- a Night to Remember

by Chrissy Symmons

When the vibes of last summer have well and truly faded into the background and the excitement of the festivals and having fun with your mates have vanished into the distance, then maybe it’s time to check out Ikon.

Ikon is the youth event which happens on the 2nd

it is brilliant to see so many young people from around West Cornwall

Sunday of every month at The Falmouth Beach Resort Hotel. It’s the place for the youth to meet up and spend time praising God and learning more about their lives.

Stepping into the room at 8pm the first thing I notice is the fact that all around me there are loads of people my own age standing around chatting and sipping from cans of coke. Like many other young people, I come from a church where the population is mainly older. So it is brilliant to see so many young people from around West Cornwall who have all come to share in their faith. People here are aged from 14 years to twenty something and the only older people in sight are the youth leaders who are nice enough to drive us here.

At 8.30pm we are all ushered into the next room where the lights are turned down low and the band begins to play.

The atmosphere is definitely that of the summer festival Soul Survivor, with the over head projector showing the words to Matt Redman’s tunes, accompanied by the resident rock band. People feel at home here and are free to sing, dance and praise.

With an event like this, which has had over 150 young people participating, there’s no way that we are going to get bored.

As the band finishes, everyone sits cross-legged on the floor ready to hear the speaker come and chat to us about life.

It’s great to hear someone who is really on our level speaking to us. There’s no one who speaks about what it is like to be young. The are people who actually understand what it is like for us in being young Christians in today’s world. They understand that it’s hard to be a Christian at school. They know what it’s like with our friends and encourage us to become closer to God.

“Ikon is a great place to come and worship with lots of other young people.”

But Ikon is not just for Christians. If you know anyone who is interested in God, but you don’t want to take them to your church, then this is the perfect place to invite them too. It’s as if Ikon has been designed especially for people who just want to enjoy themselves with their friends.

But don’t just take my word for it. Here is what other people think about it:

Mathew, 15, was introduced to Ikon by his youth leader. He says; “This is the second time I have come here, I really enjoyed my first time. I really like the worship.”
Kerry 16 says ; “I would bring a friend with me if they were curious. I like the worship here.”
20 year old Kate says; “Ikon is a great place to come and worship with lots of other young people.”

For more information check out Ikons new website: www.mindthegap.org.uk/ikon