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Welcome to our first e-Bulletin of 2003, with a different style and a different look too. To try and make the e-Bulletin more useful we have decided to email you with only a summary of what is available in the e-bulletin. The full text and pictures appears on here on the website.
| Our top story this time is the launch of 'Fusion', a project that allows the quality, expertise and experience of an NYFC worker to be present in the local church - Full Story |
| Paul has once again created some 'Thoughts from the Directors Chair', with some musings on Fusion, and a quick Finance Update - Full Story |
| Bex has been in post as Schools Worker for nearly six months now, so she took the time to write a piece about Christian Unions - Full Story |
| As Fridays enters its umpteenth year we thought we would give a moment of fame, and thanks, to some of the people who make it happen - Full Story |
| And finally, our patented 'Virtual Back Page' contains all the things which did not go anywhere else! - Full Story |
So there you have it, our new look e-Bulletin teaser! 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
Thanks for reading!
Fusion is an exciting and pioneering project that Norwich Youth For Christ is launching this spring. It is a project that allows the quality, expertise and experience that comes with an NYFC worker to be present within the local church.
For several years many churches have felt the increasing need for professional help with their mission to young people. As culture continues to change many people feel that the gap between young people and adults is growing, often this gap can feel even larger within churches. This is one reason that some churches feel unable to consider working with young people, or are happy to accept that young people they are in contact with "will never attend our church." The obvious problem with this approach is that we could soon have no young people within our churches and we will fail to reach young people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Fusion is part of the Church Resource Department and is committed to seeing young people reached by the local church, and their lives being dedicated to the service of Jesus. Through Fusion churches are able to buy part of or all the time of a NYFC worker to work on behalf of their church. Normally churches would buy half or perhaps a third of a worker. This allows churches to directly access expertise and understanding of youth culture on a day to day basis.
"Many churches long to reach young people but don't have access to specialist help. Fusion is an imaginative way of helping those churches. It will ensure professional standards and, I pray, help more young people hear about the Good News of Jesus Christ." - Rt Revd. Graham James, The Bishop of Norwich Patron of Norwich Youth for Christ.
Having a Fusion worker within a church is not an easy way out. Fusion is not free, it doesn't mean that the church won't need to do any work and can forget about the young people and it doesn't mean that a church won't need to change. In fact it probably means the opposite to all these things. It does mean that if a church is committed to reaching young people and is prepared to take things seriously that whether you are rich or poor, large or small, Fusion should be able to help you.
"This proposal certainly has my support. The church needs to urgently reach out to the youth of our nation. Youth work today is very specialised and needs qualified, committed youth workers who understand the special youth culture of today" - Howard Grottick Divisional Commander, Anglia Division, Lieut. Colonel, Salvation Army
We are very excited about Fusion and see it as a great opportunity to impact
our communities. We believe it will give churches another tool to reach young
people and will help to reverse the trend of young people leaving our churches.
For more information about Fusion or other ways you feel we could help your
church please contact Matt at the office or churchresource@norwichyfc.co.uk.
I'm really excited to be able to officially launch Fusion in this edition . It really is an innovative project. I am encouraged because it demonstrates even further our commitment to local church and a desire for effective and genuine partnership. Certainly over the years as an organisation we have learnt many lessons, and have made mistakes in our work with local churches. This project however, seeks to positively build on that experience as well as facilitate and empower the church in Norfolk to effectively reach young people.
Part of Fusion will also be a prophetic element. We need to recognise that part of the reason young people struggle to connect with church is that culturally the world of young people and the world of church are light years apart. We want to challenge, cajole, debate, help, work with and facilitate church to creatively re-imagine what church could look like as we seek to advance Gods kingdom in this post-modern, post-Christendom world. Research has shown that church attendance is a vital factor in the development of a recognisably Christian lifestyle. Young people need to be converted to Christ and into worshipping communities if they are to live out Christian values. Yet young people are not going to church - there is the creative challenge before us.
In the next bulletin we look forward to introducing a new trustee, watch
this space……
You will have received in the last month an appeal letter, thank-you to those of you who have responded so far. Connected to the appeal we have raised:
Thank-you to those who have responded so far, it really does make a difference.
