Have you ever wondered what kind of conferences Ridgecrest hosts during the summer?  Or maybe you’ve been tasked with planning a summer event next year and you’re curious about what other ministries do for summer programming.  Here are some trends that we have noticed with summer events at Ridgecrest: 

Summer is prime time for students and families.  Most of the events we host during the summer are large student conferences or family conferences and retreats.  We have some large family conferences with attendees from multiple churches, and we also have some smaller family retreats from individual church congregations.  Summer can also be a popular time for church staff retreats, and often the whole family is invited to tag along. 

Intentional speaker and worship leader line-up.  Summer is a popular season, and large events select quality speakers and worship bands to help encourage high conference attendance. 

Multi-night events. Most summer conferences stay for at least 5 days.  During the spring and fall, we host a lot of weekend events, but the summer is a time for weeklong conferences. 

Emphasis on recreation. Student events spend a lot of time outdoors taking advantage of the many recreation options at Ridgecrest.  You will see them on the High Adventure Challenge Course, Zip Line/Climbing Wall, field spaces, and playing outdoor Laser Tag.  Family events also schedule time for recreation and make use of our mini golf course, hiking trails, the Woodland Green, and indoor game room, Switchback.   

Themed gear.  In the summer, you will see all kinds of customized conference gear, including T-shirts, water bottles, lanyards, and stickers.   

Large Group Worship and Small Group Discussion.  Conference attendees come together for corporate worship and then split into smaller groups for discussion and reflection.  Family events usually offer separate programming for children and youth but sometimes choose to include them in group worship. 

Life Change.  Our Event Planners regularly share praise reports of attendees choosing to follow Christ or dedicate their lives to ministry.  We love to hear how God is at work at Ridgecrest. Hearing these impact stories is the best part of our summer. 

Full Days. Large summer events start their day first thing in the morning and have a full schedule until late evening.  With any free time that conference attendees have, you’ll find them grabbing coffee at Clouds Coffee Shop or ice cream at the Nibble Nook.  Some events take advantage of the cooler mountain evenings and reserve one of our fire rings to enjoy a time of fellowship and s’mores.  Switchback, our game room, is open late, so there’s always time for one last round of ping pong or carpetball before bed. 

Summer at Ridgecrest is a special time.  You can feel the excitement in the air, and you can see God at work as you walk around campus.  If you haven’t attended a summer event at Ridgecrest, you should plan to join us next year!  To book an event for your church or ministry, contact our Sales Department at 866.768.9048 or submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) here.