Food trucks, firepits, and candlelit tables made for a cozy night of music and fellowship for Catholic young adults attending the second Fire in the Valley event.

he focus of the Victoria Day weekend gathering was helping young men and women build community, and with the live music, dancing, and lawn games it proved successful, with nearly 400 spreading over the Abbotsford farm acreage.

Propane fires and food trucks were among the draws for the hundreds of young people attending Fire in the Valley.

Event organizer Heather Khym, co-founder of Life Restoration Ministries which hosted Fire in the Valley, was delighted by the high turnout, which prompted organizers to freeze ticket sales.

Religious were on hand to take part in Fire in the Valley, including some who tried their hand at a giant game of Jenga.

Organizers hope Fire in the Valley and other Life Restoration events will help counter growing trends of anxiety and depression in young adults. In addition to Fire in the Valley, the ministry puts on retreats and praise and worship nights to help address the social problems arising from young people’s growing sense of disconnection and loneliness.

There was plenty of music for listening and dancing at Fire in the Valley.

The aim is to fill a need in people’s lives, said Khym. “Where are the holes? There are not a lot of options for young [Catholic] adults to meet.”

Life Restoration Ministries is focused on creating “environments of encounter, where people can draw close to God, experience restoration, and become fully alive.” It hopes by focusing on connection Catholics and others “will come closer to God, and to each other.”