European SFCers gathered for the European Season Closer at the end of every season. People from France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy joined. The purpose of this event is to celebrate all God did throughout the season, share stories, and cast a vision for the summer and next season. Often, attendees will have conversations about what went well throughout the season and what didn’t. Unlike the Opener, the Season Closer is usually less structured and revolves around celebration and time together. Despite the laid-back schedule, Cedric, SFC’s European Director, chose to host a vision casting night this time. Many attended. They discussed their hopes for next season and brainstormed what SFC Europe needs. This was a massive year for SFC Europe; he could sense the excitement for another big season.
During the first day of the event, all attendees headed to the slopes to shred. Despite the fog and low visibility, the snow conditions were incredible. Everyone spent time together warming up over coffee and taking a break from the elements. The crew gathered Friday night and shared the fantastic happenings across Europe this Winter. Cedric told stories from his many T.I.M.E. Travel trips across the continent. SFC France became an official non-profit! Yannick, his wife, their newborn baby, and Jonathan Lepal make a large portion of France’s efforts. Yannick shared that many Christian riders from across the country have popped up over the past year and gotten connected. It made sense for SFC France to become an official non-profit. Yannick is the excited visionary, and his wife is the organized behind-the-scenes type. They make the perfect team to continue paving the pathway forward for SFC France. Lisa’s work in Innsbruck (which we shared about in a previous blog post) officially joined efforts with Live Ex, an action sports ministry in Austria. David Vika shared about ACTS, an action sports network partnered with SFC.
Among all the major victories this season across Europe, there were a few things to celebrate about this season’s Ender event itself. First off, Europe had an all-time low snow season. Many areas experienced high temperatures throughout the Winter and very few storms. However, Cedric expressed the week before the Ender, “We were blessed with a large dump of powder!” He said a more minor storm rolled through the day before the event started. Even though the first day of the event had low visibility, the sun came out on the last day! And that night, after riding, the crew fellowshipped over a bonfire. Secondly, many families attended the closer this year, making for a multigenerational event. From three-month-old babies to teenagers to adults and even empty nesters, various ages gathered together to close out the season.
The Euro Ender was a hit, as always. Cedric described it as a “heartwarming gathering.”