Young people from the Bradford Episcopal Area will be helping to strengthen the bonds with its overseas links by joining other young members from dioceses around the world to take part in Ablaze.
Ablaze is a gathering 16 to 19 year olds from the Diocese of West Yorkshire & the Dales, South-western Virginia, South Africa and Erfurt in Germany.
Over the next few weeks Ablaze are running two events in the hope of building the faith of young people while strengthening their relationships with others around the globe.
On Sunday 12th July beginning at 14:00 Ablaze is holding online worship, hoping to attract those of all ages and from all corners of the globe, to join people through prayer (to get involved simply follow @scargillablaze on Twitter and search for #scargillablaze to join in).
To make longer lasting bonds, between the 22nd and 30th July Ablaze is also hosting young members from the Bradford Episcopal Area, South-western Virginia, South Africa and Erfurt for an amazing 8 days in Scargill, Kettlewell.
Children and Young People's Adviser for the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales, Steve Grasham, said this International Youth Festival hopes to build ‘new friendships, [and] strengthened links by having lots of fun and building young people up in their faith’.
‘At the heart of Ablaze is the chance for young people from many backgrounds to discover more together what it means to live a life of faith alive in Jesus.’
Unfortunately all the spaces for this year’s festival are filled, but as this is the first big event of its kind in the Diocese, it is hoped that it will become a regular happening with another similar event predicted to take place next year.
The young people involved will be taking part in a large variety of games and trips, particularly focusing on group activity to strengthen the relationships between these young people and between the dioceses.
Activities will include a treasure hunt, Human Hungry Hippos, a walk to Coniston Pike and a trip to York, among many other exciting games and activities.
There will also be regular worship, including a visit from a Gospel choir, a Eucharist service and Prayer & Praise in Scargill’s chapel.
Great importance is being placed on sharing the cultures of these young people, with international games being played one evening and with each attendee encouraged to bring with them a song or story from their community to share with the group.
Ablaze will be holding an Open Day at Scargill on the 25th July from 12:00 noon to 18:00 for anyone interested in seeing what the project is about, with opportunities to get involved in activities and meet the young people from the various Dioceses.