April 2019

New venue announced for Limitless Festival 2020

Tim Alford talks with Mike Pilavachi about the final Soul Survivor festival this summer and why he is encouraging young people to engage with Limitless Festival in 2020 at its new location.

After 26 years of stunning ministry, the Soul Survivor festivals will be coming to an end in the summer of 2019, leaving a legacy of countless transformed lives. But there will not be a void for young people, with Mike Pilavachi and the Soul Survivor team encouraging youth groups to engage with Limitless Festival in the summer of 2020.

Part of this transition will see a move for Limitless Festival from Malvern to Stafford Showground, the location that currently hosts Soul Survivor Week A. In this interview, Tim Alford sat down for a little chat with Mike Pilavachi about the coming end of Soul Survivor, and why he and the Soul Survivor team are encouraging young people to engage with Limitless Festival in 2020.

Keep reading to find out more and see how your youth leaders can discover Limitless Festival for the first time with a free day pass for 2019.

Tim: So Mike, I think probably a lot of us were surprised when earlier this year you put an announcement out to say that Soul Survivor, the festivals, we're coming to an end after 2019. For those who didn't catch your video or announcement what was that about, because we look at it and we say it's so fruitful and God's doing amazing things still, so why I call that to a close?

Mike: I could take ages answering that but the bottom line - the main thing is because we really, really believe that God told us. There's not really another reason. We believe God spoke to us and said we were to lay it down.

And also, I am convinced and passionate that the things that are going to follow, that we want to support with all our hearts, are gonna be for the next season. That we were for a season and that those that are gonna follow are going to do it better than us. It won't be exactly the same. It'll be similar values. And we're passing the baton and they're going to take it further.

Tim: So the day before you made that announcement through your social channels, you gave me a call. You were in some other country somewhere. It was 10:30 at night. It was weird actually cos I was in bed because I go to bed about 9:30pm and I always turn my phone on to airplane mode at night. But for whatever reason, I just forgot to do it that night.

Mike: No? I didn’t know that.

Tim: Yeah. So it was bizarre because I would have missed it otherwise. And so my phone rings and it's you. And you tell me: 'Listen. We're making this announcement tomorrow and we would like to help young people transition from Soul Survivor into Limitless Festival.' Why? Why did you see Limitless Festival as an event that you would have confidence in young people engaging with from 2020?

Mike: I could say all sorts of things to that which would all be true. Like, I went to your Gathering event last October and I loved it.

What I loved was that it was accessible to young people the worship. It was Jesus focused. The teaching was fantastic apart from the session I did and there was a sense of community, a sense of family. There was very little hyper manipulation of them. You weren't constantly selling them things but the main thing was you guys loved them - you're doing it because you loved them.

And it was like oh my goodness it feels like coming home. I love this, I love this.

We long for those that we want to support, cheer on and encourage to be those who above all else, they love young people and they want to serve them. And you guys do that and in your teaching, I think you've got you guys have got lots of gifts in teaching. We've got you and Laura coming again this coming summer to teach at our Soul Survivor festival.

Your worship is, like I said, just Jesus focused and you're open to the ministry of the Spirit. And it's about community. So you'll do it in a different way to us and you should do. Why do you want to do it like us? You'll do it better, but it's a similar value and it's a similar heart. I can't wait to cheer you on. I shall come along to one day of that festival on my Zimmer frame to go around moaning and complaining, and trying to get kids to buy me cups of coffee and chocolate.

Tim: We'll make sure we've got one of those like golf carts to take you around.

Mike: That's what I need.

Tim: It's encouraging to hear you say that, 'cause of our values. One is that family is our heart. One of the main things we want to do in our gathering moments is to create that sense of community and the other is that service is our posture.

Like you said, it's all about serving the youth leaders who are there serving the young people, ensuring that they have time both together as a group and with God that's going to impact their year and impact their lives.

Mike: Wonderful! I can't wait for it to start. So Tim, let me ask you a couple of questions.

First one is what would you say the values and the particular ethos of Limitless is?

Tim: Yes. So when we think about Limitless Festival we talk about these three things: community, connection and change.

So community is about creating that space where young people feel part of something bigger. One of our core values of the ministry of Limitless is that family is our heart. We want people to feel that whatever kind of church background they're from love, they are valued, appreciated and part of something bigger than themselves.

Connection. I really believe that the quality of a young person's Christians friendships can often be make-or-break for the longevity of their faith. So we want to create spaces where friendships can be made and relationships can be built both within youth groups and with other groups as well.

So that's the whole kind of connection piece. But it's also about connection with God and ultimately it's about us about change.

We know that God is faithful that when we draw near to him he draws near to us. We are intentional about creating space for the ministry of the Spirit. And to do that in a way that would be quite similar I guess to a Soul Survivor and we've learnt loads from you and you've come to teach our leaders about that and we've taken a load of that stuff on board.

We really want to make sure that it's not so program driven that we program the Holy Spirit out of our meetings.

So those three things: community, connection and change.

Then one of our core values is Limitless as well as that fun is our spirit, so it's really important to us that we also create a space where youth leaders and young people can be confident that they'll come and just have a really good time.

But also confident in inviting their mates who aren't Christians. We're really careful about the language that we use to make sure that we're inclusive of people who aren't Christians because we long to see young people come into faith as well. So I think those are probably some of the key things.

Mike: That all sounds great but I need to need to say to you - that's all fine but you've left out a huge ingredient that it is vital!

Tim: Teach me

Mike: Food! Will there be cake?

Tim: There's always cake! There's a cafe.

Mike: Well you're there. You don't need to say any more. That's fantastic.

Now, Limitless is has come out of the Elim group of churches but this Festival that you're really launching in a new way, it's for the whole church, isn't it? Tell us about that.

Tim: Yeah absolutely right. So just as Soul Survivor is part of the Church of England but is an event for churches of all denominations, so Limitless is part of the Elim Movement but is an event for churches of all denominations.

So people can feel really confident that whether they're from the Church of England or they're Baptist or whatever it may be, they're absolutely welcome. Nobody's going to feel like a second-class citizen. Everybody's going to be welcomed on equal ground and equal standing.

It will be equally as accessible for young people from all kinds of church backgrounds and denominations. We can't wait to see that family and community extend come 2020.

Mike: That's wonderful. So an event for the whole church. Wonderful!

Then finally, this summer you've got a Limitless Festival and it will be slightly smaller but there's an opportunity for youth leaders to come and to get get a taste. Tell us about that.

Tim: Yes. I'm consciousness as a youth leader in a local church that I feel a real responsibility for our young people. I would feel really nervous about taking them to something that I'd not seen or experienced. I'm not sure how confident I would feel about some of the things you mentioned

What's the teaching going to be like? What's the ministry gonna be like? Is this gonna be a space where they're going to encounter God? Am I confident to bring the young people in my youth group who aren't Christians?

Those things would all be real concerns for me. So what we wanted to do is encourage people who have been part of the Soul Survivor community to go to Soul Survivor in 2019. Celebrate all that God has done over the last 26-27 years. But in preparation for 2020 why not come and visit Limitless Festival 2019 for a day?

So we're offering four free guest passes for a day per church. Two for youth leaders and two for young people, so that you can come for a day for free and just get a feel for that event ahead of 2020.

That's open to everyone they just need to pop on the website limitlesselim.co.uk/festival.

They click a link there and they can apply for those free places in 2019.

Mike: Brilliant and I just want to say as we finish this, we want to support these guys with all our hearts. We love them. We know they have integrity. We know they have a passion for young people and we have seen them equip and encourage and empower young people to live for Jesus.

So come along to Limitless. I'm going to be visiting for a day and I can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do.

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