My colleague and I are laughing about a great e-mail from one of the workers in the Diocese who mused that her invitation to teens to informally pray in pairs at the end of a meeting could have been misconstrued.
She found herself saying:
"Pray with whoever you fancy!"
Spiritual speed-dating anyone :-)
At the weekend I was visiting a Youth group in a village not a million miles from Oxford. The group meet in the village hall, a really great village hall that's BIG, nicely decorated and is obviously really well used. (We followed the bowls club celebration tea). On this particular visit I got to go into a room behind the stage area that I'd not encountered before. It's clearly a room for committee meetings and the like and I was gobsmacked by just how cool it was. It's the first village hall where the meeting room was SO well appointed (and possibly by a designer who was a Trekkie), how cool is this?
I'm actually on a couple of days off at the moment and thoroughly enjoying the mixture of coffee, music, decorating the hallway and longer to muse over scrabble turns with my various nemesi. On of my regular lexicographical fellow warriors has just returned from the states where FB scrabble is not licensed and therefore unplayable. I was pleased 
with this particular 'welcome back' turn of mine that produced 230 points in one turn. (But pride comes before a fall I know so will expect a crushing riposte before too long.)
I'm also taking the opportunity to listen to lots of radio while I'm off (something that's tricky to do in a communal office). This morning there was thread asking people to reminisce about unjust punishments and telling offs at school. Wow did it ever open a vein of injustices, absues of power, victimisation, failure to listen and plain random pettiness. I nearly texted in about the time I was banned from the classroom for a week for being put in the dustbin but they had clearly received more than enough material. I often think that the person who coined the phrase that 'school is the happiest days of your life' must have had a spectacularly miserable adulthood for this maxim to be true.
Shalom
The Diocese held an event at the weekend called "Room for Everyone," and event to encourage and promote new forms of church in our changing culture. It was a fantastic day with over 200 people coming and there was a real energy and buzz about living faith and 'being church' in the communities of the Diocese.
I had the chance to host a seminar entitled, Working with young people: re-imagining and re-engaging.
Not one of my best as there was so much that needed to be covered I struggled to distil the seminar into a really coherent piece. As promised though, here's the Powerpoint if anyone wanted to re-visit it:
Microsoft PowerPoint - room for everyone youth.pdf
My offer also stands to come out and visit any of the Parishes top discuss this further
I've been pretty lax at writing up books I've read .... and that have an influence on, or resonance with, Youth Ministry, so (in response to advice that frequently appeared on my school reports) I will try harder.
Blue like Jazz by Donald Miller is a book that was good for my post modern soul. A journey of faith that is alive with story, encounter and reality. This semi-autobiographical series of essays manages to critique and yet still celebrate something of Christianity in the form it is often encountered, but at the same time explore and find a richer, deeper and messier Christian spirituality that I completely relate to.
If you want to know why people in their 20's and 30's are so often missing from church, this is a Couplandesque guide to the failings and assumptions of the previous culture/theology and the landscape, possibilities and language of the new.
a quote:
"My most recent faith struggle is not one of intellect. I don't really do that anymore. Sooner or later you just figure out there are some guys who don't believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now it's about who is smarter, and honestly I don't care."
With quite a bit of weekend and evening work on at the moment I carved out another mid-week escape today.
Myself and the kayak were on the road by 8:30 this morning (in the car I should add to pre-empt any mocking comments) and heading south towards Bournemouth, Poole, the Chain-Ferry and beyond. The weather was unbelievably good and I even had to dig some suntan cream out before raiding the cafe for a bacon butty and launching onto Studland bay.
I had a great couple of hours kayaking, venturing out to Old Harry Rocks and a leisurely paddle back across the bay. Had a tense moment near the rocks, enjoyed much mellowness, practised rolling (close but unsuccessful) and practised (as a result) self rescue, draining and getting back in boat in open water (successful).
I really really want to be a proficient sea kayaker but am still a bumbling amateur (didn't dare venture round Old Harry Rocks where the sea was doing some interestingly bumpy and tidal stuff). Smiled when I spotted the Lifeboat out in the bay and wondered if someone had warned them I was on the water.
Great day though and learnt a bit more!
