3Generate 2026 – We Were There….and Survived!

3Generate 2026 – we were there….and survived!

3Generate – the annual Connexional Methodist Youth Gathering – took place over a weekend in early October in Birmingham NEC. Four helpers took nine young people from three of our Poole Bay Circuit churches, and we shared a coach with our friends from the Eastleigh Youth Group. The journey’s highlight was a stop for fast-food at the motorway services on the way up to Birmingham!

This year's 3Generate explored the theme On The Way, a celebration of the lifelong and ever-unfolding journey of faith. On The Way invited every child and young person, whatever their starting point, to take a meaningful next step with God. Each attendee received an On The Way Adventure Book, providing a year's worth of activities and reflections.

The delivery team transformed the NEC's vast exhibition halls into a centre of fun and faith, creating more than 20 venues and welcoming over 2,600 people. The weekend was the customary mixture of high-quality activities organised by the huge 3Generate team. These included: a variety of worship & prayer styles, sports, crafts, drama, music, well-being, and study/discussion groups.

The wide range of venues ensured that every child and young person could find a space that reflected their interests. There were opportunities to explore faith and Methodism in ways that suited different stages of the young people’s spiritual journeys. Worship took many forms, from quiet reflection and prayer to vibrant gatherings where hundreds of young people danced and sang along with live bands. Elsewhere, activities ranged from rock climbing, art and basketball to discussions on anxiety and insights into daily life in the West Bank.

Gracie Silk, Youth President, had a vital role at 3Generate welcoming and hosting the young people.
“Sometimes it can feel quite isolating for a young person in the Methodist Church, especially when they come from like a smaller youth group or a rural area. To be in this space and to find out that there are other young Methodists that they can be around and they can be in fellowship with is so important.”

Daoud Nassar was an impressive speaker. His family are winners of the World Methodist Peace Award and run the Tent of Nations, an educational and ecological family farm located south-west of Bethlehem that promotes peace. He shared what life is like for those in Palestine. “It was important for me to tell the story, what we are facing as a family there, as Christians, as Palestinians, in this very difficult reality. I wanted to deliver a message of hope to the young generation that, wherever you are, you can make a difference. It would be wonderful if we could have an event such as 3Generate in Palestine, in Bethlehem, but there is no freedom of movement there and they do not have that many opportunities.”

In the Foundry venue, young people shared their lived experiences covering issues such as being a carer, coming from rural communities, ethnicity, neurodiversity and LGBT.

Thank you for remembering us in your prayers that weekend! By the time you read this at Church Council, we shall hopefully have caught up on sleep and recovered!

Kate White, God Squad Leader.