Summer Training Retreat

A leader is someone who looks at the world and says it doesn’t have to be this way and does something about it!

This quote has been floating around Urban Promise for a while now and with good reason, this quote explains our street leaders! They are young, they start off with little experience but have a heart and a passion for something to change and they take the initiative to make that something happen. For the past four days I was able to be a part of the best ever training retreat to get all our street leaders, interns, staff and volunteers trained and ready for summer camp beginning next Monday. It was second time attending this yearly retreat and I was completely blown away by all the amazing things involved.  Not only does Urban Promise have the best staff members who are willing to do and try anything for the sake of fun, learning and spiritual growth but there was this atmosphere surrounding all these people of love and acceptance without any form of judgment.  Seventy five people and we truly were a family!

The street leaders amazing me, new and old! There were so many who have been involved for years and years and others who are just being now connected with Urban Promise for the very first time. They have passion to make a difference, they have a desire for their communities and most importantly they are willing to grow, they desire to grow! Their lives our tough but they value and appreciate every relationship they have.  Across the board so many amazing me with such an outstanding attitude to joy and rejoice in everything, in the cultures in our communities family is huge, its everything, you always stick with your family and these young adults consider Urban Promise their family and they stick with it!

Our theme for the entire summer and so obviously for this weekend as well was InsideOut  which deals with the issues of our hearts being so broken, wicked and in need of a change and how that change can only happen and needs to happen from the InsideOut through Christ! It is a beautiful theme of redemption and full dependence on God with no reliance in ourselves or our own strengths. This was brought home through the three sermons our Executive Director had prepared around this theme to better equip us to be able to teach others.

What better way for us to being our summer as a team going out to speak this truth to many kids and youth across our three communities in Toronto (Scarborough, Jane + Finch, Rexdale) then to be fully immersed into God’s word, worshiping, praying, competing, team building, laughing and enjoying each other! The love expressed and shown within our team of 75 scattered throughout the city of Toronto is a held together by a strong cord of love that is only there because of the work our Savior has done in each of us!