I know I ALWAYS post OK GO videos on here but hey I consider it a service to Youthworkerdom as its difficult not to feel at least 47% more smiley after watching their bizarre imaginations at play. This is great! My thanks to The Marine Biology demograph of Youthblog readership for the link.
Enjoy:
This looks like a brilliant opportunity either for your group as a whole or for young photographers in your group. This competition, Faith through a lens, aims to get people out in their local community to photograph the positive impact of faith.
The competition is being judged by world renowned photographer Don McCullin, Rvd David Cornick of Churches together in England and Paresh Solenski of Inter-faith network and will be followed by an event at a London gallery for the winners.
Pretty cool huh?
Blog release from CPAS as follows:
"A new CPAS event, lifecall will help young people aged 16-25 explore God's call on their lives and help them work out their 'next steps'.
You may have already identified young people in your church who have the potential for a future in ordained ministry or leadership of some other kind. If so, please suggest this event to them - or even come along to the event with them.
Alternatively, you may just want to come along yourself and find out what the event is all about. Hopefully, we'll then persuade you to invite somebody else to a future event"
20th October, details: lifecall invitation 1.pdf
A friend of mine was relaying how annoying she found mobile homes and I felt the need to jump to the defence of Charlie who is VERY much a camper van and not a mobile home.
I had to explain that the Vdub fits in a normal car parking space and has yet to encounter a height barrier that prevented access. (I wish I had taken a photo of the dimunitive underground garage in Paris that we managed to get in AND out of).
Anyway it was late at night so I decided to do a little contrast and compare googling and ended up at the best know manufacturer of American motorhomes.
Consider a piccy of my T4:
Then imagine glancing over your shoulder as you drive this top of the range Class A wagon and the sight you would encounter. (They clearly take the 'home' part of mobile home as to where the stress should be put in the phrase):
You can't even see the bedroom fully, lol. Just think how popular you'd be piloting this around the Lake District.
I had a great time at the official opening of the crypt at Marlow yesterday, transformed as it is into a really cool Youth venue. I only had my phone with me so subterraneous photos were not really going to work, this however is a rough idea of what the venue itself looks like (but it's much more decked out now):
It was great to meet the young people and hand over them for the official balloon stomp through the arches opening of the Crypt Cafe. It was such a blast to be at the culmination of a vision that by any standards was a BHAG (Big hairy audacious goal) involving as it did finding enough money to employ a youth worker and transform the Crypt (including the myriad of regulations, permissions and practicalities that involved). Impressive stuff.
I was asked to do the opening 'speech' and so found myself in the graveyard surrounded by loads of people including the young people, Mayor and someone from the press. The young people were understandably keen to mash the balloons and get in so I needed to be really brief. I decided that the line about the crypt being somewhere you wouldn't be seen dead in before might not work, bit too black humour maybe. I did say though that I come across a lot of churches that say young people are foundational to their church community, Marlow it seems have taken this the most literally!
Many congratulations to Stewart (the youth and community worker) and to an incredible bunch of people from the Methodist and Anglican churches that prayerfully, creatively and energetically pursued a vision.
One of the things about my job is no two days are ever the same and I'm constantly doing new things. This weekend I'm opening a Crypt!
This is not some bizarre piece of grave robbing to make up for a shortfall in Diocesan funds, it is in fact an ex crypt that will henceforth be a Youth venue. Marlow churches have put together a fantastic youth and community project and part of this has been changing the Crypt from somewhere you wouldn't be seen dead (*laughing*) into a great youth venue.
I think I'm on ribbon cutting and speaking duty alongside young people from the project.
As part of the youth strategy I am working on, my colleague Yvonne and I are hosting a day in 2011 that we hope will bring together all sorts of Churches whether they have lots of young people, some or none. The aim being to encourage, eqip and enable the work to develop or start. The date is June 18th.
On Tuesday at 10am we have our first meeting and I'd love a Youth worker to join us on the planning team. Expenses paid and coffee provided! Let me know if you would like to invest some energy in this. Thanks :-)
Date: 10th November
Time:10:30-4pm
Venue: The Youth Encounter Centre, Moseley, Birmingham.
Cost: £25 per person including light lunch
I was forwarded this great blog piece on children's and young people's spirituality.