Paul Cracknell
Fridays has been running for more years than anyone except Tracey have been working for NYFC, so how do we keep it relevant and fresh for each generation of young people?
The answer lies in the young people of the Fridays Planning Team, a dedicated group who meet to decide how Fridays should run, and come up with the ideas for each evening. The team includes (from left to right): Phil Ward, Emily Singleton, Jess Payne, Bex (pretending to be a young person!), Helen Varley, and, though not pictured here, Polly Preston, Dave Garcia, Anwen Goddard and Rich Thomson.
Having such committed young people as this involved in planning Fridays is great. They are from a range of churches around the city, which helps keep Fridays balanced and appropriate to many different church groups. There is also a range of ages, backgrounds and interests within the planning team, which helps stop us from excluding any young people in the event itself.
As well as their invaluable contributions to planning Fridays, each of these young people also takes an active role in the events themselves. They are our stalwart dependable helpers, whether in practical moving and shifting, or in giving talks, and bringing truth to all present.
We want to commend this group of young people to you, every one of them is an asset to us, and without them Fridays couldn't be half as good. Hopefully their experiences within Fridays will stand them in good stead for the future, and help them become leaders for future churches!
Unfortunately some of them will be leaving us next year as they go to year-out
schemes, bible colleges and universities, and they will be missed. Please
pray for them as they move on, and pray for us that we would find other such
excellent young people to take their places!
| First of all thanks loads for everyone's prayers and encouragement through my first few months as the new schools worker. One of my highlights so far is being able to help the Hewitt School Christian Union (CU) get going again. |
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I really believe in CU's. Taking assemblies and lessons is great, but there is not usually any time for students to reflect on and respond to anything I'm saying, Christian Unions can provide that space.
CU's can also be a great tool for Christians at school to introduce their mates to Christianity. They do not have to be boring either! I do not believe that after a morning of Maths and Science many young people would always want to listen to someone talk for an hour on the book of revelation, especially when lunchtime is their only proper break.
There are a few schools in Norwich which I am in the process of starting a CU at, but I would love to start some more! If you are, or know of, a young person who does not have a CU at their school please contact me! Thanks again for everyone's encouragement and support.
Note Bex's new post-marriage email address: r.wright@norwichyfc.co.uk
Baby News!Guess what! There's a new member of the NYFC family on the way! Paul and Heather are expecting their first child mid-July. The young people have started a poll on the forum with suggestions for the baby's name. On the likelihood of any being taken up Paul chose not to comment!!Gift AidIf you give to NYFC, either regularly or occasionally, and you pay income tax, then you could make your donation go further by filling out a Gift Aid form. You only have to complete the form once for us, and then on every donation you make we can claim around 28% extra from the government! You can find a Gift Aid form in PDF format here. If you haven't already got it, you will need to install Abode Acrobat Reader on your computer to print the form, Acrobat Reader is available for free download at www.adode.comIf you have already completed a Gift Aid form for us, thankyou very much, and you don't need to do it again! Work For Us!Wanted! Administrative AssistantThis is a real engine room position. The NYFC office team work to serve the NYFC Evangelists, our aim is to free them to carry out their more public ministry. If you feel called to serve in an administrative role and have a commitment to enabling others to fulfil their call then please contact the office or look on the website for more information and application details. 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. Updates
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DatesMar 28 FridaysApr 6 Deputation at Witard Rd Baptist May 2 Fridays Festival ManchesterNext Summer NYFC and the Diocesan Youth Service are organising a trip
to Festival Manchester. We have enclosed a booking form with some information
about our trip. We hope to take 200 people to the Mission. This is a
popular event and will book up quickly - especially as it is cheaper
to book earlier in the year (see the booking form). Please now return all forms to the YFC office and not Diocesan House. We are also looking for over 18's who would like to come and act as
'responsible adults' for the group, if you are interested in this or
would like further details, please call the office or email office@norwichyfc.co.uk
Volunteer Opportunities - Get Involved!We are looking for:
For more info on any of these opportunities contact the office. 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 |
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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