Registration will open November 1, 2008. The cost for students will be $499 (early), $535 (regular), and $575 (late). Staff registration will be $499.
The new plan will allow local churches to decide who receives scholarships from their congregations. CHIC will award one free registration worth $500 to each church. The church can then grant the entire scholarship to one person or divide it among participants, says Luke Palmerlee, event coordinator for The Evangelical Covenant Church Department of Christian Formation.
In the past, students applied to national organizers for need-based scholarships, Palmerlee says. Scholarships rarely exceeded $150.
Palmerlee says churches also may choose to donate the free registration to other congregations with special needs, such as new church plants, ethnic churches, and rural churches.
A Legacy Fund also has been established so that donors can help pay for future CHIC events. Donations can be made online at Covenant Bookstore or by check.
The triennial youth event is slated for July 12-17, 2009, and will be held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
For more information, visit the CHIC website, or call the Department of Christian Formation at 1-800-910-CHIC (2442).