Dave Csinos examines the way that creativity is educated out of young people losing innate gifting and appreciation that they already posses. He then explores the same principle and effect regarding spirituality:
" .... So, spirituality isn't something that we achieve--it's a gift from God that is woven into the very fabric of our innermost being. That is why we speak of spiritual formation and not spiritual creation. We can't create a spiritual capacity in anyone. But we can help to form it. We can provide opportunities for children and youth to have spirit-to-Spirit connections with the One who gave them the gift of spirituality. Spirituality is something that can change, grow, and form. But it can also wither and fade away. To paraphrase Robinson's words "We don't grow into spirituality. We grow out of it. Or rather we get educated out of it."
We can be educated out of our spiritual capacities. When we focus on memorization, doctrine, emotionalism, and just getting things done, we can actually eclipse our innate spiritual capacities. When we do nothing but teach our children about God, we can actually hinder them from having genuine experiences of God. Knowledge about God is certainly important; but when it becomes the sole purpose and focus of our ministries with young people, we might actually be educating them out of their spirituality. They leave Sunday school knowing all about the Bible, doctrine, proper practices, liturgy, and evangelism--but they can also leave without experiencing a life-forming encounter with the God who transcends our knowledge and reason. When we do nothing but teach about God, it becomes easy to forget that God is the unknown knower .... "
for the full article see Daves blog, Such as these
This is a great summing up and analogy of modernistic approaches to spirituality that inadvertently swung to a "It's not who you know, it's what you know" reversal of what the expression AND spirituality is ... and should be.
A youth worker I know has recently written a dissertation exploring a thesis that young people outside of the church have more spiritual experiences than those within. (I'm still trying to scrounge a copy)
Our trip to Germany was over two Sundays and hence two trips to Teutonic approaches to Church.
The first attempt was not very successful!
With everyone still groggy from a 400 mile drive from Paris it was left to H and I to hit the pews as we were the only ones up, dressed and functioning. The advertised service must have been at a different location that morning because we found we had gatecrashed a private Baptism service! This was hilarious as we could not escape given the noise our late arrival had made (it clearly started before the advertised service time), we couldn't explain our presence adequately given the language barrier and we couldn't quite join in. Eventually escaped without the need to dig a tunnel or employ any sort of vaulting horse, phew!
The second was more interesting. Down in the mountains I struggled to comprehend the local dialect but was determined to make it to church regardless of how incomprehensible it might be. We picked an Evangelische church not far from the guest house and trotted along to morning worship. Interestingly I could understand a lot of what was said and the choruses especially were very accessible, the whole thing being more 'High German' than dialect, the difference between the language inside and outside the church being markedly different.
It was overall actually incredibly similar to an independent Evangelical church in England (especially the sermon length!!!!). It was good to be part of a worshipping community.
Interestingly too no one spoke to us apart from once during the service when the Sunday school leader asked if S wanted to come and join them. Even staying for coffee afterwards elicited no greetings or conversations and we wandered back to the Guest house as we felt a bit awkward.
As a visitor it was easy to spot the difference between the Church culture and the culture of the people and town it was in. It left me wandering how similar that experience might be to an auslander visiting our church(es).
I was also interested in the fact that we were not greeted or spoken to at all. Now I know this happens in England too so my point is not to judge but it did leave me reflecting on the fact that encountering faith through church should make us more fully human, not less. What is it in our own culture or especially a very hospitable culture like the Germans that turns church into a less welcoming place not a more welcoming one? Is the fear of difference greater in a place that theoretically believes their is neither greek nor jew, free nor slave? What does successful discipleship look like?, what should church community be and live?
This is mainly thinking out loud and was actually a hugely useful perspective at looking at our own church(es) rather than any intended critique of the German one.
Had a cracking day off yesterday but sadly no kayaking. There was no way Jo and I could make it to the coast and still be back in time for arrivals home from school. Instead we drove out beyond Marlborough and went hiking on the downs followed by a cuppa and a picnic in the van. Middle-agedom in shedloads I feel, but great nevertheless.
Time pressures dictated driving back through Swindon to find the M4 and I was amazed to find we drove past Legge House where I shall be on a youth residential next month. (but I now know a great walk nearby which might form an activity, result!)
