This years Soul Shaper was held at The Horstead Centre, a residential activity venue that provides a place for young people to develop their spiritual, physical, intellectual and social capacities within a caring Christian community. Outdoor activities included the vertical challenge, canoeing and archery which the teenagers thoroughly enjoyed, despite getting caught in the rain.
The weekend was based on the theme of light, specifically looking at Holman Hunt’s painting of “The Light of the World” and Revelation 3:20:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
The Diocese of Norwich Children, Youth and Families team, Jonathan Richardson and Julia Chamberlin, delved into the verse above and helped the participants to explore the passage in more depth and understand what it means to them individually. There was also opportunity for this years Establish group (a course for young leaders) to lead morning prayer each day, which really helped to prepare us mentally for the day ahead.
Throughout our time spent together, it was clear that God’s presence was with us and that the weekend made an impact on the teenagers lives. One participant said “the best thing about the weekend was making friends and listening to the music playlists” and another said “being in the church really helped me to pray”.
Events such as this are held all year round. Keep an eye out for whats next on our Facebook and Instagram.