Summer schools return: 2022 territorial round-up

In Genesis 12:1 God says to Abraham: ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’

This year the Central East Division did exactly that as we left the familiar of what we have always known in The Salvation Army and instead joined with 2,500 other young people from around the UK Church at a brand new youth event called Satellites, writes Divisional Youth Specialist (DYS) Nathan Bright.

Organised by Youthscape, the event aimed to help young people put God at the centre of their lives. For five days we had a truly beautiful time together in this ‘new land’ and built on key values: prayer, worship, family, power, justice, evangelism and creativity.

We heard from world-class speakers, engaged in worship and got involved in sports competitions, creative arts, engaging seminars, daily devotionals, hangout spaces, arcades, skate parks, water fights and a full after-hours programme.

More than 200 young people gave their lives to Jesus and many more made significant discipleship decisions, intent on living with God at the centre of their lives.

What a fantastic week! Thirty-one young people from across the Devon and Cornwall Division gathered at Penryn Campus, Falmouth University, for a week of fun and sunshine, writes Youth Development Worker Alice Hodge.

It was brilliant to see the young people reunite after not having Summer School since 2019 and we also welcomed 14 newcomers. The theme of the week was Freedom and we explored biblical themes of freedom and what freedom in Christ means. A large percentage of our young people had never gone to church before, so this was a great opportunity for them to start exploring and asking those big questions.

The young people enjoyed two days at BF Adventure, where they did rock climbing, rafting, zip-lining and many more activities. Throughout the other days they took part in streams including dance, survival skills, sports, art and discussion. They thoroughly enjoyed learning new skills and exploring freedom in different ways.

The days were busy but everyone still had energy for fun social evenings, including watching movies, an escape room, a Taskmaster evening, a fun care for creation night and an inflatables evening. It was such a wonderful week and many young people said yes to starting their journey with Jesus and stepped out of their comfort zones!

Kilgraston School in Bridge of Earn, Perthshire, saw the arrival of 101 students and staff for a week of exploring the theme Love God, Love Others, reports DYS Jillian Gemmell (West Scotland).

Students chose to study a main option – either brass, vocal, drama, dance, sports or multimedia – and an elective, such as contemporary worship, arts and crafts, points of view, local mission, sports or timbrels. Our week also included worship, It’s a Knockout, a student forum, a games night, a midweek festival, reflections, a praise party, a ceilidh, a final Saturday concert and a showcase – and a few pranks!

With more than 40 students attending for the first time and a number of new staff members, it was amazing to see how quickly everyone came together and looked after and supported each other. The Love God, Love Others theme was very evident throughout and we thank God for the opportunities and memories created and shared.

Our real hope as a staff team is that the young people would know how they are loved and cared for.

God is definitely at work within the young people in Scotland!

East of England youth gathered once again to share in a week based around the theme Speak Jesus, reports DYS Ruth Beattie.

Throughout, Spiritual Lead Nik King unpacked the lyrics of ‘I Speak Jesus’, which proclaim the need to speak Jesus over our world. In cell groups students discussed how we can live for Jesus in our daily lives. The song became a real anthem for staff and students alike and, in the words of Katie (Norwich Citadel), it was ‘so powerful to come together in worship and sing about such a meaningful topic each day’.

The three main options of brass, vocal and media got creative juices flowing, and students could choose from worship band, sport, art or discussion as a secondary focus. Fun and games took the form of a jubilee party, an Among Us games night, a spotlight showcase, a silent disco and a staff versus students water fight!

At the end of the week, students gathered with friends and family in a woodland outdoor theatre to showcase their hard work in celebration. Music highlights included ‘Just Let God Love You’, ‘Everlasting Melody’ and ‘O to Be Like Thee’ from the vocal group, while the band showcased an arrangement of the pop song ‘Happy’, ‘Spirit of the Living God’ and ‘He Lives’. The band also accompanied two students from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who performed a timbrel routine to ‘Righteousness, Peace and Joy’.

The God-filled week centred around equipping young people to live Christian lives. Everyone was challenged and encouraged, and there is no doubt God will use the delegates to speak Jesus in the coming months.

Immeasurably More! was the theme of the Summer Weekend in the Ireland Division as 26 young people gathered for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, writes DYO Captain Ben Ellis.

On Saturday, young people engaged in fun team games and spent time in fellowship while enjoying a barbecue. In the evening, I led a time around the campfire and shared my story of faith. During this time, the young people were encouraged to dream and think about their own relationships with God and how they can make their faith known in the world.

On Sunday evening, divisional leaders Colonels Neil and Chris Webb encouraged the young people to consider the giants in their lives and remember that – with Jesus – they are more than conquerors.

This was the last time that Belfast Temple Corps would be taking the main responsibility for the leading of the summer school. The corps has been thanked for the many years of service and the time that they have given young people to go deeper in their faith.

After having no residential Summer School since 2019, we had the privilege to share this year with 75 students and 25 staff for a week at the Kingswood Centre in Ashford, Kent, write DYS Anita Gellatly (South East) and DYS Rachel Gash (South London).