The Boys Brigade as I mentioned before are doing some good work helping churches engage with young people. On September 23rd they are hosting an evening in Benson for those who would like to know more. Contact me for details.
"The time will come when Winter will ask you what you were doing all Summer"
Henry Clay
I have a random day off tomorrow, yay and am considering my options:
1. Rip up carpet and lay new flooring in hall at home
2. Work on the van
3. Go kayaking in Studland bay
4. Give the garden a pre-leaf deluge sort out
Greetings from the desk of the Diocesan Youth Adviser to all in the Network
(This is the blogged version of the letter I have just sent so you can access the links quickly)
It's been good to catch up with quite a few of you over the summer, particularly when I've had the privilege of handing over large cheques from the Youth Evangelism Fund to the young people you work with.
I hope you've had a good summer and the equipment from Residentials/Camps/Soul-Survivor/Greenbelt/Walsingham is mainly put away by now
Anyway I wanted to let you know some stuff that may or may not be useful ..... you decide:
October 23rd sees the Youthwork Summit happening in London. It's organised by Chris Curtis, Matt Summerfield and Martin Saunders and aims to be a dialogue and exploration across the spectrum of Christian Youth work. I'm definitely going and it'd be great if others wanted to come to, especially if we could meet up and travel together.
Our Next Diocesan Network meeting will be on Novemeber 22nd here at Church House in Oxford. A chance to get together and eat, laugh, pray and think alongside other Youth workers and youth ministers in the Diocese. In agdition we'll be doing some particular work around boundaries and abuse of trust. Flyer: network return form Nov 22nd 2010.pdf
February 1st and 2nd (with the option to stay on until 3rd) will see Depth 4 (The retreat for Childrens workers and for Youth workers in the Diocese). We're going back to Douai abbey for the great space, tranquillity and superb food. Info to follow
Other events:
The Kirchentag is a massive gathering of Christians from Europe and beyond and will be in Dresden next year from the 1st - 5th June. I'm keen to take some of the youth workers from the Diocese and make some links with German Youth work and Ministry. Debbie from St Sebastians has expressed an interest, anyone else?
Taize 2011: Bishop John and myself are heading out to Taize from July 23rd - August 1st and would love you to pass on the enclosed flyer to any young people or young adults who would be interested in the opportunity and challenge this presents.
Flyer and information is available from this previous entry
Free Stuff
I have aquired a large box of purple T shirts that each have the word 'Team' written on them, if you have a project that could use some then let me know how many you need.
I'd be delighted to hear any news that you have before or at November 22nd and I'd also really appreciate a photo of you! My attempts to pray for you all would be much easier with a photo as a focus I think
All the details are here on the NYA website, but here's what they have to say about the week (1st - 7th November)
"Youth work needs all the recognition it can get at the moment as the pressure on local authorities' budgets continues to tighten. Across the board we need to be far more vocal in showcasing the amazing achievements youth work approaches have in transforming young lives, particularly for the most vulnerable young people in our society. We need people to understand that youth work interventions made now often save the public purse a fortune in the future."
There's loads of info and the like, so have a look.
If your networks include the area North of Bradford then please pass on this advert for a sessional/part time worker at Burley in Wharfedale. Details: youth worker job 2010 burley.doc
Well I am officially an Anorak! I not only went to Vanfest, the biggest gathering of V-dub campers in the world, but thoroughly enjoyed it! This does I admit feel like a confession.
The scale of V-dubdom was truly impressive. Having elected not to take our van so we could get there and back quicker we found ourselves overtaking convoy after convoy of Bays, Splittles, T25s and the occasional T4 only to find there were already huge numbers on site. Even we we left, more and more vans were arriving from every direction.
Encouragingly too ours was somewhere in the middle of the condition range; I'd feared we would feel a bit second class but there was everything from 'probably the last journey it will ever make' through to 'showroom condition would be a patronising understatement'
We were there before the festivities kicked off and V-dubesque partying occurred (whatever that looks like) but were spot on for all the trade stands where I could speak anorak to my hearts content.
I met some great people and especially appreciated the T4 Auto jumble stand where I managed to get a new door handle and a wealth of useful information. I also found out that Haynes do not make a manual for my wagon and I have had to instead buy a technical guide full of reproduced pencil sketches, a kind of Wainwright guide to the vans' gubbins and internals.
