How to plan a weekend away

You don’t exactly have to look far for a story of somebody whose life was changed during a time away as a teenager. Your own testimony might include something along these lines. Many of us can remember an inspirational Bible talk, an unforgettable prayer or even a lifelong friendship which started on a holiday and helped us set off on the adventure of following Jesus.

Beyond the personal stories, these types of holidays do make a difference. Last year’s ‘Anecdote to Evidence’ report about the Church of England stated that growth is seen in three-quarters of churches which offer retreats, conferences or camps for young people – compared to half among churches which don’t.

The work of the local church is vital in creating the platform for young people to grow in faith, but often the moment when the gospel really clicks into place happens on a Christian-led holiday. You are no doubt desperate to see a dramatic change in the lives of your young people, but the week-by-week routine of youth ministry can sometimes end up feeling unhelpfully familiar.

Giving teenagers the chance to experience something different, which complements what you’re doing the other 51 weeks of the year, could just be the spark that results in a decision to follow Jesus, sets them back on track with God or sees them inspired to share their faith with their friends at school.

Getting started

Perhaps you’ve never taken your group away before and the prospect of such a project fills you with dread. Or maybe you’ve been doing the ‘same old thing’ for several years (possibly having inherited a plan from your predecessor) and want to try something a little bit different in 2015. Either way, why do all the hard work yourself? There are lots of people who do most of it for you, with all kinds of residentials taking place across the country every year. Even though we’re already entering spring, with their help it’s easy to get sorted in time for this summer.

Are you looking for a particular fit? Start browsing the options now – it’s never too early. Consider questions such as: what do you want to achieve for your group? Is your group made up of largely churched or un-churched young people or a real mix? What age-range are you looking to take away? Do you want to go with them or not? What sort of churchmanship are you looking for? Just as you’d put a bit of thought and planning into your own holiday, you’ll get much more out of a holiday for your group if you plan properly.

Tim Friend, principal of Ventures and Falcon Holidays at CPAS, says: ‘As a youth leader I want to know that the young people I’m working with are still walking with Christ many years and decades down the line, and that warrants some good prayerful planning. This all starts with asking the right questions, because if I’m sending my youth group on a potentially life-changing holiday for the first time, I want to know it is a great fit and that we’re all set to get the most out of it.’

Pray

Prayer should begin at (or even before) the planning stage, but it’s also got to stay central throughout.

Pray for your conversations with teenagers and parents; pray about which type of residential to choose; pray about who to invite; pray for financial support; pray for safety; pray for people leading the holiday. Quite simply, pray.

Lee Searle, volunteer ministry leader at Scripture Union, says: ‘If the aim is to see lives changed, we need more than suitable environments, we need God to be at work! Do all you can to get this holiday on the radar of those who pray passionately for your young people. Explain to them what you’re hoping for and why this could be such a monumental moment in a young person’s walk with God.’

Explore the options

There’s plenty of choice out there – taking your group to a festival, running your own event, or browsing through the holiday options – but in a few clicks you can quickly start to work out what’s on offer.

To simplify this process, three major Christian holiday providers have teamed up for the ‘Love Holidays’ initiative (loveholidays.org.uk), which promotes the benefits of holidays as a key part of every young person’s faith journey.

Lou Bailey, experiences manager at Urban Saints, says: ‘There are a few key decisions to make because there are so many fantastic options out there. It’s important you think carefully about the needs of your young people when you look at the array of opportunities.

Consider practical things too – such as how far you’re willing to travel, what’s affordable, and which dates will work. It’s also worth thinking about whether you plan to go away as a group or are looking for holidays to send your children and young people to. But don’t be daunted by all this.’ Consider how long you want to go away for. Urban Saints run a range of holidays including Spree weekends right across the UK, while Scripture Union and CPAS Ventures have a range of week-long camps, including specialist holidays.

