Vertigo is a brand new regular Christian youth event for Oxfordshire and is a joint initiative of youth workers from across the county.
Vertigo aims to give young people access to the best Christian resources available, including dynamic and relevant biblical teaching to encourage and equip them for life at school on a Monday morning, passionate, high octane worship, fellowship with hundreds of other Christians their own age and a whole lot of fun!
Mission Statement "Calling young people together to equip and empower them to live lives that are passionate about Jesus, relevant to the world in which they live, and making a difference in their communities for the glory of God."
The concept of Vertigo: It's not easy being a Christian at school in today's secular culture. It's easy to feel alone and often the easiest thing to do is to keep your head down and go with the flow, but as poet Robert Browning once said, ".looking downward makes one dizzy."
Vertigo: "Don't look down!"
Vertigo aims to encourage and equip Christian teenagers to look up to Jesus and the life-transforming truth of the Cross and then to look around and see the "great cloud of witnesses" around us: other Christians who can support us and stand with us, and non-Christians who desperately need to hear about the difference knowing Jesus makes.
".to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
Ephesians 4:12-13 (New International Version)
Vertigo: What People Say
“Nothing replaces the steady relational youth ministry in the churches. But the chance to meet with hundreds of other young Christians for a programme that is unashamedly Christian and positively contemporary is just what young people need. It’s great to have Vertigo serving our churches and our families like this.
Vertigo combines rock solid Christian convictions, challenging teaching, engaging worship, and a whole lot of fun. This is a great recipe for bringing young people together, and it complements the strategic church-based youth ministries across the city and county.
Just what’s needed – a great youth event that is founded on solid Christian convictions and is contemporary and lively for young Christians or those exploring the faith. I hope it keeps on growing.”
Jonathan Lamb
Langham Partnership
"Over the years I have had the privilege of speaking at many youth events. Vertigo is in a league of its own. The quality of presentation, creativity and energy is fantastic. I was so impressed with the level of preparation and care shown, not just to the young people but to the visiting speaker!! Nothing was left to chance in the build up and yet there was a great openness and submission to what God wanted to do on the evening. It was a joy to be part of the team.
The heart, vision and sheer hard work of the team to impact the young people is awesome. However, I believe VERTIGO's legacy will be in church unity. It was breathtaking to watch young people from the same school, but different churches, kneel, stand and call out to God for their friends. As David wrote "It is good when brothers dwell in harmony, it's like oil running down Aarons beard". Well there weren't many beards, but a load of unity.
I pray and believe that through VERTIGO many people and their families will be touched by the Grace of God, Christians will have pride and courage to be faithful in witness at school and many more will come into the Kingdom."Steve Holloway
east2west
“Vertigo – It’s a must go – you’ll be equipped through the relevant teaching to live out Christ, you’ll be encouraged by the praise of so many like minded young people, you’ll be enthused to make a difference when it really matters at home, at school, with friends – Get there!”
Ian Lancaster
Christians in Sport
Youth Department Team Leader
“I was at Vertigo last night and it was probably the best youth event that I've ever been to. It was amazing and thought-provoking and I think it might just have made my friend turn to Jesus. The songs were amazing. It was awesome to see so many people praising God…and the atmosphere was so friendly. Tell all the guys who were involved in Vertigo that I thank them deep from the bottom of my heart.”
Rachel
Oxford Teenager
The story so far:
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see God do something BIG amongst the young people in Oxfordshire, where all the churches in the city and across the county work together to see:
• young people from every type of church (from the large city churches, to the small village chapels) learning, worshiping and developing friendships together?
• young people enjoying best resources available (speakers, bands, projects etc); resources of a higher quality than any one church could provide on their own?
• young people from smaller churches encouraged by the fact that they aren't alone and meeting other Christians from their school who can support them and work with them in their witness at school?
• these young people going back into their families, schools and communities encouraged and equipped to live out their faith day by day and working together in evangelism, social action projects and as part of vibrant and united School Christian Unions?
• an antidote to the fading spiritual highs of Summer Camps and Bible Weeks that soon disappear when our young people return home to 'real life'?
The group of youth workers behind Vertigo did, and as they cast this vision to a meeting of various youth workers in Oxford in February 2004, they were surprised by the excitement it generated. As it turned out, this is something many young people, leaders and parents have been praying about for a long time.
The response came back: "Great idea - why don't you make it happen?!"
On October 1 st 2005 they did!