Newday On The Road

Kings Church Darlington hosted an amazing event which was full of different activities to keep everyone entertained.  The giant hall was home to inflatables, a bouncy castle and a gladiator duel set up. The lounge area was used for a ‘live lounge’ which was an insanely cool place just to sit and chill, I can only describe it as vintage yet awesome, while some talented musicians gave us some quality songs. The children’s work area was used as game room with enough games consoles to entertain teenagers for a couple of hours. The cafe, well, we used that for the Global Cafe.  There was a really authentic Newday feel around the place.  Before the meeting, the atmosphere and feelings were great and all those involved in the set up should be proud.

In the meeting, Simon Brading (finally returning to the North after a few years of waiting), led worship along with the Newday band and started the night off with a bang, leading the 200+ teenagers into worshiping our amazing God.  Up next stepped the man who is amazing at Newday, Adrian Holloway.  He gave an incredible talk on the love of God and, in true Holloway fashion, had a prop to go with it: a bookcase. He ended with a powerful story of his father, the headmaster at his school who during the school day had to give out just punishment and commanded total respect yet, out of the suit, was a father who would do anything for Adrian.

Then the band came back up and there was the opportunity to respond to the word. At first the response seemed slow…But then, I’m so excited to share, 22 young people gave their lives to God!  That was twenty-two (just as an emphasis because it is just so amazing)!

You know, in the Bible it says that when one person gives their life to God, there is a party in heaven. Well, with the Newday band now joined by Guvna B, we had a party of our own and as it happens we were singing ‘as it is in heaven, here on earth’.  A personal highlight was looking around and seeing 200+ teenagers bouncing around, hands in the air, declaring ‘We are yours!’ and the thought that it could be the first time those twenty-two people could proclaim that, it is purely exhilarating.

I didn’t entirely know where to start but I definitely know how to finish this, God is totally amazing.