On New Year Holidays we took a trip to Finland and Norway. In Rovaniemi, Finland, we attended a prayer conference. This is an annual event, every year Dec 30 thru Jan 2. That is the best way to meet the New Year – to be together as a family, with the Church, worshiping, praying and listening to the Word. It was good time indeed.
Right after it we drove to Hatteng, Troms, Norway. That is 7 hours straight North from Rovaniemi. The purpose of this long drive through darkness and snow was meeting Leif Braaten, the leader of Norwegian branch of YWAM. A year before we had some ideas of having a bigger meeting for men in Northern Norway with some serious and ultimate message and unusual format. During this year we exchanged more ideas and thoughts about it, and we were going to meet and make some plans and set the agenda. As the result we scheduled a 4 day meeting for men for Jul 2 – 5 with Jul 6 – 8 extension. Here’s the document we developed:
Nordic Men’s Base Camp 2015
I. The Purpose and the Idea:
1. Help men get to know God as the Father. What it really means to be His son.
2. Help men get to know themselves: why they are the way they are, what shaped them in the past, in the childhood. Help them learn how to deal with that in a healthy and responsible way.
3. Find out the Biblical view on manhood – according to the Act of Creation, the fall and everything that followed. Define what the original sin is and how it affects us now as men.
4. Make a clear Biblical definition of manhood.
5. Help men find friends and build friendships that will last. Build accountability partnerships.
6. Provide a safe place for men to help solve specific men’s issues, like pornography, sex outside of marriage, same sex attraction and other unwanted sexual behavior.
7. Be true with God and each other, have real fun time.
8. Introduce unbeliever men to the real living God.
Resume: help Nordic men take their true place in the Kingdom (i.e. family, church, community), learn their calling and be free and equipped to fulfill this calling.
II. Practical tips.
1. Timing
The meeting must be annual. We need to think and fix the dates of future meetings. The best would be to have it at the same time every year.
2. Location.
We need to decide, whether we have this meeting at the same place every year, or whether we change location.
3. Participants.
The meeting is aimed to reach the men of the North – Norway, Finland, Sweden and north of Russia. But men from other places are very welcome, too!
III. Men’s meting 2015.
1. Dates: July 2 – 6, 2015 (Thursday through Sunday)
2. Location: Borgen YWAM base, Hatteng, Troms.
3. Topics.
– The history of the manhood crisis.
– Biblical definition of manhood.
– creation of the first man
– creation of the woman
– the fall
– Adam & Jesus
– The definition
– friendship and brotherhood/accountability
– The unwanted sexual behavior issue, + workshops
All those are optional. We can exclude something or add something. Also, we will need to create the long-term program for the following meetings.
4. Speakers.
1. Igor Sokolov, Senior Pastor, Harvest Church, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2. Jay R. Heck, Leader of Alamo Band of Brothers, San Antonio, Texas
3. Yuriy Belonozhkin, Leader of Manhood Forge North, Murmansk region, Russia.
Jul 6 – 8. A hike across the mountains and tundra. 2 nights in the tents. 10 – 14 miles each day. Arctic char and brown trout fishing on the way. Possible route: Alta – Lakselv.
Men from the US are very much welcome, too!
