MAX Central

Dates

Sunday 26/07 – Saturday 01/08

Arrivals and Departures

Please arrive between 14:00 and 15:30 on the Sunday. If you are going to be later than this please email admin@contagious.org.uk in the weeks beforehand or Abby on the day (her number will be sent to you in a parent’s email).

There is a car park where parents can drive up to for drop off and pick up near the astroturfs. Registration will take place in Gavin Hall so please make your way there upon arrival. There are toilets for parents and families to use as well as refreshments. Our medical/pastoral officers will be on hand if you need to speak to them or hand over any medicine.

On the final day parents are welcome to arrive between 11:25 and 11:50. We will have a final meeting where parents are invited to join us and hear about what the young people have been learning about throughout the week.

We will then have a picnic lunch at 13:00. Lunch is provided for young people and leaders but parents will need to bring their own food.

Parents are welcome to take their young people have any time from then.

accommodation

Room sizes vary between the boarding houses from single rooms to seven in a room. No young person will have an en suite – all the bathrooms will be shared. We have tried our best to honour requests, however not everyone will get their first choice.

All bedding is provided but please bring a towel.

What to bring

• Clothing appropriate for a range of weather and activities
• Shoes including those suitable for running/activities
• Bible (We will be teaching from the New International Version)
• Pens (young people will be provided with their own teaching booklets for writing notes in)
• Swimwear
• Clothing suitable for water games
• Old clothing suitable for potentially being dyed (for colour wars, you may want to bring a white t-shirt)
• Smart / fancy clothes for day off activity
• Toiletries, sun cream, hat and sunglasses
• A water bottle
• Small light up alarm clock or watch (young people will not have their phones overnight)
• Sports equipment, games, musical instruments for free time (please note these are brought at your own risk)
• Money for the tuck shop and bookstall (we have a card reader)

PLEASE DO NOT include any snacks that contain nuts as we have others attending who have severe nut allergies.

Photographs and social media

We are hoping to take some general photos or videos during the week that may be used for publicity, uploaded on our website or shared on social media sites.

If you have particular concerns about social media, photographs or publicity, please inform us by emailing admin@contagious.org.uk.

Mobile Phone policy

Young people at Contagious MAX may bring their phones to Contagious and use them throughout the day during breaks.  NO phones are to be used during teaching sessions unless as part of the activity or required. Phones should be switched off or on silent during teaching sessions and at other times all users should act responsibly to avoid distracting themselves and others from engaging with people and activities.  If any attendee of Contagious uses their phone in an inappropriate or immoral way then we reserve the right as leaders to confiscate the phone and return it to them at the end of the Conference.  Any illegal use of a phone will be reported.

Young people will not be allowed their phones overnight. These will be collected in at bedtime.

MEDICAL, Pastoral and Dietary Information

If you wish to update anything less than six weeks before the conference please email admin@contagious.org.uk. This is because we often pull the relevant information for each Conference from the booking website around six weeks before the conference, and by emailing us we can make sure that the necessary people are notified.

Expectations

When you booked onto Contagious, we asked you to agree to our terms and conditions. You can access them here. In particular, please note our expectations with regards to behaviour throughout the week. 

Contacting us

You should have contact information from the parent communication email that you have been sent (this is usually about a month before the conference).

If you have any non-urgent enquiries that you can also contact Contagious at admin@contagious.org.uk. In an emergency or if you can’t find the phone numbers on your email you can call our safeguarding number on 07300 044 849 and we’ll get you the information that you need.

FAQs

What does a typical day look like?

We have a busy morning so every Conference has a filling breakfast with cooked and continental options. After breakfast is our SUS group time. This is time in small groups studying the Bible together. The rest of the morning is spent in two Seminars with a break in the middle. Seminars are interactive sessions where we dig deeper into God’s word together, they are usually where we get to see the big picture of what the whole sweep of God’s word has to say about a subject. We then have lunch and afterwards it is into afternoon activities. The activities are usually split into two (or three) slots and are a mix of all-together activities and options. We then have dinner together. In the evening we have our Big Teaches. These are meetings that include games, singing, interviews and the reading and preaching of God’s word. A day at Contagious MAX then ends with some after hours activities (including toast O’clock!) before lights out at 10.45pm.

How are young people kept safe at Contagious?

We are serious about keeping all children and young people safe at Contagious. If you would like to read our safeguarding policy then you can access that here.

How can I be praying for Contagious? 

We would love it if you could be praying for us throughout the week! It is only through God’s word applied to the hearts of the young people through the Holy Spirit’s work that lives are changed. Please be praying for faithful teaching and for hearts opened to the good news of the gospel. For particular points for prayer check out our dedicated page.

What is being taught at Contagious this year?

This summer we’ll be seeking the Way of Wisdom in the book of Proverbs, and see how this points us to the fact that it is only through union with Christ that true wisdom can be found.

Proverbs invites us to listen to the words of wisdom from a father to his son, written to encourage youth to grow in wisdom. This summer we want to see lives shaped and changed as we listen to God’s wisdom for all of life. Proverbs is both poetic and practical. It is not just a series of moral sayings but is a story that is filled with rich truths and points us forward to Christ.