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Evangelism
to young people in Norwich and surrounding areas, and equipping others
for evangelism to young people
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Evangelism
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Here is the March 2004 e-Bulletin.
| For the third Bulletin running Rob manages to get his picture on the front page! This time i's encouraging news from Fusion in Poringland - Full Story |
| Once again Paul has shared his thoughts from the Director's chair with us, including news of his upcoming TV fame - Full Story |
| Matt has taken the time to give some thoughts on the wider view of things - Full Story |
| Volunteers are our lifeblood, we want you all to know how much you are appreciated - Full Story |
| Some key events we would like to tell you about: SITC, FMAWD, SPARK, etc. Read the full story for the meaning behind the acronyms! - Full Story |
| Have you heard about the 'Art of Connecting' yet? Find out about this fantastic new resource - Full Story |
| And finally, the 'Virtual Back Page' contains an interesting miscellany of things, from dates to Self-Assessment hints, as well as some prayer pointers - Full Story |
We hope you enjoy our new format e-Bulletin. As ever, we want this to be a useful piece of information for you to stay in touch with what's going on in NYFC, and we would really appreciate your feedback on the new format, good or bad. So please, let us know your thoughts by emailing bulletin@norwichyfc.co.uk
You may have heard some people say the phrase "You've got your head in the clouds". Well, people may have said that when we had the vision in Poringland to start a youth café with full support from the local school.
It all started in September 2003 when I arrived as the new Fusion worker. Shortly after taking up my post the small team and I went to the "Abundant Life Church" in Bradford for a youth conference. The three days were fantastic, we got to know each other and learn some basic skills together. I would recommend if you can get your team away for a weekend together to spend time with God and learn about youth work, do it. It could change your youth ministry in ways you never imagined. Coming back from Bradford we were in unity that Poringland needed something, "But what?"
We started some detached work in October on the streets, then got invited to move into the school to spend lunchtimes running quizzes with young people. The quizzes included "What is there to do", "What do you want?" and "How will you get it?" Of course we also had some fun to build relationships. The young people wanted somewhere to go and they wanted somewhere safe. They wanted pool tables, table tennis, PS2's, dance mats and a tuck shop.
I went back to the school and shared the vision for a youth café that the young people wanted. The key thing to note is that it was 'what the young people wanted', not what 'we thought they wanted'. The school was fully supportive and allowed us to use the school logo on our advertising. We needed a name, so again we led a competition in school for a name. The name "@tmosphere" was thought of and chosen by the young people themselves.
One of our leaders designed posters and leaflets for "@tmosphere" and we launched on Tuesday 13th January 2004 3:30-4:30pm once a week, four months after the initial vision. We had planned to open sooner but felt as a team we were not ready and did not want to open prematurely. Funding for equipment came from churches, local charities, grants and individuals.
We set a limit of 20 young people as we felt it was important to build good relationships and too many could ruin that dynamic. The first day we opened 14 came, the second day 18 young people came! We are now looking at opening another day and liase with the school and supporters about this.
As a team we have regular meetings, pray before and after the session and
have fun like trips away, bowling etc. We also make sure we are continually
learning and making the most of training available in the area. Some young
people from the local school are leading a youth service soon at a church
and we shall encourage them in their skills.
My role as Director is broadly three things: - Youthwork, leading the organisation and ambassadorial work. I want to share with you two opportunities that are involving me at the moment and cross all these areas. Firstly, I have been asked to be in a programme made by Anglia TV to discuss the themes of Easter with Agnostics and Atheists with their intention to involve & interest in the Easter story people who would otherwise not be. This is a great opportunity to communicate the gospel in a way relevant to unchurched people. Do pray for me.
Secondly, many of you will be aware of the Youth Venue that is planned for the former Barclays Bank building on Bank Plain. This is an amazing opportunity for the young people of Norwich. There are naturally questions that need to be asked, tensions that need to be worked through but fundamentally it is an opportunity to bring something of God's Kingdom to the young people of Norwich. Whether you are for the Youth Venue, against it or agnostic please pray. Pray for those from whom the idea came, pray for us as an organisation as we explore our involvement and pray for those who make decisions that the project will reflect something of God. Over the next few weeks we will be looking to involve the wider church community in praying and thinking through the project following a recent consultation event hosted by the Anglican Bishop of Norwich. If you would like to talk to me about these items or anything else in the bulletin do get in touch.
