3GEN 2025

3GENERATE 2025 Circuit Youth Weekend Away

Barnsley Circuit Youth & Hemsworth Youth Group Big Fishes travelled to
Birmingham s NEC again to join more than 1800 other young people
& hundreds of volunteer leaders for this year s 3GENERATE. There
where children aged 4 to 7 years old (who came for the day on
Saturday) & young people aged 8 to 17 years old (who were there from
Friday 3rd until Sunday 5th October) & explored what is means to take their next steps in living a Methodist
way of life. The whole weekend centred around the theme, Journey of
a Lifetime , with promises of faith, friendships & unforgettable
experiences. We were not disappointed!

Many of our young people had been to previous 3GEN events over the last 4 years, but
this was so much bigger, better & on a different level than before.

Thevenue hosted so many different areas from Comms Corner, Creation
Station, Discovery Centre, Foundry, Globe, Great Outdoors, Health &
Wellbeing, In the Beginning, Leisure Centre, Orb Stage, Refresh, Sound
Studio, Tech Hub, The Lounge, The Park, The Portal, Theatre Royal,
Town Hall to the Village Green (& The Well for the Leaders).

The Orb Stage was one of the favourite venues for the weekend s worship,
as well as large scale performances, presentations & shows. We had
the Silent Disco, opening worship with Taylor & Co, Wake & Shake
with the National Youth Brass Band, Big Worship with Saintz, Journey
of a Lifetime with the Moses Brothers (a favourite amongst some of our
young people from previous years), Climate Crisis Lightning Talks,
Scratch Showcase & high energy interactive music & comedy
performances, Late Night Communion on Saturday evening, and collective
& lively worship on Sunday morning where everyone got together to
celebrate the journey of a lifetime & to see where God is taking us. We
did SO MUCH in the 48 hours we were there – we had so much fun (&
we even got a few hours sleep each night); we sang a new worship song
written for this years 3GENERATE event; we voted for the next Youth
President, just like we did last year when one of our own young people
was the successful candite; we prayed in the Town Square; we had Bible
Study in the Discovery Centre; we made crafts everything from
Japanese bracelets, kites, pinhole photography, crochet workshop,
parade banners, to face painting; we made music drum sessions,
keyboard workshops, guitar sessions, rap worksops, funkify your church
hymns, to recording a Metal Methodist Song; and we had conversations
& discussions Climate Crisis, Finding Solutions for Justice,
Find your MP & Make a Change, to Getting Ready for Uni; and we
participate in a range of physical activities, fitness, Worshipcise
(exercise to worship songs), sports and games in the Leisure Centre
area.
Many thanks to everyone who supported our Young People those who helped
with fund raising & cake baking; people who helped us financially,
so all our young people could go; everyone who was praying for us; for
those who opened up Hoyland & Birdwell chapel for us to shelter
from the rain whilst we waited for the coach; District who arranged the
transport to & from the event; & most of all, the Young People
who came with us they really are all FANTASTIC, INCREDIBLE, CARING & AMAZING & it was our pleasure as leaders to take them away! Why not check out the 3GEN website https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/ministries/children-youth-family-ministry/3generate/ or follow Barnsley Methodist Community on Facebook, where there are more pictures & stories about the event. It really was a Journey of a Lifetime , everyone had an amazing time & we can t wait until 3GENERATE 2026!