For one week every summer, young people from London have the opportunity to leave the city – and the challenges that come with it – and encounter Jesus at the LinkUps project.

The project is not just a Christian youth retreat but a diverse experience that includes talks from Scripture, regular Bible studies, and fun outdoor activities such as abseiling, raft building, and sailing.

Many who attend are going through things most young people will never go through. Many come from difficult situations at home. Some have been the victims of violence.

“Everyone’s bringing their own baggage – and this is on top of all the other things teenagers deal with, like the stress of exams and navigating friendships,” shares Adam Boyce, LCM Missionary and LinkUps coordinator.

Through the love and care that leaders and church volunteers pour into these young people, they begin to understand more of the love Jesus has for them. While some have come not knowing much about the project, others who grew up coming to the retreat have given their lives to Jesus because of it.

Impact on young people

These are people like Arrielle, who is now a young adult leader at the project for the fourth year.

“I grew up coming to LinkUps. It’s changed how I study the bible. I got to see who God is and what Jesus came to earth to do. God is so good. There is no way I can explain to you how good God is. Honestly, I was born again at LinkUps. This project was where I took my faith seriously,” Arrielle explains.

“I keep returning to LinkUps because this is my way of serving the Lord. I’ve always wanted to help people, especially those who can easily fall through the cracks of society. The young people who come here aren’t seen how they should be seen. And I want to make sure they have a space where they feel comfortable, where they feel safe and get to know that Jesus loves them.”

The young people at LinkUPs have varying levels of experience of church, but as Adam describes, God has been meeting them where they are.

“We’ve seen professions of faith from people who came to LinkUps not knowing what the gospel is, and we’ve seen people maturing in their faith across the years.”

Growing church partnerships

More churches are now getting involved with LinkUps. Last year, ten young people from LCM partner church, Stockwell Baptist, came to the project.

“Our youth were feeling at home from the very beginning”, says Pastor Nate.

“We could see them in the raw – from the arguments, the sad back stories – to the joy and interests they have. Being in that for a week and seeing where they’re at with Jesus … is invaluable.”

But there was a more significant impact on the church when they returned to Stockwell.

“Before LinkUps, we hosted our youth group fortnightly after the Sunday service. But it lacked continuity. We would sometimes just have one young person join us.

“Now we’re meeting with them twice a week – after church but on Friday nights as well. We had about 15 young people with us the other night.

“LinkUps brought them together in a way they hadn’t experienced before. And those connections have continued after the week away.”

This summer, four London churches, including Stockwell Baptist, brought young people from their youth groups to LinkUps.

If your church would like to be involved in reaching young people with the gospel, please visit lcm.org.uk/young-people and get in touch. We’d be delighted to hear from you!