Youth rallies, like Springforth, can be such a high for students and leaders! There is something special about worshipping together and being challenging together with so many others. It’s a powerful reminder that we are not alone and we have a mighty God!
…AND then we drive away, and often we and our students go back to life as usual.
We don’t want you to miss what God may have been stirring in hearts and minds during the event!
Please do your part to help nurture the seeds that were planted.
Leaders, you can do some things to help make sure the impact of such events last longer and leads to significant change in lives, churches, and neighbourhoods. One of the best things you can do as a leader is debrief the event with students while it is still fresh in their minds.
Here is a whole list of questions you can use to debrief youth conferences, like Springforth. At the end of the list you’ll see some questions specific to the Springforth middle school and high school sites.
Pick just a FEW of these questions and use them in a large group, small group, discussions in pairs or put them on a sheet of paper for students to personally reflect on their experience. Often, we forget about the power of debriefing in partners peer-to-peer or even inviting personal individual reflection. Use all these tools well.
Questions for reflection after a youth conference (I’ve referred to Springforth, but you could use these questions after any youth rally or retreat). Again, doing all these questions would be overwhelming, pick about 5 of these questions. Remember “I don’t know” is also a valid answer to questions.
Debrief questions:
1. What was your favourite fun thing that happened during Springforth?
2. The preaching:
a. What was one thing the speaker said that has stuck with you?
b. What was one thing the speaker said that made you think he/she was talking about you?
3. What did you learn about God? From Springforth, did you come to understand something new about God? What?
4. What is one song or line from a song that you liked or stood out to you?
5. Who is one person you got to know better on this trip?
6. What was one challenging thing that happened or you heard while at Springforth?
7. What is your favourite thing that happened traveling to/from Springforth?
8. Who is one new person you met (either on stage or personally) while at Springforth? What did you learn about them?
9. Throughout the event, did you ever get a sense that God was nudging you or encouraging you to do something? Sometimes this happens, sometimes it does. If you did get this sense, what was it about? Have you done anything about it yet?
10. What’s one thing you’ll do or think differently because of Springforth 2017?
11. What did you learn about Kamp Tumaini (or mission beyond your region)? How can you be generous towards others, like the kids at Kamp Tumaini or others?
12. How can you continue to learn about God and grow in God when you’re not at Springforth?
13. What does it mean to join God in your neighbourhood #1neighbourhood?
a. Name all the places you go in the course of a regular week. Be specific and name as many places as you can.
b. Of all the places you go in the course of a regular week – where, or in who, do you see evidence that God is at work?
c. How could you intentionally join God’s work in at least one of the places you go (or one of the peoples’ lives in those places) in the course of a regular week?
Specific to the High School Springforth site:
HS 1. In what ways do you feel people have misunderstood the heart of God for them or for the world?
HS 2. When we wait to be used by God, we keep others who need God waiting too. In what way have you been waiting and who have you kept waiting?
HS 3. When we read the last words of Jesus to the disciples, we discover a general mission for our lives: make disciples by bringing the kingdom of heaven into the present. How will you start making disciples right where you’re at?
HS 4. What’s one thing you learned from the Workshops you attended that will help you live more for Jesus?
Specific to the Middle School/Junior High Springforth site:
MS 1. What’s one thing you learned from the Dzones you attended that will help you live more for Jesus?
MS 2. Matt (the speaker) talked about the different between accepting God’s grace and trying to “do” stuff to please God and reach God. Can you think of a time when you were told the Gospel is a “Do” or “Don’t” list? How did that make you feel? Was it helpful or harmful? Have you ever experienced grace?
MS 3. Have you ever felt like you should do something, but you were scared of what others may think? Did you end up doing it, or did you avoid it?
MS 4. What is something you believe God might be calling you to do? What sort of support do you need around you in order to make that calling happen?
MS 5. What did you think of the wooden blocks we wrote on? Talk about it.
If you need more prompts – Did you choose to write something on one of the wooden blocks at the end of the Saturday afternoon rally? Have you been able to find someone you feel comfortable sharing with what you wrote on the block and asking for their help? Is there someone you could talk to about it now and ask them to pray for you? Even if you didn’t write on a block, is there a spot in your life where you need some help and need to see God rebuilding something that feels broken or hurtful?
BE sure to give us at Springforth your feedback about the event too. If you were there, fill in this survey monkey please! Click here.
Thanks everyone for a great Springforth 2017! It was truly a blast!
Did you hear about the BIG announcement for 2018? Can’t wait to see you there, as we make history together. (Wonder what I’m talking about? Check out our Facebook page)