One of the privileges I get within my job is being able to visit churches and talk to leaders about the youth work they are involved in or are considering starting. The reason I say it is a privilege is because I get to see a different side to the current position with regards to young people involved in our churches. Very often we hear about how young people are leaving our churches and youth projects that are struggling or frustrated by not having enough leaders. All these issues are very real and are very concerning, but what about all the good that is happening within our churches as well.
Sometimes I imagine looking down at Norwich and the surrounding areas and all the different youth projects and Christian young people as if from space. I think if we were to do that we would be very surprised at all the work that is done - there are pockets of Christian youth work going on all over the place! It seems to me that more and more churches are deciding to really go for it with regards to ministry to young people. However there still are so many places that have no Christian or indeed secular youth work. Many villages don't have anything to offer young people. It is these places that we need to continually reach, Jesus told us to go in to all the corners of the world and to reach all people, yes even the dark corners of Norfolk!
Just imagine the numbers of young people that could be reached if just 50% of churches had a youth project, were meeting young people where they are, caring for them and sharing the gospel. Imagine having a Christian presence in all schools offering support to both teacher and pupil.
Young people are hungry for God, they mostly do not recognise it but they are. I was talking to a young person the other day who was telling me how empty she felt and how she felt her life had no purpose. In the next breath she was saying how her friend is a Christian and has got something that she wants. We must reach these young people we must share our lives with them. Just imagine what could happen if each of our churches reached just 6 young people a year, in no time we would no longer have pockets of Christian young people the place we would be swarming with them!
Yes I know it is all very easy to say, but I wonder how hard that actually has to be, especially when we remember moving a mountain is impossible but with God 'all things are possible'.
The most important thing you can do is pray for the bigger picture - for
all the young people in an area, come on lets get surprised with what God
will do!
Volunteers are essential to much of the work we do, and to new initiatives we might consider. Sometimes it can be tempting for an organisation to see volunteers as mere 'units of work' - collect enough together on one evening and hey-presto, you can open a drop-in; gain a few more units, and you can upgrade your drop-in to a youth café!
If we view volunteers like this we are short-changing everyone, the volunteers, the young people we work with, and ourselves. Volunteers need to be recognised for what they are:
A volunteer is a person in God's image, who has the calling of God on their life, and has chosen to respond by getting involved in the work of NYFC.
Viewed this way a volunteer becomes someone who can teach us about the God we serve, and whose ministry can be powerful and effective because they are doing what God has asked of them. Volunteers may not be as experienced in working with young people, or as educated on different social theories, or as long-standing in their faith, but when a person is obedient to God, surely there will be some sort of blessing?
Thinking of volunteers like this also alerts us to what might be a difficulty in working with volunteers. What if their calling is not with us? What if in fact they should have moved on to something else, and their involvement with our particular project, or even with NYFC, is acting as a hindrance to them continuing their adventure with God?
Of course, we cannot forget that no matter how called they might be to work with us for the moment, volunteers are only human. This means they will have times when the calling of God becomes but a dim and distant memory, when their 'walk with Jesus' becomes haphazard and frustrating, when they make wrong choices in other areas of life, and when they just plain make mistakes. In this respect, they are just like staff workers. At these times, who will restore the volunteers, who will bring a fresh sense of God's grace, or a fresh challenge of God's discipline, or a fresh breath of God's calling?
We are taking a new look at what it means to volunteer with NYFC, reminding ourselves of some of the above, and asking how we can best serve our volunteers. There has never been a better time to get involved, and as ever, there is plenty to do!
If you'd like more information on how to get involved or to find out what our specific opportunities are please do not hesitate to contact the office.
Soul In The City continues the amazing work of missions like Message 2000 and Festival Manchester, but this time it's 'Destination: London'. From the First to the Seventh of August thousands of young people from around the country will descend on the Capital City to bring good news and good works together for ordinary Londoners.
We are taking a group to the event at a cost of £87.50 per person (including coach). For more information please contact the Norwich Youth for Christ office.
Details are still being confirmed, but we wanted to give you advance notice of the Fridays Music & Worship Day (as it's currently known), which will be held on April 21st.
The idea behind the event is to give more young people tools for getting involved in the musical side of worship e.g. in their local church. We will have workshops for different instruments, teaching on some of the theology of music in worship, a little exploration of different styles, and some time spent worshipping.
The day will be led by the Fridays Band (possibly with some special guests), and will be open to anyone who wants to be musical, although instrumentalists should be able to play to a basic standard - we do not plan to teach people how to play a G chord for instance!
More details, and booking forms, coming soon….!
