Totally Awesome! Motivating! Special! Inspiring! Wow!
These are just some of the words and phrases our youth used to describe the St Mungo’s Youth Weekend Away two weekends ago. And all I’m sure our team would agree with!
From the 10th to the 12th February, a total of 70 teenagers gathered for our 90’s themed weekend away at the Bible Centre in Inchinnan. From The Generation Game to Gladiators, Shell Suits to Mr Blobby, a Ready Steady Cook challenge to Delirious’ “The Happy Song” – our youth experienced a taste of nostalgia as we discovered how the past can help us in our present and future faith walk with God, focusing in on Hebrews 11-12:1-3. Through talks from Peter, Jonny and Emma, biblical meditations led by some of our wonderful young people and some really powerfully led worship from members of the youth worship team and young people, there were many moments of substantial spiritual transformation in the lives of the vast majority of youth and leaders that attended. We also joined with nearly 200 young people from around Scotland at the Limitless One event on Saturday evening, a night that was particularly significant for many of the young people in attendance.
Here’s some highlights from our youth and leaders demonstrating the fun had in the west of Scotland.
Heather: The Saturday afternoon in house games were all really good bonding times.
Jonny: My favourite moment was just as we were about to head to Limitless One, a tall yellow and green figure appeared in the courtyard to the bemusement of everyone there. It turned out Chris McLauchlan had his timings muddled up and having thought it was time for Hunt The Leader, he ended up having to attend the Limitless One event fully dressed and painted as Jim Carrey’s character from the mask! Definitely a moment nobody there will ever forget!
Lucy: My most enjoyable moment was Limitless One as it was so cool to see God working in basically everyone!
Max: It's really hard to pick one moment because it was all so great but Limitless One was amazing, from the silent disco to the talk to bawling my eyes out in a prayer huddle and then going straight back jumping around with my best friends, it couldn't have been better.
Megan: Everyone dressing up for Hunt The Leader. From Spike as Geri Halliwell, Dave in a shell suit, to Jonny as Mr Blobby, Benny as the Cookie Monster and Heather as Madonna.
Peter: Watching the young people's freedom in worship on the Sunday morning - blew me away!
Rebecca: Seeing everyone so close as a church group at the Limitless One event.
One of the main things I’ve noticed developing amidst our youth over the last year has been of them being a family together. The togetherness that the youth have is incredible and seeing the way our 70 young people came together to have lots of fun, but also to support and help each other throughout the weekend was beautiful to watch as the leader of this group. Here’s how the youth and leaders described the family atmosphere that has been cultivated in this group.
Emily: I loved how everyone is so inclusive.
Gill: They are inclusive, all in, protective of one another, and know each other well enough to joke, have fun, but support one another. Just one of the best characters of youth right now! However that’s not just the youth!! I think it’s emulated from a family youth leader team, which I count as precious!
Matthew: In dorm devotions people were wanting to pray for everyone to come out of their shell and go for it. Was then great to see at Limitless One people praying for each other and just being a family in public.
Max: I can say for a fact I’m making some of the best friends I've ever had and that we've become so close.
Rebecca: Just seeing everyone being so close and supportive of each other. I especially noticed what a supportive and kind atmosphere we have when I was leading the meditation.
Stephen: When I was struggling people prayed for me and didn’t judge me and were kind and caring towards me, helping me through my ups and downs.
The weekend was also full of significant spiritual encounters for our young people. We saw at least eight commitments to Jesus and the vast majority of the 70 young people that were away with us responded to prayer ministry calls. There is something really special happening amongst this generation in our church and it's truly exciting and humbling to be on this ride alongside them and our amazing volunteer team! Post weekend it’s been amazing to hear that many of our young people have started a Bible In A Year devotional together, prioritising spending time studying God’s word collectively. Here are some of the stories of what God was doing in and through our young people and leaders during the time away.
Anna: I felt God showed how he answered prayers
Gill: God’s promises never come back empty. Praying with Helen about my daughter was really helpful and insightful.
Lucy: During Limitless One I was prayed for at the front for my fire for God to be relit because I felt the devil attacking me after I got baptised, and i’ve never experienced a more powerful prayer in my entire life. It was so so so cool!
Matthew: When I got prayed for multiple times it felt like God was talking to me, which helped give me peace for the rest of the weekend. I also read a passage that was written on the front page of my bible and again it was like God was talking to me confirming what I heard at the weekend away.
Robert: Dorm devotionals opened my mind to more personal matters rather than on a mass scale (like rather than saying God does great things saying how he has to you personally)
Spike: Vicarious love. How God uses other's joy to fill you!
So there we have it, a brief round-up of what went on at our Youth Weekend Away in 2023. My thanks go to the Bible Centre for having us, all the leaders who gave out so much at the weekend and in the run-up to it, our amazing catering team for dealing with the massive numbers in a not so massive space, our wonderful youth who make this such an enjoyable ministry to run and help in and of course God, for all he has done in and through this weekend. If you want to hear more stories, just ask our youth and leaders, I’m sure they’ll be happy to reminisce with you about an incredible weekend had by all!
I’ll hand over to Spike to close this review with his three words to describe the weekend.
“Epic win. Yeah!”