13.03.2023
First Dublin Winter Madness Draws Great Crowd
The first ever Winter Madness event to take place in Dublin saw young people from across the dioceses and beyond join together for a night of worship and hearing God’s word on Saturday evening (March 11). Organised by DGYC (Dublin and Glendalough Youth Council) in association with Summer Madness, the event took place in Holy Trinity Rathmines.
Worship was led by the brilliant Holly McCullough and her band from Immanuel Church in Lurgan and prayers were led by Emma Thompson of 24/7 prayer.
The speaker on the night was the Revd Scott Evans, Deacon Intern in Kilternan Parish and UCD Chaplain. He focused on the huge pressures faced by teenagers today who, he said, have to be “constantly nailing it” as they are bombarded by images on their phones which project a certain way of life and how they “need to be”. “The pressures we face push us towards the biggest temptation, that is the temptation towards control. We are our own brand manager, our own publicist,” he observed.
Using the parable of the Prodigal Son, Scott looked at the idea of control and seeking acceptance. He said that the messages young people are bombarded with suggest that if they make the right changes in their lives, they can be loved. However, he said that the parable illustrated that we are already loved by God, no matter what we do. “You are already loved, you can’t earn it or lose it because God is love,” he said.
The Winter Madness event took place in advance of Summer Madness which takes place from June 30 to July 4 in Portglenone. Tickets are on sale now at https://www.summermadness.co.uk/