The last Spark CU drop-in was on the 24th January. The aim of Spark is to help young people in their leadership of Christian Unions and enable them to share ideas and network. Last time there were resources, music, videos, food and drink. The next one is on the 1st May. This is going to be different. There will still be resources, music, videos, food and drink!
There will, however, be a hour of prayer. This will be for the schools of Norwich, and the CU's. If you find it hard praying for five minutes, let alone an hour do not panic! The prayer time will be creative, fun and as prayer always is, effective. It would be great if you could let me know any prayer requests for any schools you may go to, work in or are aware of. I can then make sure they are prayed for. My e-mail is r.wright@norwichyfc.co.uk or you can phone me in the office.
This prayer time is open to anyone. If you go to school, or if you have not been for 50 years, it would be great if you could come. Please feel free to come the whole afternoon or just 5 minutes!
Date: 1st May - Time: 1pm-4pm
(Prayer hour 2-3pm) - Venue: Norwich Central Baptist Church, Goldsmith
Street, Norwich.
To many 'evangelism' is an unhelpful word. It conjures up images of bible bashers, or is a job that requires a 'special' calling / talent. It's something many feel we should do more of but equally as many feel intimidated or don't know how to.
The Art of Connecting is possibly the answer to some of these issues. Firstly, it dispels some of the myths around what evangelism is and isn't. The Art of Connecting seeks to give a simple framework that enables people to engage with the world around them. It is about connecting three stories that pervade life. God's story, your story - through which people make sense of God's and 'their' story - other people you relate to. This means there is an emphasis on ones own discipleship and relationship with God as the foundation from which to turn outwards and engage with the world.
Paul recently used the Art of Connecting material as the basis for a recent church house party. Nicholas Vesey, Vicar of St Luke with St Augustine in Norwich said,
'The material was involving - making us consider where we are going as individuals and as a church. The presentation was well researched and highly professionally put together, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is trying to get their church to take the next step forward.'
If you would like more information on this or any other resources we offer such as Rock Solid, RS 2 or Youth Alpha, contact the office.
Evenings Of PrayerHere are the dates for the coming year: 25th Mar and 10 June from 7:30-8:30 at Holy Trinity Church Hall, Cambridge Street. We will be finishing promptly so if you need to leave you can, if not it's then a great chance to meet some of the team. Thanks to those of you who completed our prayer questionnaire last time, if you haven't yet we'd love you to and if you lost it we can send you a new one! Recent Highlights
More Exciting Taxation News!The tax year end is fast approaching. If you require a statement regarding your charity giving to NYFC please contact the office and we will be happy to send one out. To make best use of our time and money we do not provide this service automatically anymore. We hope you understand. Pray For Us!If you are interested in praying for specific requests and/or would like more regular prayer updates please contact the office.
Be assured of our prayers for you, we pray regularly for our volunteers
and supporters as a team. |
Dates19 Mar F225 Mar Prayer Eve. 28 Mar Deputation at Elim Throughout March - Job interviews 9 Apr Fridays 1 May Spark A Different OpportunitySome of us might look at an organisation like NYFC and say 'I would love to get involved but I am not a Youthworker' Think again, there are many skills needed to keep an organisation like this on the road. Do you have book keeping skills, are you numerate and computer literate? Are you looking for just a few hours work a week? One of the possibilities NYFC is looking at, following Karen's resignation, is having someone to do the book keeping as part of their commitment to His Kingdom. This maybe an older person, maybe retired, but committed to seeing a professional job done well. If you are interested and would like to discuss this further please phone Paul on 01603 620678. Please note we are not necessarily looking at an unpaid post here. Contacting UsIf you want to email us our addresses are: office@norwichyfc.co.uk If you prefer the more traditional approach, then our postal address is: Norwich Youth For Christ, 3 Brigg Street, Norwich, NR2 1QN Our telephone number is 01603 620678
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Any Questions?Q. Who are
you people? Q. Why have
you sent me this? Q. This is
a great piece of communication, but why do I get this as well as a paper
copy? Q. I don't
want anymore of these sent to me? Q. Actually
I've changed my mind, I don't want to stop receiving this, in fact I
want all my friends to get it! How do I do this? If you prefer the more traditional approach, then our postal address is: Norwich Youth For Christ, 3 Brigg Street, Norwich, NR2 1QN Our telephone number is 01603 620678 Check out our website – www.norwichyfc.co.uk, including our brand new feature, the forum, your chance to interact with NYFC staff and volunteers. |
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