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Connecting for the first time

As a first-time goer to Connect, I was quite excited to hook up with national youth leaders. My expectations were: to make some awesome, lasting connections, to fill my headspace with any new ideas that might bring a new freshness or deeper level into my youth ministry (the VIP CREW from Lumsden Balfour Kingston Church), and to chill out with like-minded, youth-passionate people.

Well, my expectations were not just met but exceeded. Even though the weekend was pretty full on, it was done in relax mode. We had the privilege of a fantastic main speaker and for me it was so encouraging to hear that making disciples and not converts is really what is on God’s, YHWH’s, heart for the Church throughout NZ. The workshops we could choose from were so practical and relevant that it was so difficult to choose only two out of the 12! That was for sure time well spent.

One thing that made Connect for me was the small group time – Group 10 you rock J . For it was in the small group that we got to know each other better, throw ideas around and made awesome new friends - and yes, we are still keeping in touch. And for me that’s what Connect is all about.

Did I mention the worship time? The Connect Band was so Spirit-filled and fun that it was hard to stop worshipping when another session started. I just loved the fact that we had heaps of praise and worship sessions - good on the PYM Team – for we were there because we love the only true God and what is more awesome than to worship and praise Him for what he did and who He is and get energized through it (or that might have been all the free chocolates and lollies).

Saturday night was a very special event, starting with dinner and finishing off with an awesome worship time. Finishing Connect with communion was very cool for it just reminded us that even though we are doing our own thing throughout NZ, we are still part of one body; the Church, but also taking it bigger, Jesus Christ. What an amazing encouragement that was and is. It was so difficult to say good bye to precious new friends and leave the camping ground that we missed our flight back to Christchurch due to being late, but Steph was so cool in the way she handled it!

Being back in my own patch, Northern Southland, again, Connect has made me feel part of something bigger and that I belong somewhere. Even if we will just see each other once a year at Connect, I have all the contact details of everyone that was there on a list – thanks PYM Team – and that makes me feel I’m not alone in youth ministry!

So if you’re reading this and wondering if you missed out, well, the answer is YES YOU DID, but the good news is CONNECT IS EVERY YEAR! So get on to it and make sure you don’t miss it again!!!

By Maddy Erasmus