Annual Review by Soul Survivor

annual review 2009

soul survivor 2009 annual review

intro from mike page 1

intro from mike Hi and thanks for taking the time to look at our review of 2009. We hope it gives you a little taste of what we’ve been up to and some of the things we have seen God do in the last 12 months. It was our busiest summer ever with three Soul Survivor events for teenagers, one Momentum event for twenty-somethings and a trip to Durban, South Africa with 350 young people for SOULINTHECITY Durban. This has been crazy, exhausting, exhilarating and faith-building all at the same time! We’ve included lots of stories of those who came to these events and encountered our amazing God so that you can hear first hand some of the ways God has been impacting young people’s lives.

All of this was of course set against the backdrop of the current economy which meant we had to make a number of cutbacks and make some difficult decisions particularly with regard to not replacing staff members who were leaving. But, as ever, we’re indebted to so many people who have continued to support us throughout 2009 and we would like to say a huge thank you to you all. Our events just wouldn’t be able to happen without the amazing people who serve on our teams, all the fantastic youth leaders who organise and bring groups of young people; and all the people who pray for us, cheer us on and offer us their generous financial help. We’re so thankful to God that we share the same vision as so many of you and look forward to seeing you and serving God alongside you in the year to come.

Love Mike

Executive Director

what we’re all about At Soul Survivor we’re passionate about lots of things but they all boil down to relationship: relationship with God, relationship with each other and relationship with the world God loves. We run a number of events and offer different resources to help young people meet with Jesus and to be trained, equipped and empowered to live their whole lives for him. You can find out more about our vision and values at www.soulsurvivor.com/uk/values

3-4 summer

5 momentum

6 soulnet

6 soul sista

7 soulinthecity

7 soul action

8 the tour

8 the holy

8 media

8 called to

8 the bible

9-10 finances

events

durban

contact us If you would like to find out more about Soul Survivor or any of our events please visit our website: www.soulsurvivor.com/uk You can also use the contact details on the back cover to get in touch whether you want to tell us about your experiences at our events or to ask a question – we’d love to hear from you!

lead

spirit day

in a year

contents page 2

our summer events page 3

summer events “A few years ago some friends of mine came back from Soul Survivor singing its praises and I was desperate to go the following year. So in 2007 a group of 25 of us went, 10 of us (including me) weren’t Christians. When we went to the first meeting, I experienced the singing and the talks for the first time and I thought it was beautiful. I was a bit shocked about the Holy Spirit part of the night but I soon got comfortable with it when I saw what was happening to people; the healing and the happiness were amazing. On the third night, five of the people in our youth group gave their lives to Jesus.Throughout the next day I was thinking about what amazing things had happened that week, and how happy everyone is when they are in the presence of God. That night I was one of the first people in a tent of 12,000 to go to the front to give my life to Jesus. I walked to the front with my head held high knowing that I was about to make the best decision of my life.

Hearing the rest of the tent cheering and celebrating over us was just amazing; I knew I had made the right decision and it is a memory I will never forget I was not brought up in a Christian family and none of my close friends were Christians but I met a girl who also became a Christian at Soul Survivor and she has become the best friend I have ever had. I have found a second family who are there for me when ever I need them. When times get hard, I can just text them and they are there on the other end of the phone ready to give advice. Since I became a Christian I have started to respect people more, I look to help them and I’ve found a whole new level of confidence. God is in control of my life now; he is changing me and guiding me. I look forward to going to church and Bible classes every week and I’m so proud to tell people I am a Christian.” Ashleigh, 17 from Bournemouth

2010 dates Soul Survivor A, Stafford: 30th July – 3rd August Soul Survivor B, Somerset: 11th – 15th August Soul Survivor C, Somerset: 16th – 20th August

highlights

stories

The three Soul Survivor conferences were attended by around 25,000 with 1500 making commitments to Jesus in the main meetings alone.

