11.05.2016
Anois 2016 to Draw Inspiration From the Legends of the Faith
‘Legends of the Faith’ will inspire the young people who attend Anois 2016 which takes place from October 29 to 31. Anois is an annual residential weekend organised by the Church of Ireland Youth Department (CIYD) for young people of secondary school age from across the island.
The venue this year is Wilson’s Hospital School, Multyfarnham, County Westmeath and the Anois team will be encouraging young people to explore faith ‘Now’. During the weekend they will learn from the Bible, praise God, pray and have as much fun together as they can possibly squeeze into one weekend.
This year’s theme ‘Legends of the Faith’ will focus on exploring the stories of Old Testament heroes and look at how their stories can inspire Christians to live out their faith in their everyday lives. This year’s main speaker will be the Revd Alan Breen, a former youth leader and a Curate in the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough.
Anois 2016 was officially launched on Saturday (May 7) at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute in Dublin during a Connect day for youth leaders. Speaking at the launch, one of the organisers, Edward Hardy, said that Anois 2016 would be the 12th gathering and they had featured a range of speakers in a range of venues over the years. “Anois has grown to become an all island event and it has been wonderful to see the numbers increase and new people come. Many young people return again and again and later come back as leaders,” he commented.
CIYD Youth Ministry Development Officer (southern region), Amy McCrea, explained that the theme ‘Legends of the Faith’ was based on Hebrews 11 and 12 and would help young people learn from the inspirational lives of faith in the Old Testament. She urged all the youth leaders present to go out and tell people about the event.
Over the weekend there will be Bible teaching, sung praise and worship, small group times for exploration, discussion and prayer, inflatable’s and activities, a chill zone, pamper zone, giant games, a sacred space, paintballing and much more.
The cost is of booking is €80 with a 50 percent discount for siblings. Transport to and from Wilson’s Hospital will be available from almost everywhere in Ireland. This costs €20 per child and will be supervised so that small numbers of young people travelling without a leader will be accommodated.
Online booking and payment will be available at www.ciyd.org/anois. Bookings must be received no later than Sunday October 23.
Photo captions: Youth leaders and coordinators at the launch of Anois 2016 at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute.