By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC
I ask myself the same question every three years as I prepare for CHIC. Is it worth the cost, hassle, and energy it requires? CHIC costs a lot. This year most of our PacNWC churches charged each student about $1,200 before scholarships and fundraising. This puts the total cost for a typical church in the $15k to $20k range. CHIC is a lot of work. Organizing a group is a huge hassle that includes promotion, Parent Meetings, planning transportation, managing a plethora of forms and fundraisers. CHIC takes up a lot of energy. I am still recovering from CHIC which ended over a week ago. Is it worth it for our denomination, for our conference and for our churches?
You won’t be surprised to hear that I think CHIC is worth it. CHIC must offer something profound to be worth this, and I believe it does.
CHIC CHANGES LIVES
CHIC 2018 was my seventh CHIC and I can state with certainty that God has worked in nearly every one of the over 100 students I have taken to CHIC. This CHIC was no exception. I had the privilege of leading a very different kind of group. We came from four different churches and several cultural backgrounds. Most had never heard of CHIC before hearing about this CHIC. We faced tragedy as one of our group suffered brain damage in a car accident just one week before we were to leave. Yet, God worked in our group and in each student’s life in a significant way. I saw students make first time commitments to the LORD. I saw students energized to live a missional life of sharing their faith and making a difference in the world. I saw students discover God’s call on their lives.
This all happens at CHIC in a way that no other event, mission trip or camp can accomplish. The variety of settings for transformation are many. We have basecamps each morning to go deep on a topic, mainstage each night to worship in powerful ways and small group times to unpack it all through conversation. The unique environment of being together with our larger church family has a strong impact on shaping identity in groups and individuals. CHIC also has a multicultural emphasis I have not seen equaled.
It is worth it to start making plans for CHIC 2021 right now. This year we had more PacNWC students and churches participate in CHIC than ever before, but we want more. We want to help our small churches, ethnic churches, remote churches and disconnected churches make it to CHIC 2021. You can help make this happen in three tangible ways:
- Pray for CHIC. The leadership team is already meeting to lay the groundwork for the next one.
- Budget for CHIC. Churches and parents can start setting money aside now to make the trip possible later. Adding $100 per month to a CHIC fund will net you over $3,000 for the next CHIC.
- Partner with another church. Partnerships come out of relationships and those can begin today. Find another church nearby and get together with them, attend Thunder and MUD together and/or plan a service together.
Contact me if I can help you make CHIC 2021 a reality for your students and church. I promise it will be worth it. erik@pacnwc.org
[Click Here] for more info on CHIC and to see replays of the mainstage sessions.