underground weekend 2008 - video added!!
13 February 08
They came from all across the UK… literally they did… well the Isle of Skye to be precise! A mini bus load of committed (and crazy) ppl travelled over 600 miles to be at the underground weekend, and we love them for it!
Having been slightly worried about the lack of numbers with a week or so to go… it was great to see around 25 young people come along to another legend underground weekend!
Watch the video of the weekend
We were challenged to Love the persecuted and Learn from them...
Here’s what Pete Gardiner from Leics had to say about the weekend
“Our weekend away at Standlake this February half term left us undergrounder’s inspired, tired and ready to die!
Looking into what it means to be ‘lovin’ the persecuted’ we spent time looking at the lives of those who are suffering in some of the toughest places on earth for Christians today: praying for them, writing to them and learning from them. We also wanted to try and sense even a little bit of what it is like to have to take your faith ‘underground’ as we ‘shut-up’ for an hour, taking time out to remember that the majority of Christians around the world may never be able to speak out freely about what they believe. Some of us even took on the challenge of squeezing ourselves into card-board boxes in memory of those kept isolated in horrific jail conditions for days, weeks or even months at a time.
Later we tried to follow in the footsteps of Christians who spend their lives in fear: hiding and running from their persecutors. Actually, we were running from Tim-and his infamous ‘secret police’ who were responsible for the disappearance of a multitude of young, not-quite-fast-enough undergrounders during Ruth’s genuinely terrifying wide-game. As we tried to follow the clues and complete the tasks we ended with a better understanding of how hard it is to keep practicing your faith, when you constantly have to watch for your hunters. As groups were split up, and Tim became more determined, teams found it virtually impossible to keep going, hiding in bushes or giving themselves up. While after an hour we were able to return to the ranch, later to worship and pray around our brilliantly constructed bonfire without fear of reprisals, I hope we are now determined not to forget the millions outside of Standlake and England who will never be able to stop running.
For me probably the greatest challenge of the weekend was our fresh look at the Bible, known by Brother Andrew and many others as ‘the Dangerous book’. Do we take it for granted? How much do we really look into it, and apply it to our lives? Do we reach for it as much as we should?
We tried to catch some of the passion of the Persecuted Church as we made written copies of the book of Philippians, a task made us realise the enormous commitment of those who will copy or even memorise huge sections of a book which is so readily available in our own country. What is it that makes the Persecuted Church so different? Perhaps that they answer to what we looked at as the ‘four callings’ – to conversion, discipleship, apostleship and martyrdom. Not that being a Christian will necessarily mean any more than the first, but our call is still to be prepared to pay the ultimate price.
‘If we haven’t found something worth dying for-we haven’t found anything worth living for” or as Paul put it “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”.
The determination, passion and joy of the Persecuted Church in responding to their call, to be like lights in the darkness, are a massive inspiration, but also a huge challenge.
Beyond the serious times, underground weekend 2008 was also a time of new experiences and learning for lots of us. We discovered some pretty impressive food. We found that you can fit at least twenty people on a rope bridge built for one and that you can play pool on a table which slopes towards the centre. We also recorded the first ever full version of the underground ‘Jump on it’ dance, with special thanks to our Will Smith role model. Keep your eyes open on YouTube for that!