So there we have it. Vanfest, been there, done it and managed to resist buying a V-dub T shirt. (And any truly dedicated friends can ask me to tell them more)
No longer on the decline and even looking at growth in some places, the dangerous memory of Jesus is alive and kicking. Coverage of the Church stats here.
If you are ever doing something on temptation or self control then this video is fantastic.
A bunch of kids are offered a marshmallow BUT if they can wait until the teacher returns without eating it, they will get to have two. Will power in action (or not).
There now follows an infomercial fully endorsed by me
"CPAS is committed to developing youth leaders. They provide a wide range of information, resources and articles which you'll find on the developing youth leaders web pages. Each month new resources are posted around a relevant theme. Listen to podcasts on your mp3 player via iTunes or on the website. Sign up for the monthly e-bulletin to stay up to date with what is new and available to download"
Here's how you find it .................. click
I am incredibly excited about this weekend and a visit to Vanfest, the worlds largest VW Transporter show.
I'm not just going to oggle the pristine models owned by the VW elite, although that will be fun. I also need to hit the 'Auto Jumble' to find a replacement section of bumper, a door handle and better mirrors, I need to find out how to take the rear windows out to treat the rust and I need to find a supplier of flooring as ours seems to have dissolved below the carpet (fortunately the metal is all in tact). Oh and I really need to find a Haynes manual for the T4 .... and whatever the camper van Bible is.
I'm still loving having Charlie the camper van. Life at 60 mph (or slower) with an on-board kettle is very mellow indeed. Every so often I get this massive angst in which my internal voice of reason delivers an entire lecture along the lines of, "How big an idiot are you for blowing your money on a rusting, 19 year old vehicle that is probably going to be too expensive to maintain!" But then I see the van, smile and feel a delightful sense of well being.
On the way into Oxford from the office I always cycle past a large green T3 that has written on it, "It's a Van thing!" I guess I know what they mean now.
So, Vanfest here I come. I think the parking signs (as per example) will be quite specific.
The leaflet for Taize 2011 is now available and I would like to challenge young people aged 15- 30 BUT particularly those aged 15 - 19 to step out of comfort zone and sign up for an adventure in life, faith and community.
Please be talking to your young people about this and/or invite me to come and chat about it. I've got the Bish' signed up and my boy H is already on the list. Who else?
July 23rd - Aug 1st 2011
(With a pre-trip evening on June 15th)
If you want to know more about Taize, here are my musings from 2009
Booking form and info:Taize booklet 2011.pdf
Excellent summary of research, culture and opportunity by Jonny Baker that I'm posting here so I can find it again
For all those who have learnt to use the word 'Safeguarding' as a very useful term for all aspects of Child Protection, it's time to un-learn. CYP point to a Government memo detailing preferred terminology. It is claimed not to be a radical shift in policy, but is it seems, a LibCon erasing of phraseology that emerged under new Labour.
More confusion anyone? Here's your new practice lingo:
"LANGUAGE OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT: SOME OF THE CHANGES AS THEY APPEAR IN THE MEMO
Pre-11 May 2010 England will be the best place in the world for children to grow up
Post-11 May 2010 Make Britain the most family-friendly place in Europe
Pre-11 May 2010 Targeted services
Post-11 May 2010 Fairer services
Pre-11 May 2010 Targets and outcomes
Post-11 May 2010 Results and impact
Pre-11 May 2010 Children's trusts
Post-11 May 2010 Local areas, better, fairer services
Pre-11 May 2010 One children's workforce framework/tool
Post-11 May 2010 Local areas self-assessment tool
Pre-11 May 2010 Five outcomes/ECM
Post-11 May 2010 Help children achieve more
Pre-11 May 2010 Narrow the gap
Post-11 May 2010 Close the gap, vulnerable and disadvantaged
Pre-11 May 2010 Integrated working
Post-11 May 2010 People working better to provide better services
Pre-11 May 2010 Safeguarding
Post-11 May 2010 Child protection
Pre-11 May 2010 FIP
Post-11 May 2010 Key workers providing intensive support to families"
I've read two of Pete Rollins books and was blown away by both of them.
