Anyone have any experience of Soul Survivor?

[ProstetnicVogonJeltz]

DD1 has been going along to a church youth group and wants to go for this weekend in August. here
Now. we go to church most weekends (C of E), she likes to go to this youth group most weeks. But this does look a bit intense and happyclappy. Not that I really mind. As long as she's happy and she's less likely to be doing bad stuff with a church group than if swigging cider on street corners.

[procrastinatingparent]

I haven't been, but have friends who have. It is intense and happy clappy (and therefore emphatically not my cup of tea theologically or by personality) but if that is her sort of thing, then let her go.

The only thing I would say is to make sure there are some mature and responsible adults with them, not just for practical things but because if it gets too emotional, she will need a grown-up to listen to her and make sure she is alright.

[scienceteacher]

Our church do this every year. We tend to send about 20 teens plus about 3 married couples and a few students to look after them.

It is great fun - they camp, so have to do everything associated with that (pitch tents, keep their stuff dry, cook, clean up). They do the worship in the big tent, and attend workshops of their choice. There is also loads of time for games (eg football, volleyball, widegames).

We are missing out this year as it clashes with our holiday

[Clockface]

I have been to Soul Survivor loads of times and really love it!

So, yes, it can be happy clappy and intense. But there are some 'checks and balances' that stop it from getting hysterical / too much...

1. the leaders are v. good at laughing at themselves and they are great at avoiding any kind of hero-worship. Mike Pilavachi who heads up SS is particularly good at this.

1. If the leaders feel that the worship style is getting too happy clappy / intense they are v. good at 'drawing it to a close' pretty quickly. (That's happy-clappy-speak for "ending the service", btw!)

1. everyone who goes to SS is put in a'village' which is a group of tents / caravans. Each village is looked after by a 'village host' who helps people set up, gives out tea / hot choc, organises BBQs, chats with lonely people, etc etc. I've been a Village Host several times and we have to go for training / be CRB checked etc. So the Village Hosts are kind of, not quite but almost, in loco parentis.

1. There is loads going on besides the main worship services. Some kids just go for the skate park or the sports. It is genuinely great fun.

So I'd say yes, let her go. The only thing is that she might come back all fired up with vision of how church could be and become more critical of your own church. That is a common SS hazard. So it might be as well to think about that in advnace and be ready to point out to her the good that is in your church / channel her energy positively / however you feel is right to deal with any new-found zeal!

HTH

[cupcakefairy]

I've been to SS as a teenager and really really enjoyed it. I think it's great for young teens to form good christian friendships etc. Like you say, it is much better than them hanging out on street corners ;)
She will really enjoy it, and as others have said there are plenty of responsible adults around.

[ProstetnicVogonJeltz]

sounds good. thanks for advice.

[Notquitegrownup]

(They also do a New Year Houseparty, which our friends kids go to and love. Great way of knowing what they are up to at New Year, too.)

[Gracie123]

I went to SS when I was a teenager and loved it. I haven't been for a few years now (camping with a baby doesn't sound like fun - plus I'm probably a bit old!) but I think your daughter will have a great time. I'll certainly let my DS go once he is old enough to enjoy it.

The happy medium is that you can buy day passes (so long as you don't live too far away to enjoy it!) and pop along to see whats going on. Maybe this year you could encourage her to go on a day trip with you, and once you've sussed it out she could go with the youth group for the week next time? (tickets are also much cheaper if you book them in october )

[M44]

Is 11 too young? dd has been invited-but wonder if it is right?

[Gracie123]

It depends on who she is going with. There are clubs and stuff to do for different age groups with 'Soulbabes' being for 0-3 year olds.
I would say that the only question is whether you feel she is too young to go away with the youth group. Would you let her go on holiday without you if it was anywhere else?
If you trust the youth leader, it shouldn't be a problem, and there will be plenty for her to do there.

[jed777]

just one thing about happy clappy , as you term it, i would be very carefull to avoid such words as it was God who back in the 70s started allowing us to use such a style of music to worship , many methodists and coe left there churches to form a new form of christianity which the coe has adopted moderate forms of such music , to judge anyone who worships clapping or whatever is not a good thing, i could for example mention the many bad things about the church of englands history , i think to put down another style of worship which you use, when you have murdered good christian men & woman , invest in arms companies never dare to preach the gospel outside your 4 walls, accepts homosexuals, is quite odd

[jed777]

my son has just returned from soul survivor, people falling over, worldly music with christian lyics, worldy music at nights you can dance to, secular movies, the main speaker accepts william branham who denies the trinity , toroto blessing roots , todd bently accepted ,the name soul survivor named after a rolling stone song about the devil, your choice

[pandapop17]

Never assume things like soul survivor are wholesome Christian events. I went as a teenager and people got up to all sorts. Unless the supervision has improved I would never let my children go. The worship makes young people over emotional leading to risky behaviour. Apparently demand for the morning after pill goes up in the local chemists during ss .

[LarrytheCucumber]

pandapop DD were talking about that yesterday. It is difficult to police that number of young people and there are bound to be some who 'get up to all sorts'. It is up to the group leaders to 'police' their young people, and some of them are better at it than others, and some youth groups are more 'biddable' than others.

[pandapop17]

I am sure its better supervised now. My parents assumed that anything Christian was safe!

[ifonly4]

My DD went to Soul Survivor in the summer and had a brilliant time. She wanted to go the christian talks and she loved the company of the group she was with, most of them sat altogether in the evenings just chatting, having fun. I trust my DD - she has strong ambitions in life and she's not going to do something stupid at this moment in time. The other girls I've met who go seem totally level headed and I have no doubts over her spending time with them away from home. Having said that, her church are lucky to have some very good group leaders who set expectations down before they went.