Filming for Academy

Three years ago our JV leadership team began JV Winter Academy, a training event for our team to bring everyone up to speed on everything related to serving with Josiah Venture! 

That includes going more deeply into our vision and mission, the strategy of Christ for discipleship, learning the tools we've developed over the years for reaching and discipling young people, and equipping our team to be healthy spiritually and emotionally for ministry. 

Everyone who goes through Academy does so over the course of two years, one week at a time in the month of January up at Malenovice. 

In January this year, when we held our third year of Academy, we had no idea what was coming the rest of the year. And how that would impact us going forward. We've had to think into 2021, and ask the Lord how we can continue to equip our team despite coronavirus. 

Winter Academy filming has just taken place to meet that need! 

Dave and the training team spent 8 hours yesterday and today, filming all the content for Winter Academy in case it has to fully go online. 

They filmed in Ostrava, at a very cool theater location (the home of a church that used to meet there before restrictions caused churches to go online), with our communications team bringing every piece of equipment necessary to make this happen. They are AMAZING at what they do!!

Not only was teaching filmed, but also conversations and interviews with team members from around the whole region as they shared personal stories of how they've applied the content of what's being taught.  

Because we still have hope for meeting in person, we've postponed Winter Academy until March this coming year. If we do get to meet, these videos will be used so that more time can then be spent with staff in dialogue and conversation applying what they've learned.

And if we can't meet in person? Well, then the videos will be there and we'll do a lot of Zoom meetings after watching them, to have those discussions! 

The pandemic is forcing us to creatively innovate and look for solutions to continue pressing towards our vision to equip young leaders to fulfill Christ’s commission through the local church as we pray for God's movement among young people in this region of the world. 

We still love what we get to do, and pray that God will take our "loaves and fishes" and multiply them for the advance of His Kingdom!!