The Orthodox Heretic is a series of parables that explode, enlarge and examine scripture and faith in inspirational and sometimes uncomfortable reality.
How not to speak of God is a look at the emerging church but more than that, an accessible philosophical re-look at ecclesiology and theology.
I think he's the CS Lewis of the early 21st century!
Anyway, if you've not encountered him: Check out Rob Bell interviewing him at Mars Hill
"Tending the Adolescent Soul" ... the day at CMS led by Mark Yaconelli was definitely time well invested and I am really glad I went.
(btw, has anyone got an e-mail address for Mark as I want to follow up a couple of things)
Mark introduced the topic and revealed it to be not just about the soul of the adolescent but our own 'adolescent soul' too. He talked about a song that dwells in each of us (his metaphor for the soul and the place of God and of being ourselves) and our role being to hear the song in the life of the young people we work with and sing it back to them.
He explained this was in the context of a culture where:
1. Young people make adults anxious
2. Adults make young people anxious
and thirdly, Jesus makes everyone nervous (or at least will when we take his teaching seriously).
He used the "Anxiety vs Love" chart from Contemplating Youth Ministry to show how much ministry to young people has its roots in anxiety. Having explored and illustrated that anxiety he tackled the anxiety of young people who saw adulthood as a place of stress, zero passion and limited friendship/relationship. He talked about adults living in and experiencing the alienation of a culture dominated by an unholy trinity of achievements, affluence and appearance that so suppressed the song in adults that young people were not finding a place/space to grow up into that held any attraction.
Next we looked at Sabbath and how Sabbath is not easy ("why God made it a commandment, Mark speculated") as when we slow down we meet the pain, loss and tears present in the world and in ourselves)
Mark was clear that we HAD to engage with Sabbath for our own souls. The more we have engaged and faced, the more we have spent time with God, the more we have learnt to know (and love ourselves) ... the more we can be real, be present to others .... to live our song. The challenge to slow down, the challenge to know our pain or rage or hurt and follow them to the root in order that healing can occur.
This Mark believes is our work that we can bring attentiveness to our work with young people, to be real, to be present. He talked about ministers practicing presence that lived the following characteristics:
1. See (have soft eyes and no agenda) and allow ourselves to be seen
2. Pay attention to our eyes. Hear! Listen! (Over 60% of Jesus teaching in the NT comes after listening), allowed our selves to be heard (tell the truth)
3. Allow ourselves to be moved
4. Act with kindness
(and in all we do, have a sense of delight in who they are ...... 'sing the song back to them')
This in Marks experience is what young people are looking for.
(We tried to think about a time when we had been really listened to, when someone had been really 'present' to us and described our feelings and their characteristics to embed the effect of this attentiveness)
We then looked how as a sometimes isolated youth worker we enabled and lived this not just on our own but in community.
(At this point I had to go as my eldest boy H was in hospital for a routine op' ..... If anyone can add any of the latter part of the day that would be fab)
PS: The CMS day wasn't recorded, was the Birmingham day?
Plus if you would like to hear some of what Mark has to say, the seminars from Greenbelt are downloadable for a fee
Details here for a Youth and Community worker in Oxford (one year contract)
I am considering doing a piece of research on the needs of Church volunteer youth leaders and importantly too, attitudes, fears, hopes and potential barriers of adults in the church in regard to working with young people.
Can anyone point me to any existing work?
I have had a friend request on Facebook, nothing too unusual in that. But in this case I do not know the person, nor have ever met them but they proport to be called, "Ian Macdonald"
This seemed to me a very spurious reason for seeking friendship, thus I was going to reject it on the same basis that people who have the same size feet as me ... or equally also do not play the banjo would not be accepted unconditionally as FB buddies.
A thought occurred though that prevented the deletion. Supposing it's me from the future (some sort of storm in the space time continuum that I inadvertently wandered/wander into) and I have an important message for myself in order to stop me doing that again, or to enable me to write the greatest selling Worship song of all time (or something).
I'd be foolish to reject an important friendship request from my duplicate future self.
Admittedly the picture accompanying the request doesn't look like me BUT I'd have to do that in order not to freak my past(present) self out.
I may also need to stop drinking quite as much coffee (something my future self may also be wanting to point out!)
