Our Events: Youth Weekend(s) Away!

Over the last few years we have gone away as a Youth group to Carroty Wood. It has been a wonderfully fruitful time, but the leaders felt stirred this year to change how we run the weekend away. Therefore, this academic year we will be having 3 weekends away.

There are two main reasons for this:
1) We can tailor the weekends to be more suited to the young people we bring - from the teaching, worship and games.
2) We can build relationships between the young people so they can better love, care and support one another with those who are at a similar development stage.

Therefore we would like to announce the following three weekends for both Canterbury and Whitstable Youth. They are:

• Older Youth Weekend Away: Friday 8th - Sunday 10th November 2019

• Younger Girls’ Sleepover - Saturday 16th - Sunday 17th November 2019

• Younger Boys’ Youth Weekend Away: Friday 7th - Sunday 9th February 2020

We really can’t recommend them enough, but we think it would be good if you heard some of the young people’s reflections on the weekend away we had at the beginning of the year.

On Friday 8th February to Sunday 10th February 2019 the youth of our church along with youth from the Faversham Community Church and Community Church Ramsgate had a weekend together at Carroty Wood UK. It was a wonderful time of encounter, fellowship, community and fun. Here are some of our young people’s reflections on the weekend:

Archie (Canterbury)

As always, the Youth Weekend Away was amazing! From the food to the worship every part about it was well planned and everyone participating in it enjoyed it.

On the Saturday afternoon we saw Dave Carter dressed up in army style camouflage clothing. We were next sorted in to teams and all played each other at tug of war. After that we played a strange version of capture the flag here we had to capture socks from other people’s bases. However, my favourite part of all of the games was the food challenges. In these challenges we had to eat weird foods in the least amount of time. And, knowing the youth leaders these foods were very weird! Just to name three, people had to eat meal worms, crickets and even a fish smoothie! Finally, a fun challenge that happened over the course of the weekend was the man in the black Lycra suit. Every so often, a man in a black suit would come into our room and if he caught us then we would lose a life.

Every day, all of us had a main session in which we all got together and worshipped and learnt more about God. On the Saturday night we all had a go at prophesying over one another and lots of people got pictures or messages from God. This gave everyone a taste about the gift from God that is prophecy and some of the messages and pictures really helped people.

Charlotte (Ramsgate)

At Community Church Ramsgate, we have a very little youth group, especially in the older teens department. Being the only female teenager in my youth group, I tended to exclude myself from youth events and so I was very apprehensive about going to Weekend Away. Throughout the weekend, I began to grow in confidence. After being given some uplifting prophetic words, having conversations with many of the youth and leaders, and even eating shallots and pigs ears, my confidence had grown so much that at the end of the weekend, I shared my own words of encouragement in front of everyone; which is something I have the Weekend Away to thank for. It was so encouraging for me to see so many young people strengthen relationships: both with God and each other.

Nadyn (Whitstable)

I had so much fun hanging out with everyone at Weekend Away – just spending quality time with each other was the best part. It was here that I realised how close we all were and I began to marvel at how far City Youth has come over the last few years – we really are family. I spent a lot of time with God and felt a strong sense of peace during worship times, but I also loved putting myself out there on the prophecy night and stepping out further in my faith.

About the contributers

Archie is 14 and a member of The City Canterbury

Charlotte is 17 and a member of Community Church Ramsgate

Nadyn is 18 and a member of The City Church Whitstable