Lou adds: ‘Most organisations provide financial assistance to those in need, so contact the holiday provider early and ask what’s available. If you’re running your own holiday then check out some of the resources that organisations have produced to help you plan and prepare an excellent residential. Additionally, CCI (cci.org.uk) have a helpful venue-finding service on their website.’

All organisations are keen to make holidays as accessible as possible to everyone – and CPAS provides hugely subsidised Falcon Holidays especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Have some conversations

If you need a bit of extra help to make your decision, why not see if you can have a chat directly with the experienced leaders who will be in charge of the particular holiday you’re considering, especially if you’re looking for something that matches your church style. This gives you a chance to start building a relationship that could shape the future direction of that holiday.

It’s also important to talk with the key stakeholders – church leaders, parents and your youth and children’s team. Lou Bailey adds: ‘Once you’ve worked out what you want to do, make sure your church leadership is on board. Having the prayerful and practical support of the church family is so beneficial when taking your group away. Then it’s time to get your young people enthused and excited about the adventure that lies ahead. Run a summer holiday-themed group evening (these work fantastically in February even when it’s freezing outdoors!), play crazy games, show photos or video clips from any past holidays and interview someone who’s life was changed on a similar holiday. Don’t forget to engage with parents too; make time to sit down with a coffee and talk through what’s planned, give them relevant information that reassures them of the purpose, safety standards, great value – all the kind of things parents want to hear!’

Make good use of any promotional resources available to you, as holiday providers can equip you with videos, flyers, booking forms, testimonials and other useful material.

Enjoy the holiday!

Whether you join your group on the holiday or not, you want to know what to expect. Tim Friend from Ventures and Falcon Holidays adds: ‘Although every holiday will be a bit different, there are some common themes which your young people are sure to find. There will be teaching, great food, activities and entertainment. Because they’re spending quality time with people in their own age group who are also exploring, grappling with or growing in their faith, they’re more than likely to return spurred on to follow Christ back at home and in school. Thanks to the high ratio of leaders with a combination of roles to ensure safety and the delivery of a great holiday, the young people get to know them as great role models.’

Follow it up

It’s a daunting thought, but to make the most of a successful holiday there are a few things you need to do almost as soon as you get home.

Scripture Union’s Lee Searle adds: ‘This is the bit we all tend to forget, but it’s so important if we want to maximise the impact of the holiday. If non-Christian parents have entrusted their children to you for this week, make sure you drop them a line afterwards to gauge their response and find out whether they’d go again. If they’ve got any niggles, now’s the time to chat it through.

‘Also, have the young people summarise their experiences to the rest of the group (especially if some couldn’t make it), as well as to the congregation who have hopefully been praying (and possibly sponsoring) and will be keen to hear the feedback first-hand.’

Pay a return visit

It can take time to build up a culture of a youth group holiday, so don’t worry if you start small. And you might be in a better position to define what you’re really after having been once.

It’s worth persevering because there are huge benefits of finding something that works well for your church, as Jo Smith found after six years as the youth minister at St Peter’s Halliwell in Bolton. Jo, who is overall leader at the Sizewell Venture and has recently begun ordination training at St John’s Nottingham, says: ‘One of the most encouraging things about bringing a group to Sizewell for several years has been getting a glimpse of how they’re growing and developing year on year. When you see them every week, it’s sometimes hard to see them changing, so it’s been great when other leaders at Sizewell say to me how they’ve changed since last year in such a positive way.

‘Back at church, I often heard young people mentioning things they learnt at Sizewell, and have seen evidence of the renewed enthusiasm and confidence the Venture gives them, as they come back keen to share their experiences and put into practice what they’ve learnt. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and inspires both the younger children and the church at large.’

Because smaller holidays can be more flexible and responsive, if you return to the same place as the leader of a regular group you can help impact the direction and planning of future holidays – even if you’re not looking to take on masses of extra responsibility.

Love Holidays is a partnership between Scripture Union, CPAS Ventures and Urban Saints.