HTB Focus saw 700 young people from across the country gather together to meet with God, with 357 teenagers making commitments. Young people got the opportunity to grill some of the main stage speakers in their youth venue, as well as taking part in the huge big top celebrations.
City Summer School
“Ecclesiastes at first seemed like another random person’s account to me, but I realised eventually that God is indeed in contact with us on a daily basis and there to tackle our daily problems we face as well!” Tom (a teenage attendee).
Rocknations
Organiser Dave Niblock said: “For the first time ever, Rocknations went double! Twice the amount of young people, twice the events and an epic sense that God doubled up in every way as we saw so many young people commit their life to Christ and make waves in their world!”
Newday
Another year, but not just another Newday. This year there were 285 first time commitments to Jesus, as well as 250 recommitments and a reported 231 physical healings.
Lee Abbey
The Lee Abbey summer camps have been going every summer since 1948. Over the four weeks they seek to enable those who come to understand more of God’s love for them, and their part in the world.
Scripture Union
Scripture Union ran 65 holidays and missions across England and Wales this summer, which featured a great range of activities, including sailing, performing arts, motorsports and technology. All the events share the common theme of exploring the Christian faith in a way that was tailored to the age and interests of the young people on the holiday or mission.
WEC (Worldwide Evangelisation for Christ) Camps
WEC Camps combine Bible, mission and adventure for young people of all ages and background. The camps have a strong Christian ethos, combining Bible teaching, a world focus and lots of good fun. Tom, 17, said: “The whole camp experience really is one of a kind and is something you won’t find anywhere else. The whole atmosphere of being surrounded by Christians really helps grow faith and build a relationship with God. Camp is honestly the highlight of my year.”
World Youth Day
Over two million young Catholics gathered in Poland to celebrate World Youth Day. Young people from all over the world gathered together to worship, encourage one another, share Mass and hear from Pope Francis. The Pontiff affirmed the worth of each young person, assuring them that God loves them the way we are. Over the week, Pope Francis inspired and challenged the young crowd, encouraging them to live fearlessly and leave a mark on the world.
Christians in Sport
Over the course of the summer, Christians in Sport delivered five residential Sports Plus camps and one non-residential camp in Jersey. In total, they involved 605 young people, 350 leaders and 85 trainees. Across the six camps there was a noticeably high standard and application to the sporting programme. High octane coaching sessions, delivered by a team of qualified coaches, provided the right environment for all the young people to progress in their sporting ability. John’s Gospel was the destination for all talks and Bible studies where the tagline was, ‘believing in the real Jesus brings real life’.
