Reboot Local Road Trip April / May

Well, the Reboot team have been busy on the road lately but we have loved every minute of it! We have had an incredible time partnering with local churches across England for 4 Reboot Local events within 3 weeks! Across these events we have seen over 230 young people hear amazing talks by various members of our team, with 58 of those responding to the gospel invitation. There have been some amazing stories of young people wrestling with big questions but deciding to trust in Jesus despite those, along with some incredibly vulnerable and honest moments during the times of question and response.

Stop 1: St Albans

This was a full day of activities starting with an event at Townsend School High Oaks where Tom and Alanzo shared inspiring testimonies before opening up the floor to a time of question and response. Students were quick to test Alanzo and Tom with their first question being about the meditations of Marcus Aurelius. However, our speakers did what they do best, providing insightful and respectful answers to the students. Other hot topics included the evidence for God, creation, the afterlife, as well as science and religion. There were also some incredibly honest questions from students about their struggle with sin and doubts.

After a quick meal with the wonderful organisers of the day, Alanzo and Tom were back into it, providing a training session at Forest Town Church for 25 youth leaders in the local area. Tom started with an interesting talk exploring the question Why bother?. Youth leaders were particularly taken with the idea that it only takes 8 minutes for someone to know they are cared for, with one youth leader even writing a blog on this thought since the event. This is particularly encouraging as it demonstrates the ability for content to have a flow on impact in the local communities we visit. Alanzo followed this with an insightful talk on Suffering – one of the biggest topics young people wrestle with. This provided a valuable opportunity to equip youth leaders with much needed tools in this space.

These events were then followed by an incredible Reboot Local at Forest Town Church where Sara joined us to share a compelling talk on the idea of Hope in Chaotic Times, while Alanzo spoke on Suffering and Injustice. This evening saw over 70 young people and leaders fully engage with our speakers and being incredibly vulnerable during the time of Q&R. After the event, Sara and Alanzo were surrounded by young people eager to continue engaging in conversation with some even waiting an hour to ask their question!

This was a truly incredible day that was so encouraging to our team. The youth leaders and organisers of these events were so selflessly eager to serve their young people and become more equipped to answer their questions. Equally the young people were hungry to learn more with one young person from the morning school event deciding to walk for over an hour to attend the evening Reboot Local. This story was particularly encouraging as they went on to respond to the gospel invitation and are now working through OCCA’s Confident Faith Small Group Resource with their mentor. Simply put, this is why we do what we do.

Stop 2: Canterbury

This Reboot Local started with a soccer cage and milkshakes! What a way to start an evening of apologetics! This event saw 99 young people from a variety of churches gather at St Mary’s Bredin Church and kicked off with Sara talking about Can We Trust the Bible?, followed by Alanzo discussing the topic of Suffering. There was an incredible number of questions that came through with many gathering to ask more questions after the event. Questions raised involved dinosaurs, other religions, the existence of God before creation, as well as some of the more sensitive topics such as abortion and whether some actions are unforgiveable. A popular question was also “why does God let the devil exist?”.

Stop 3: Redhill

This was an exciting Reboot Local at Redhill Baptist Church with Sara providing a thought-provoking talk on Identity and Alanzo discussing a burgeoning topic for youth, The Occult. This led to various discussions including whether Harry Potter and magic are appropriate things to engage with. Another interesting question raised was whether there are times where doing the wrong thing, is actually the right thing. On a personal note, Alanzo had the opportunity to pray with a young person afterwards whose father had recently passed from a terminal illness. Alanzo describes that as “one of the many examples of really sweet, wholesome ministry that we get to do at Reboots that isn’t captured on film or done on stage”. There are countless stories like these from Reboots all around the country and we are so thankful to churches for welcoming us into this space with their young people.

Stop 4: South London Youth

This was a fun Reboot Local at Holy Trinity Clapham with some incredibly passionate and servant-hearted youth leaders. The night started with a few games followed by Sara sharing on Why Jesus amongst the world’s religions? and Alanzo then landing this with a talk on Why trust the Bible?. Questions from the young people included topics such as dinosaurs and interpreting Genesis, along with the profoundly deep question, “If God is all-powerful, why did He kill Jesus and not just forgive?”.

Overall, these events have been incredible. It is truly amazing to witness the servant-heart of youth leaders around the country, as well as the hunger for knowledge from the young people. As the Reboot Team, we feel incredibly blessed to be given the opportunity to partner with local churches in reaching their young people and addressing the questions they have about life, faith and God. Please join us in praying for all of the young people who have attended our events, that they would continue to seek Christ amidst any of their questions or doubts. Please also pray for continual strength and wisdom for the youth leaders. We understand youth work has complex needs and can be simply exhausting. Please pray that God would continue to refresh their own faith, giving them the energy to continue serving their community of young people. Finally, please pray for those that have responded to the gospel invitations. Pray for strength in their walk with Christ, and pray that they continue to grow more in love with Jesus Christ every single day.

Thank you for partnering with us on this road trip journey! We look forward to the next few stops over the coming months!

Blessings,

The Reboot Team