2025 Youth Lock-In (Info + RSVP)
SAVE THE DATE
Monday, December 29, 2025 — YOUTH LOCK-IN AT UNIVERSITY CHURCH
CONTACT
Min. Jeremy Young: (312) 841-4188 or jeremy@universitychurchchicago.org
Pastor Julian DeShazier: Julian@UniversityChurchChicago.org
With so many complaints about “nothing” to do after Christmas and before school restarts, we created the Youth Lock-In back in 2013 to give our church youth a chance to fellowship together in a safe, loving space. Soon we expanded the invitation to other church youth groups, and one year had 11 (!) youth groups in attendance! We are back again this December, and would love to have you join us. Here are the details, because of course you have questions!
WHEN: Monday, December 29, 2025, beginning at 7pm and ending on Tuesday morning, December 30th, at 7am. Pickup time is 7AM SHARP.
WHERE: University Church, 5655 S. University Church, Chicago, IL, 60637
WHAT: a “lock-in” in the most traditional sense…the building will be closed to entry or exit, secured and monitored by chaperones the entire night, with food and activities occurring throughout the whole time. Phones are discouraged except when necessary to contact/update parents and guardians, and all of our activities encourage positive engagement with their peers and possible new friends. Some of our confirmed activities include
- Concert/Mini-worship feat. J.Kwest
(do one of your youth want to sing/dance/rap/spoken word?) - room for video and board games
- room for karaoke
- Nerf team activities (think laser tag, dodgeball, etc)
- areas for quiet conversation and prayer
- food all night (dinner, snacks, and breakfast, with all dietary restrictions and allergies considered)
- separate sleeping areas for boys and girls (on separate floors)
WHO: all UChurch youth, their friends, and other youth groups! There is no age requirement – think 5th grade-HS senior. All personality types are welcome and will have something to engage them. All youth groups must send at least one chaperone for every five kids they register, with a minimum of one chaperone for every youth group attending (kids attending as part of UChurch or as friends of UChurch members are not required to bring a chaperone; the church will provide chaperones at a 1:5 ratio for our youth)
THERE IS NO COST FOR THIS EVENT. YOU MUST RSVP THOUGH, by contacting Min. Jeremy Young via the information above or using the link below:
LINK TO RSVP FOR LOCK-IN
Again, you MUST RSVP for EACH participant. For safety reasons, only those that RSVP will be allowed into the building.
QUESTIONS YOU ARE ASKING RIGHT NOW:
This is weird. I don’t know you. Why would I drop off my kids?
Great question, and considering the safety of your child should be your highest priority. It is ours as well. All of our staff have criminal background checks, and you can actually stay and be a chaperone for a portion or all of the evening. All rooms will be monitored constantly, no youth will be encouraged to (or able to) sneak off outside or in a secret room in the building, and boys and girls will be separated if they choose to sleep. In our 12 years we have never had an incident, and we have a strict conduct policy which every youth must sign upon entry (any violations and you will need to come pick them up). We take having fun seriously, and we take safety more seriously.
Wait, explain the chaperone thing again??
In short: if you are a parent of a UChurch youth (or your child is attending at the invitation of a UChurch youth) you do not need to stay the entire night, although you are welcome to! If you are part of a youth group from a different church, you must provide at least one chaperone for every five youth you register, with a minumum of one adult chaperone coming with each youth group. All chaperones must stay the entire night.
More questions? Need to talk to an actual human about this?
No worries. Contact Min. Jeremy or Pastor Julian at the info above.
We hope to see you December 29!!!