Soul Mates House Party 2024

Soul Mates House Party 2024 took place in Cork Methodist Church, Ardfallen from Saturday 14th to Sunday 15th of September. One of the volunteers, Sophia, reflects on her time at the event.

It has been two weeks since the Soul Mates House Party (SMHP), and I’m still reminiscing about what a fantastic weekend it was for both the volunteers and the children. The 24-hour event was held at Ardfallen Church, from 2 p.m. on Saturday to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Having helped out last year, I was excited to be part of it again this time around.

I drove up on Saturday with my niece, Anamay, who is 10 years old. It was her second year attending, and just like last time, she quickly made new friends. I, too, had attended SMHP as a child and have so many fond memories of it. It was always such an uplifting weekend, and I still remember some of the sessions and verses I learned during those weekends. I also recall encountering the Holy Spirit during one of the sessions as a child. The verse from Philippians 3:14 still sticks with me: I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

One of the highlights of SMHP is always the movie-making. Although we missed our legendary friend Ray Starski this year, that didn’t stop us from creating some hilarious, creative films based on different Bible stories. Each one was done in a unique genre. For example, there was a documentary about David and Goliath and even a horror film about Joseph and his colourful coat!

The theme for the weekend was “being a light,” and we learned a verse from Matthew 5:16. We also sang and did actions to some amazing songs like Lighthouse, Praise, Great Great Brill Brill, and Lord, I Lift Your Name on High. Despite getting only a few hours of sleep on the floor, the kids were still bursting with energy.

On Sunday morning, we attended the church service, where we had the pleasure of hearing Surina speak, who had spoken to us also on Saturday. We even got to perform actions in front of the congregation for one of the songs. Afterward, we enjoyed a potluck meal with the church community before it was time to pack up and head home.

It’s incredible how much fun and activity you can pack into just 24 hours. A big thank you to the team at IMYC for organising the weekend down to the finest details. See you next year!

- Sophia Kingston