“I went to prison last year for several violent offences. I was drug dealing and an alcoholic and never believed in anything before. At Soul Survivor I felt God’s presence inside me and I gave my life to him. Now I feel wanted and loved – it’s amazing. I am going to worship God for the rest of my life!” Tim

As part of our emphasis on raising up young leaders, two new worship leaders were introduced: a 15 year-old and from Watford and a 17 year-old from New Zealand. They led alongside Tim Hughes, 29th Chapter, Beth Coulson (now Croft), Sam Parker and Ben Cantelon. As ever there were a wide range of activities outside of the main meetings including cafes, seminars, sports, bands, films and workshops. The focus of the teaching was on equipping the young people to take their faith out into their communities and impact those around them for Jesus. YWAM also took teams out from the showground to bless the local community through simple acts of service and to preach the gospel. Want to find out more about what goes on at Soul Survivor? Have a look at the 2009 event programme on our website:

”Before I came to Soul Survivor I was in a very bad place in my life. I had planned to commit suicide on my 17th birthday and have been struggling with self-harm and bulimia. When I got prayed for I felt a massive weight lifted off my shoulders and was overwhelmed with God’s love.” Hannah ”Soul Survivor was amazing. We all feel that God has empowered us to come back and really love our church and to also take our church out into our community!” Laura ”I am leaving Soul Survivor ’09 with a renewed sense of purpose, peace, love and identity in my friend Jesus!” Josie

www.soulsurvivor.com/uk/soulfood

our summer events page 4

momentum page 5

momentum “I came to Momentum in the summer of ‘09 and loved the more relaxed, chilled vibe that Momentum offers. We had some sunny evenings relaxing with a BBQ and a guitar before the main meeting - perfect! I loved being amongst thousands of other similar-aged people - it meant the teaching and seminars were targeted really well to our age group. The main meetings are always my favourite part but this year in particular I enjoyed the seminars loads; I couldn’t get enough of them! I wanted to go to everything! I particularly met with God in the worship times but I think I learnt so much from the seminars that this is mainly what has stuck with me from this year.

Mike’s talk about love impacted me massively and this has stuck with me since I’ve been home. Returning to university this year I’ve been really challenged to invest in my old housemates and people from my course instead of taking the easy option and hanging out with my Christian friends 24/7. I really needed to hear that and God keeps reminding me to invest in and love my campus and city!” Andi, Suffolk, 19 “I had been self-harming for the past five years; I was upset and hated myself. I knew God loved me but I always found it hard to believe he could like me. Tonight I was healed. I no longer hate myself and I have had my eyes opened. I’m in love with a God who loves and likes me more than I can comprehend.” Tom

highlights More people than ever attended the Momentum conference for students and twenty-somethings - 3100 in total. For 2009 a strong emphasis was placed on providing teaching about the workplace as well as looking at why young adults are struggling with commitment to careers, relationships and church. One delegate said: “Momentum has come of age. No longer is it just a grown up version of Soul Survivor; this year it really engaged with our concerns as young adults.”

”Highlights from this year for me were the Deep Church seminars by Frog and Amy Orr-Ewing (I would say these were the two best seminars I’ve ever been to in my life!), the future of the church by Pete Broadbent, and dating by Tim and Rachel Hughes! This year I finally got a passion for evangelism (better late than never!). This has totally changed a lot of my priorities; I am now doing youth work at my university church and I put way more time and effort into having good conversations with my housemates about God.” Laura ”My prayer for so long has been that Jesus becomes my everything and tonight I had such a revelation of God. I felt him like I never have before. I feel new and strong in Christ. I have fallen so, so deeply in love. Hallelujah – God is good.” Anon

2010 dates Momentum 2010: 21st -25th August

soul net “We’re really aware of how much youth leaders give out all year round so we really love being able to put on events that help refresh them in their own relationship with God. The annual retreat is often the highlight; you can almost hear the relief amongst the youth leaders when they arrive at Center Parcs. They start the weekend so tired and say the chance to focus on God and meet with other youth leaders in the same boat is exactly what they need. We try and help them make and maintain links with other youth leaders so they can support each other year round too by setting up networking opportunities throughout the year.” Chris, SoulNet co-ordinator

highlights 550 youth leaders attended the annual retreat. Mike Pilavachi and Andy Croft spoke on topics such as the current situation with 20 and 30-somethings leaving church and how to reach young people in today’s culture. Up to 300 youth leaders a day attended the SoulNet breakfasts and seminars at the Soul Survivor summer events, with teaching led by Rachel and Jason Gardner.