The theme, Rooted, came from John 15:1–17, with the emphasis on words: ‘Remember the root command: Love one another’ (The Message). Our daily themes were Connected, Growth, Follow, Chosen and Love. Each day the young people took part in a chosen stream – faith, leadership, art, dance, sport, gospel choir, brass, media, worship or young leaders. We gathered for worship, cell groups, team games, had fun using the activities at the centre and chilled in free time.

We laughed, cried, prayed and worshipped together during God-filled days, establishing and renewing great friendships. More importantly though, many had significant moments with God. Lives were given to him for the first time and people made new commitments and life-changing decisions. The Holy Spirit moved in this place.

Our prayer is that we will all continue to be rooted in God’s love, digging deep and having solid foundations. We ask God that we will continue to be fed and watered so we can stand firm, enabling us to grow and bear more fruit. We pray that we will truly reflect God in our communities. We pray the seeds of faith were sown and this will be evident in our lives as we live out the root command – love!

Beautiful surroundings, glorious weather and, most importantly, a God-centred week were enjoyed by 94 students and staff at the North West Division summer camp, reports DYS Darren Highton.

The theme Mercy was based on the words of Micah 6:8: ‘And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ This theme was at the centre of everything.

Each day the whole school came together for Bible study that focused on different aspects of God’s mercy; for Mercy Me time, when everyone was encouraged to simply spend an hour in God’s presence; for God Dating, where everyone shared quick-fire questions about life and faith; and for late night worship.

Themed evenings included a colour night, TV addicts, sports day with a difference, a wellbeing night and an evening at the beach where we were blessed by an amazing sunset.

By the end of the week, old friendships had been deepened, new friendships had been made and – above all – lives had been transformed by the mercy of God. Every person left full of commitment and passion to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.

Summer school

Forty-four young people met at The Poplars near Ledbury for a week around the theme of Courage to Conquer, reports Divisional Mission Enabler Mel Smith.

In worship and cell groups we thought about the courage to conquer faith, fear, compassion, self and the impossible, but recognised that, without love, we wouldn’t be able to conquer anything.

The young people enjoyed workshops that included brass, singing, media, sport, baking, art, leadership, relaxation and anxiety. We also had guests who shared on themes of What Is a Testimony? and Climate Change. The highlights were water-based games, inflatables, laser tag, the Freedom Challenge escape room, a campfire, a movie night, Family Fortunes, a silent disco and other fun evening entertainment.

It was great to see young people joining in to lead worship and eager to speak about their faith and their week. It was a privilege for the staff to journey with them, to see lives transformed because of the impact of the teaching and worship, and to hear the young people vocalising that their relationship with God had become stronger.

Junior camp

It was great to hold the Severn and Somerset Junior Camp in person and in a residential setting this year, Divisional Relationship Manager writes Andy Hurd.

The Poplars saw 26 children and 9 adults gather under the theme Monsters Stink, exploring what the Bible says about overcoming fears that may seem like monsters in our lives.

We considered what God says about disobedience, bullying, loneliness, fear and how he has a plan for each one of us. All this allowed the children to discover more about themselves and their importance to God while showing them that God is on their side and is bigger than any of their monsters.

Other activities included a film evening, a talent night, a disco, bouncy castles, scary animal encounters, a Nerf battle, team games and time for reflection and worship.

There were also opportunities to go offsite with an afternoon at a swimming pool and a trip to Cattle Country, where the children loved exploring the grounds and play barns.

Everyone had a great week, and we were all blessed to see God working in the lives of our children.

After a two-year absence, returning to the Southern School of Christian Arts (SSCA) was extremely exciting, writes Katie Wileman (Winton).

The week was based upon Philippians 1:6 with worship and discussion on the theme of Belonging and exploring the concepts of becoming me, becoming us and becoming more!

Throughout the day, streams such as vocal, art, dance, sport and worship allowed us to take part in something we enjoy and acted as times of worship. New for this year, community space also meant that all students took part in a different stream each day, one that they may not have picked. Despite some apprehension at first, this actually ended up being one of my favourite parts because it was great to try something that I hadn’t done before!

In the evenings, everyone got involved in activities ranging from a quiz night to a silent disco and more. On the last night, we presented what we had done to our families and friends through an energetic final festival.

Overall, SSCA 2022 was an incredible time where amazing worship took place and hilarious memories were made. I look forward to returning next year.

Summer School 2022 was a week of transformed lives, life-changing decisions and young people and leaders learning what it means to be rooted in Jesus, reports DYS Laura-Jane Kingscott.

Each day we looked at ways in which we can be rooted in Jesus, including in his promises, through prayer, in his justice and much more.

Alongside powerful and sincere moments of worship and Bible study, the different activities brought lots of excitement and fun. The colour run was a huge hit and, with lots of laughter and fun, friendships were developed, strengthened and deepened.

The week came to a finish with a brilliant celebration, where family and friends joined with the school to worship and share in all that had happened. One person joining the celebration commented on the community spirit they felt when entering the holy space that had been created.

Before the students arrived, the staff had prayed that the young people’s lives would be different when they left. As a team we truly believe that lives were transformed.