About Zones

What happens at a Zone?

Click here to view a sample schedule [PDF].

A Zone is a weekend designed for High School Youth to deepen their faith and grow in their walk with Jesus, learning what it means to be his disciples. Being a disciple is about understanding who God wants to be in our lives, who God has created us to be as members of the body of Christ, the value God gives us, the gifts we have, and learning how to listen to the call of God in our lives. These topics will be explored in depth throughout the weekend, during each of the four worship times and during the electives or "Pathways" on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

The Four Themes for Worship are:

• Friday Evening - No Other You - (Identity/Value)
  Jesus redeems us through the love of God; love so strong that God allowed Jesus to go to Calvary, love not just for the worthy but for the world.
• Saturday Morning - No Other Time - (Unique Giftedness/Present Call)
  God calls us to be his servants and witnesses in the world. We are each given specific gifts that God intends for us to use for God's glory right now. Youthful age is not an excuse to wait to live out your faith!
• Saturday Evening - No Other Savior - (Truth)
  Christ died on the cross for our sins and sacrificed everything so that we might live in eternity with our Lord and Creator. Let the love of God rule your heart and put away the old thought and action patterns.
• Sunday Morning - No Other Witness - (A Tool in the Hand of God)
  "You my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up on a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" Galatians 5:13-14.

FRIDAY:

• Registration - Register and receive your hotel keys and other valuable information about the weekend.
• Zone Warm-Up with Captive Free - Get to know the incredible people you'll be spending the weekend with! They will energize your youth immediately before every worship session begins!
• Large-Group Worship- Come together as a large group for an intense time of multi-media worship led by the house band, a challenging, Christ-centered message from the speaker, a mini-concert and praise time led by the headliner band. There will be four large-group worship times throughout the weekend.
• Adult Orientation - Participate in a time of fellowship with other adults and get an explanation of your role and what to expect during the weekend. Bring your questions!
• On-site Service Project - We will be putting our faith into action and serving God by helping combat world hunger. Together with Feed My Starving Children, we will be packaging meals that will be shipped overseas to feed children all over the world. For more information about Feed My Starving Children, go to www.fmsc.org.
• Pathway One - See below for more information. Youth will attend this or the service project while main adult leaders attend the orientation
• Late-Night Small Groups- Bond with your church group through a powerful time of devotion and discussion.

SATURDAY:

• Pathways - A small group atmosphere offered one time on Friday night following the first worship service and three times on Saturday throughout the day. These sessions give youth and adults the opportunity to dig deeper into their faith and offer a smaller group atmosphere with which to learn and discuss how various topics relate to personal faith.
• Youth Group Time-This is time set aside for you, as the youth leader, to decide what would most benefit your group. Pathway discussion questions are provided that you can lead your group through for a debriefing session on what they learned. Or, you can use it as a time to relax as a group. It's also a great time for your kids to practice their 'acts' for second stage!
• Second Stage-This is a chance for the youth to be up on stage to showcase their own God-given talents! They can use Captive Free's instruments to play a song, perform a skit, or tell a joke! These acts should be screened in advance by youth directors to ensure appropriate content. Acts should be no longer than 5 minutes each.
• Late night options- Choose one (or more!) of the many great options! The Prayer Room is open throughout the night. Also offered is a game room, challenge course (group building activities that require at least one youth leader present to lead) are other great options! Rock out to the Headliners concert for free, or check out the other options that will be specific to each Zone!
• Late-Night Worship - Before going to bed, spend a few more minutes in large-group worship and prayer.

SUNDAY:

• Leader Meeting - With caffeine included, it is an opportunity for adult leaders to receive information about the next step in the Zone model. How do we continue to disciple the youth and keep the energy they have from this weekend? How do they put into practice at home all that they learned at the retreat? Come and find out over a cup of coffee!
• Closing Worship - One last opportunity to connect with all the new people you met over the weekend and praise God for all that He did in our lives since Friday. If you are already sad to leave, don't worry, we'll be coming back next year!

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