soul sista “I was looking forward to Soul Sista on Valentine’s Day because I’d really enjoyed the summer festival. I thought it wasn’t really going to be very relevant to me as I’m not in a relationship and just thought it would be the same things we hear about God and sex. I really liked it though and found out that it was relevant because I learned things for when I do enter a relationship. I really enjoyed the worship and the seminar on knowing who we are in God. The thing that made the most impact on me was hearing about having boundaries in your relationships. The whole day was just a great time of being refreshed and getting to meet with God. I think it has matured me, given me ideas about the important things in a relationship and how to honour God in your relationships, with everyone not just your boyfriend!” Cara, 15 from Bournemouth

highlights 700 girls came to our ‘Let’s Talk About Sex!’ one-day conference where we teamed up with Romance Academy to talk about sex and relationships, covering issues that can often be skirted around. We wanted to give really honest and frank teaching and provide a really safe place for the girls to think and talk through the issues. Teaching covered God’s perspective on sexuality, flirting, boundaries, self-esteem, appropriate dress, finding our own voice, letting go of past mistakes and really practical advice on how (and why) to save sex ‘til marriage*.

*If you’d like to listen to the teaching from the one-day conference you can download the talks for £1 each from shop.soulsurvivor.com

soulnet/soulsista page 6

soulinthecity durban/soul action page 7

soul in the city durban In the summer of 2009, 353 young people flew out to Durban in South Africa to take part in SOULINTHECITY Durban. There they served in some of the city’s most deprived communities and found that God met with them in new, unexpected and incredible ways. Jon Dean, from the Soul Survivor leadership team said: “It was such a privilege to see the delegates giving their all wherever they were, whether their job was easy or hard, and whether people noticed or not. The work was often physically draining and it was an emotional challenge for us all to see the daily reality of the poverty in which so many live. The people who were served by the projects were incredibly grateful. I remember one school Head Teacher being completely overwhelmed by the delegates who had come with a local church to help redecorate her school. I lost count of the number of times she said thank you. Many of us who went to Durban met up at the Soul Survivor summer events and it was clear how much the trip had changed us all. Some are convinced that they will go back to South Africa for longer, some want to pray for and support those they have met, and others are now passionate about making a difference in their own communities. One said: “It was more than just a few days of good works among those without as much as we have. It was about encountering God’s global heart and hearing our personal call, role and responsibility in it. I am so grateful for having had the privilege to serve on this mission. Returning home, I have already begun to see the ripple effects this experience has had as I share stories with those around me.”

soul action Last summer Soul Action encouraged thousands of young people to get on board with God’s mission. We challenged them to engage with God’s heart and specifically to: Give themselves and remember the poor Speak up about injustice in our world Get green and look after our planet Tell others about Jesus Live it out by being a disciple of Jesus 24-7

We gave away thousands of five-week Bible studies to help people get to grips with the issues, as well as offering free Group Leader packs to help youth groups focus on these subjects and take action. In October 2010 we hope to bring many young people together in London for a celebration of what has been achieved as they have focused on God’s mission. Soul Action also encouraged young people to get involved in: Slum Survivor: a project that gets youth groups experiencing something of slum like conditions for a weekend, raising awareness as well as money for Soul Action projects in poor communities. The Noise: a long weekend of servanthearted action in local communities AOK days: we post a suggested Act of Kindness on our website and then young people put them into action! Emily from Weymouth did one of our AOK days and said: “After school I waited behind and gave a box of chocolates to one of the ladies who cleans the school and said to her to share them out! She was so shocked she could barely say thanks! It was definitely worth the smile she gave me!”

the tour

media

Young people who come to our summer events often try to explain to their friends back home what Soul Survivor is all about and just how amazing Jesus is. By going on tour we can visit different towns and cities, meet new teenagers and preach the gospel to a wider group of young people as well as giving them a little taste of what Soul Survivor is like in the summer. In the February and October of 2009 we visited Southampton, Cardiff, Coventry, Nottingham, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Guernsey, Clitheroe and Ipswich.

