We’re about to enter the season of camps and festivals. Residentials like these offer a fantastic opportunity for young people—not only to enjoy a range of activities outside their usual group meetings, but also to have time and space to reflect on their faith journey and what God might be saying to them. For many, especially those attending a Christian festival, this can be the high point of their year—not just because of the fun and friendships, but also in terms of their spiritual growth.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years—and something that still holds true today (as even SpaceX can attest)—it’s that getting into space is hard. It’s expensive, risky, and requires careful planning. But for those who make it, the experience is awe-inspiring. Space philosopher and author Frank White coined the term the Overview Effect to describe the profound shift in perspective astronauts often experience when viewing Earth from orbit. Many describe it using words like beautiful and fragile.
In a similar way, festivals can provide young people with their own kind of Overview Effect—where they suddenly see their life through God’s eyes, and everything they’ve learned about the Christian faith “takes off.” They gain a new, deeper perspective.
However, while getting into space is difficult, re-entry is often the most dangerous part of the mission. During re-entry, spacecraft face extreme speeds, heat, and atmospheric friction. In the same way, coming down from the “high” of a festival can be a vulnerable time for young people. We might just be happy to have survived and be back in our own beds, but for our young people, the shift from the rarefied atmosphere of a festival to everyday life can pose a serious threat to any commitments they made or growth they experienced while away.
The Enemy loves good intentions—and he will be eager to steal away anything young people gained in their closeness to Christ. He’ll use every trick in the book: playing on doubts, anxieties, and insecurities to devalue and diminish their experience. The first time they stumble or fall back into an old habit, he’ll try to convince them that nothing has changed. He’ll speak into, and try to fill, the vacuum that often follows residentials—especially when groups aren’t meeting regularly or everyone is off on holiday.
So how can we help? This summer, maybe see yourself not just as a Space Facilitator but as a Mission Controller. Whether or not you were part of the residential experience, you can still take responsibility for helping young people return to everyday life safely and well.
What young people gain on a residential may be beautiful but, for many, it is fragile. If your group is taking a break, think about how you can continue to support and encourage your young people during the downtime. There’s no room in this blog to list every idea, but the most important things are awareness of the danger—and, as always, intentionality. These are key to helping young people make a safe landing, with every step forward on their faith journey still intact.