Happenings

Activities

When it comes to fun...That Thing has it all: paintball, water stuff galore (tubing, aqua-rocker, beach...), old-school games, sports tournaments and more! For those who like a little less running and diving there's creative activities like painting, singing and crafting; for the gamers, there are card tourneys, scary brain games and the wii's; plus catch the Beach House, it's a great place to sit back with friends and get some food, drinks and ice cream.

 

Worship Sessions

At That Thing there are two main worship gatherings each day. These large worship sessions provide participants a space to encounter God and His Word. The experiences present challenges for growth that define a Christ-follower's outward and inward life.

The Teachings: We don't expect everyone to learn symmetrically, as well, we believe that God's Truth is revealed, absorbed and challenging to people through more than just a sermon; scripture alone, spoken word, music, videos, drama, dance, quiet, cell phones and our senses (like taste, smell and touch), are some of the ways that we engage worshippers. Our Keynoters come from a variety of backgrounds and traditions but focus on the common vital threads that all believers can agree upon; the power and authority of and commission by Jesus Christ. That Thing's emcee and spiritual director Gern (Ryan Gernand), coordinates all of the teaching styles, encounters and themes to guide worshippers through an overall spiritual journey to the week.

The Prayer Stations: Enaging tangible encounters...Ebeneezer's. These visible moments are so important to have. They are essential for looking back upon and saying, "What happened there?". Free-range prayer stations in the auditorium provide worshippersan opportunity to journal, connect, pray for themselves and others, give, unpack, uncork and move where ever the spirit may lead.

The Music: We like our worship music intense and powerful. That doesn't just mean loud...it is, but it's about helping worshippers release themselves from the world around them and commune with God. It'll be fast and strong when it fits...and it's also going to be slow and meditative when that fits. In the end, it's always passionate, purposeful and part of the truth being shared.

The songs come from writers like Steve Fee, David Crowder, Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Tim Hughes, Joel Houston and others. The music can be new to some students, so the songs are taught and used a couple times throughout the week to help create familiarity.

The Answers: Sometimes during the teachings in a session, we'll offer major questions without offering answers. It's intentional and essential. If we, as a body of Christ, aren't learning to face questions and challenges head on, we'll never learn how to properly discover answers; we will only ever learn how to wait. So, we instead learn how to discover Truth through scripture, by starting and seeking out discussions, from unpacking cloudy info/questions, by being challenged and in turning to other resources on our own. That Thing helps prepare students to enter college without losing their footing.

 

[small groups]

Yeah that's right...who doesn't love meeting new people? Your church has two options, well 3 really:

• Join That Thing's intercampus [small groups] and send your students out into groups with students from other churches.
• Build your own [small groups] out of your students and your leaders and keep your students building into and focusing on the relationships they are returning home to.
• Clean your kitchens, swim, nap...seriously, no one will hold it against you if you don't plug your students into a small group. You know what your students need to get out of their time at That Thing and we know that you have a plan to make that happen, if this isn't part of it, don't fret.

[small groups} and evening devotion curriculum are being written and will be distributed to leaders well before That Thing so group leaders doing their own groups can choose to use the curriculum, modify, supplement, etc.

• Want to Volunteer as a student or adult leader?
  • Volunteer Leader Profile/Description and Application download
  • Training Dates: (must attend one of the two) 4/17 or 5/22; both will be at Epworth Forest CC
• Group Leader [small groups] detail info and registration

 

Schedule

The schedule is pretty open and is designed for groups to tailor the experience to their groups spiritual needs. The basic components of the daily schedule looks like this:

8:30 am	-	breakfast break
9:00 am	-	building/activity block*
9:50 am	-	learning labs (30-45 minutes)
10:45 am	-	morning worship session
12:15 pm	-	lunch break
1:00 pm	-	One O'Clock to Five O'Clock Free Block
		• 1-2pm [small groups] space
		• 2-5:15pm programmed events/activities**
5:30 pm	-	dinner break
7:30 pm	-	evening worship session
10:00 pm	-	after hours
11:00 pm	-	in cabins
*	-	paintball, waterfront and obstacle course open
**	-	programmed events, tourneys, paintball, waterfront, games, and activities as listed at the top of this page.