We’re really passionate that young people continue to grow and build their relationship with Jesus all year round and want to provide the best possible resources to encourage and equip them.

Mike Pilavachi spoke at a wide range of conferences and events during 2009 including Soul Survivor events around the world, youth camps in Malaysia and Singapore, a worship weekend held in Hong Kong, a youth workers convention in Korea and events around the UK.

Creation of a TV section with video blogs and talks

Members of the team have been working with persecuted churches in Central Asia, teaching and investing in church leaders. Members of our worship team were also involved in various events such as weekend retreats, Youth Alpha and the Fusion ‘LoveYourUni’ tour.

We’ve been working hard to make our website a place where people can come to connect with us and receive encouragement in their faith. Highlights from 2009 include: Daily video diaries from the summer conferences

Monthly online magazine with new articles to read and free talks to listen to We had almost 190,000 different visitors to our website over the year, making a total of more than 400,000 visits, viewing just under 1.5 million pages between them. Our Facebook group has become a fun way to keep in touch with young people, and it also prompts people to follow links we post and visit additional pages on our website.

the holy spirit

called to lead

the bible in one year

In 2009 around 200 people attended our one-day conference designed to equip them to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit and move in his gifts.

The new Soul Survivor Watford course to help develop the character and gifts of young leaders began in November 2009. Over the 12 months of the course 24 young people will get involved in studying theology, learning more about communication, serve the church and develop their leadership skills.

In the summer of 2010 we’re really excited about launching a Soul Survivor ‘Bible in One Year’ to encourage everyone to read the whole Bible before we meet again in 2011. There will be online support resources and discussions so we can encourage each other to keep going, get the most out of God’s word and stay focused on him.

A further event was held on 8th May 2010 and was free to anyone planning to serve with us on team during the summer events!

the tour/the holy spirit/media/called to lead/ the bible in one year page 8

finances: the words page 9

finances

In 2009 we received a total of £235,000 in gifts and donations for which we are hugely grateful. These generous gifts enabled us to do all that you have read about in this review. Unfortunately though this was £100,000 less than we received in 2008 and so we were forced to cut our expenditure drastically. This meant running fewer events (we didn’t do as many roadshows and had to cancel our planned Soul Sista tour) as well as cutting back on staff to reduce our overheads.

We don’t want to put the prices of our events up as they are aimed at young people who are largely unwaged. We also long to continue investing in young people through resources like our website but of course this comes at a cost, so we rely on gifts and donations from amazing people like you to help meet the shortfall. We’d be really grateful if you could consider helping us in any way, either through a one-off gift or a Standing Order. The charts over the page show details of our income and expenditure for 2009.

The figures here are taken from our draft accounts for the year ended 31st December 2009. These figures have not been audited so may be subject to change. A copy of the audited accounts for 2009 will be available by request from Soul Survivor or from the Charity Commission website. Please note that Soul Action is a joint venture between Soul Survivor and Tearfund and has therefore not been included here.

income

expenditure

Summer Events £2,180,878

SoulNet £64,243

International £21, 317

Summer Events £2,157,791

Governance £11,599

Fundraising £9,622

Other Events £58,904

Net Income From Trading £40,149

Bank Interest £1,194

Other Events £10,499

Other Projects £12,982

Hope 08 £29,621

Gifts & Donations £212,246

SITC Durban Gifts £23,150

Young Leader Gifts £29,388

Young Leaders £55,700

SITC Durban £90,977

International £87, 059

Other Restricted Gifts £15,118

TOTAL INCOME £2, 646, 587

SoulNet £145,343

TOTAL EXPENDITURE £2,611,144

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finances: the charts page 10

w. www.soulsurvivor.com e. info@soulsurvivor.com t. 0303 333 1333 Unit 2 Paramount Industrial Estate Sandown Road Watford Herts WD24 7XF Soul Survivor is a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (No. 03991111) Registered charity (No. 1080720). Registered Office as above. Soul Survivor Trading Ltd: Registered in England and Wales No. 2921868. VAT number 649 5784 76. Registered office: 1st Floor, Sheraton House, Chorleywood, Hertfordshire WD3 5AL

soul survivor annual review 2009