Happy Springforth Eve!
I’m bursting with excitement today.
Here are some reasons why Springforth is so fantastic and pro-tips for getting the most out of the event.
If you are looking for Springforth event details click here.
1. Springforth is so fantastic because it is a reminder that we are not alone – We have got others all over Atlantic Canada seeking to join God in their neighbourhoods!
Pro-tips:
- Use meal times and down-times to allow teens to connect – to other teens, to leaders, to other youth groups.
- Point out to teens how although they might feel alone in their school or town/city as someone journeying towards God, they can look around at Springforth and see they are not alone in Atlantic Canada!
- Invite students to steal ideas from other teens from the stories they hear at Springforth, about how to join God in the places they live, work, study and play. #1neighbourhood
- Some youth groups are using the meal times/snack times at Springforth to connect their Tidal Impact teams (visiting and hosting teams) together to meet in person. Great idea!
- Go to the leaders’ track. It is a chance for you as a leader to see you are not alone and get some great resources to help you invest in students.
2. Springforth is so fantastic because it is designed with expectant hope – We fully expect God to do His mighty work this weekend. We fully expect God to invite students into relationship with Himself, invite students to change things in their thinking or behaviour and invite students to get on mission with joining God in our neighbourhoods. God is mighty, there is power in the Gospel. We are un1ting around God and His mission. We have been praying and have designed the environment, schedule, speakers and bands, with the expectancy that God is speaking to teenagers today.
Pro-tips:
- Get others in your church praying with expectancy for your teens for this weekend and God’s work in them and around them.
- Don’t miss what God is stirring in your students. Be sensitive if your group needs to linger after a session, follow up by talking to a speaker or have prayer with a peer or leader.
- Be on time for all sessions so your students get the full experience.
- Have your students come prepared to give an offering. We fully expect to make a difference to Kamp Tumaini in Kenya, by sending kids affected by HIV/Aids to this camp. $20 sends a person to camp!
3. Springforth is so fantastic because it attracts people who are in all different places in their journey towards God – We love that whether people are just checking out Jesus or have been following Jesus since they were a wee little one, they feel welcome at Springforth. We love that they can all find community and be challenged at Springforth.
Pro-tips:
- Bring youth to Springforth who are all along the spectrum of faith or even skeptical of faith.
- Encourage teens that have been following Jesus for a while to befriend those just checking things out at Springforth.
- Don’t let your teens that have been following Jesus for a while go away unchallenged. There are new challenges for them – in surrender, in joining God’s mission in their neighbourhood in new ways, in leading, in new workshop topics, in the Global Village challenge from CBM (look in the glass walkway at Crandall for this), in learning about and supporting Kamp Tumaini etc.
4. Springforth is so fantastic because it starts conversations with our students about deeper faith questions – the event is only 21.5 hours (6:30 pm Friday to 4 pm Saturday) but the conversations it starts with your students are golden! The seeds that are planted are golden! Springforth is like an accelerator for the conversations we want to be having with our teens about following Jesus and living for Jesus. Lean into this opportunity!
Pro-tips:
- As you listen to the speaker, think about follow-up questions to ask your students about the talks.
- Use the time in vehicles, meal times, down-times, lying on a hard church floor times – to have follow-up conversations with your students.
- Plan your next youth group (or two or three) to be a follow up from Springforth and how to apply what we learned.
- Don’t worry about the lack of sleep during Springforth – follow the conversations God is stirring. We’re praying God stirs lots of conversations and sustains and strengths you, no matter the number of hours of sleep you get.
- Ask students what their ONE main take-away was from: the speaker, the worship, and the workshops/D-zones.
- Get teens to write themselves a letter on the way home (or at your next youth group) about what God highlighted to them at Springforth. Collect the letters and give them back to the students in a months time to check-in on how their follow through is going.
Other general pro-tips:
- Get to the leader’s track on-time. We (CBAC) have a gift for you Friday and Saturday Acadia Divinity College has a special treat for you.
- Trust your teens to be able to handle the D-Zones (middle school site) and workshops (high school site) without you. This is part of helping their faith become more their own.
- If you are staying at a church Friday night, bring a good air mattress or thick foam!
- If you are staying at a church Friday night, plan a thank you for the church for their hospitality (e.g. a thank you card signed by your students…)
- Be on time to all sessions.
- Plan ahead for your Saturday breakfast and Saturday lunch. The time goes very quickly. Champlain Place food court is great for lunch but is also extremely busy the Saturday of Springforth.
- Remind your teens Sunday is Mother’s Day!
You experienced Springforth leaders – what other pro-tips would you add?
Youth leaders and supporters of youth are amazing! Thank you for the investment you are making in the lives of students this weekend and always. Keep investing!
See you at Springforth! #Springforth More details about the event at: cbacyf.ca/springforth