YOUth EXPERIENCE

Yesterday we held the first UCA NSW/ACT Synod Youth Unit [High School Mission Team] Youth Ministry Leadership Training Day called "YOUth EXPERIENCE"!!

It followed four years of weekend training events which drew a shrinking crowd and was disrupted by our hosting of the huge national event NCYC 2003 in Newcastle. We took a calculated gamble based on other similar events, feedback from potential people and more holistic promotional strategies.... and it was a great success!!
A quality day, well received and a great template for the next few years in growing this event and reaching even more people!!

We held three input sessions: 2 x workshop sessions and 1 x Interactive experiental session with lunchtime focus on a few resources/ideas!!
[60] punters attended including: congregations we have only just linked with, people who responded purely to the brochure or our Presbytery presentations earlier in the year, people from a mix of cultural backgrounds and especially pleasing were the number of 'whole leadership teams' who came together!! A small number of people came from as far as 4 hours away!!

The Carlingford mob organised a well catered and efficient BBQ for lunch!

Topics included:
discipleship, leadership skills, models, safe place, worship, music and bible study
Interactives:
jumping castle, initaitive activity, websites surfing, multi-media worship space

AND there is scope for and ideas for growing the event:
sessions on particular resources
forums or panels
live music
more interactives over a long lunch break
a 'keynote speaker' later in the day

All the presenters did a great job and their efforts were much appreciated!
Our skilled and experienced Youth Workers all put in brilliantly!!
Mel Crook worked brilliantly for weeks, coordinating the whole effort!

We are still to decide whether to do this annually, to go bush every second year or to do a 'youth event' every second year opposite to the Kids Expo/Children's Ministry Expo...

My Highlight of the Day:
After a few weeks feeling flat and a bit negative about things in general I was just enthused by seeing so many new faces and hearing such positive feedback throughout... getting my areas of primary participation in line with what my strengths are also helped!!