This weekend saw us say goodbye to our first cohort of "Freedom Academy" at our final retreat of the 9 month programme.
What's Freedom Academy? Well, working out how to reach and disciple the millennial generation is probably the biggest challenge facing the body of Christ today. We really sense that the amazing teaching and tools of the Freedom message that God has entrusted to us must be handed down to the next generation - and that's not going to just happen automatically. We have to be intentional about it.
And that’s why we set up Freedom Academy; a nine-month programme where we take a small cohort of 20-30’s through all our core teaching really deeply. We cover Disciple, The Grace Course, and Freed to Lead along with extra teaching on discerning God’s voice and reflections. It’s not a course we ‘lead’ - it’s a journey we 'enable', with us leaders going through the teaching and Steps to Freedom, sharing openly what God is saying to us personally as we walk with the group.
Meeting weekly via an online hub, and together in person on retreat four times, it has been an extraordinary journey for everyone involved. Lifelong friendships have been established as God has taken everyone really deep. The level of hunger and surrender amongst the group has been breath-taking and no stone has been left unturned. As we completed the programme we have been left with an excited expectation as to what God will do with them in the next chapter of their lives. We have no doubt that they will
impact the churches, communities and even countries that they are planted in!
Jess, who has been the inspiration behind Freedom Academy, says: "Enabling Freedom Academy has been an awesome privilege, and we are really excited to see who God brings onto the 2020 cohort, let's pray that God sends us another 12 that are as hungry for Him and surrendered to His will as the phenomenal 2019 cohort!"
Please pray for all on this year's Freedom Academy, that they will continue to enter into the great works that God has prepared in advance for them to do, and be ambassadors of His freedom to their generation. Please also pray for the Freedom Academy Team - Jess, Sue and Chris - as they begin to pray, plan and prepare for the next one!