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Tidal Impact is a youth summer mission tour held every two years in Atlantic Canada with the two-fold purpose of leadership training for youth and serving the local community. The model for the event is that local churches invite visiting churches to partner with them in a week of mission and ministry. The local churches provide billet accommodations and some of the meals, and the visiting church youth groups provide ministry muscle to go along with that of the hosts as together they impact their community. Dynamic worship experiences bring together all the participating churches. There are also opportunities for sharing experiences together as youth make friends from across the country and around the world.

History
In the early 1960’s David Watt and Jim Chang, of “Operation Mobilization” began taking college and career teens on a mission-focused tour of the Maritime Provinces in Canada leading rallies for youth.

In the 1980’s an internship program was developed by First Baptist Church in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, in conjunction with Acadia Divinity College, to promote teen leadership. These young leader’s chief responsibilities consisted of Community outreach and youth “Mission tours”. It is in this setting that the term “Mission Tour” was coined among Atlantic Canadian Baptist youth and young adults. These Mission Tours included pairing up with local Churches in activities such as children’s outreach and ministries of compassion. An example of these ministries would be park evangelism and feeding the hungry.

The first joint mission tour took place in 1989 between current and former First Baptist alumni in southwestern New Brunswick, Canada. This event followed the already established model put forth by First Baptist Church.

With the increase in the number of Youth Pastors in the Maritimes these mission tour exchanges grew in popularity. This led to “Urban Impact” in 1992 hosted by Baptist and Wesleyan Youth Pastors in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. This mission tour helped youth pastors to recognize the importance of ministry training and the need for local Church partnership.

Subsequent mission tours included Moncton, NB in 1995, Hamilton, ON in 1996, Halifax, NS in 1997, Moncton, NB in 1998, Halifax, NS in 2000. This was the first time the African United Baptist Association joined the mission tour. It was out of these mission tours that it was determined a common name was needed to give this event an identity. In that “Tidal Impact” was born.

The first Tidal Impact took place in two cities simultaneously in Moncton and Saint John, New Brunswick in 2002 where 1100 youths attended. Due to the rapid growth of Tidal Impact, it was decided that it needed to be under the leadership of the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches. Tidal Impact has since taken place biennially with the exception of 2008 due to the World Baptist Youth Alliance in Leipzig Germany.

Schedule
In the afternoons the larger groups are divided into three smaller groups A, B and C. (This schedule shows Group A activities.)

Leadership
The Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches (CABC) staff in conjunction with the Atlantic Baptist Youth Executive and Youth Pastors and lay leadership from the host sites work together over a two year period to plan and lead this event. Each visiting youth group and their host church plan their joint community mission project together.

Tidal Impact has proven itself a successful platform for adolescent leadership development. This leadership development is inspired by leaders and mentors who have received training from institutions such as: Acadia Divinity College, Crandall University and the International Baptist Theological Seminary.

Impact
During the week participants are involved in a number of projects that benefit the local community such as:


 * Facility Restoration (camps, parks, local churches, community services)


 * Various service Projects


 * Serving in soup kitchens,


 * Food drives


 * Working at local food banks


 * Community Fun days


 * Community Cleanup (school yards, parks)


 * Bible Day Camps


 * Serving Senior Citizens (yard clean up, painting)
 * Programs for Senior Citizens in hospitals and nursing homes

Related Events
The Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches hosts a variety of Youth focused activities through the year:


 * Potential Impact


 * Link


 * Oasis


 * Island Adventure Mission Tour


 * Springforth


 * Parent and Teen Mission Trip

Future Events
Tidal Impact 2013 will take place August 3 - 10 in the Halifax Regional Municipality and Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. A planning team has already begun preparations to host youth from across North America and Europe.