funky doo

Christmas Greetings from the Diocesan Youth Team!

germ of an idea grows some shoots...Bradwell Pilgrimage 2010

 

 It's all go round here with final preparations for the Bradwell Pilgrimage on Saturday...a great ecumencial, family event which has been going for yonks and provides a variety of worship styles and workshops and activities and space for all the family around the Chapel of St Peter on Wall and the Othona Community. 

We've been lugging gazebos and floor cushions down from the garage loft and packing the car with 100 bottles of water to be frozen at Othona tomorrow...and we've welcome lovely Louis Darrant for a few minutes catch up and chatter about his part in events which is always a pleasure and a laugh! 

But why, you say, are we so excited and putting in all this effort?

Let me give you a potted history of how we've got here...

I've been going to Bradwell PIlgrimage since I started in post. My job title is Bradwell Area Youth Adviser - Bradwell gives my job it's title and yet is a small, weeny place on the Dengie Peninsula 10 miles from fairly remote Maldon!! But it is a significant place - not just in this annual pilgrimage event, but for Pilgrims and those who understand the history of Christianity on our shores. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Cedd

In 2006 we went with our wonderful friend Christine (before she became a Cahoon!) while we were still camping in our new house and waiting for our furniture to come out of storage. In 2007 we went with Matilda aged 7 months and my parents to hear Cardinal Cormac Murphy o'Connor and the formation of some ideas for youth input began to take shape.

In 2008 I took a year off because the SOLID Youth Festival, sponsored by the Diocese happened on the same weekend (SOLID has now moved to the 2nd weekend in July so I, and others, can do both!!)...and I missed being at Pilgrimage.

In 2009 we had our first 'go' at a Youth Zone - Bar n Bus, Legacy football cage and space for kids to let off steam went down well with 30-40 coming through during the afternoon.

 

 
 

So, in 2010 we're going a bit bigger with a wider variety of spiritual input and physical output, to use the SOLID tagline! We're based at Othona which is a great spot within the Community who are based nearby to the Chapel itself. We're excited to be welcoming Archbishop John Sentamu as the main speaker for the day and he will visit the Youth Zone during the afternoon too!

We've got a Pamper and Chill Out marquee which we hope will be cool inside in temperature as well as activity! A bouncy slide, volleyball, basketball and parachute games will satisfy the most energetic. We'll be offering a guided prayer walk/labyrinth looking at journeys and guided footsteps and Firestorm and Quire will be joining us to provide their own unique take on worship and prayer.

I'm excited - it's been a germinating idea and sense of possibility for a good few years now and I'm blessed to have a fantastic team with enthusiastic volunteers connected in from their networks - and we know of lots of groups coming to join us for the day.

So come if you can too...just turn up at St Thomas' Church in Bradwell on Sea at 11am on Saturday with a picnic and good sturdy shoes and some sun cream and follow the crowd - or you can check out www.bradwellpilgrimage.webs.com for more info!

I'll post some photos next week once the dust has settled and we've emerged from under the canvas and the bouncy slide!

 

 

preparation for Pilgrimage...

I'm about to embark on the last full week of work in the Area before a week of holiday and then a week away on Pilgrimage in Sheffield. I went to this event last year and took part in Stream 1 as a relative newbie to the world of LifeShapes and The Order of Mission which springs from it. Since then, we've recognised Andy's call to explore ordination and embarked on a new church and expression of churchmanship. We're also now part of a regular small group and wondering what God is calling us to and saying to us as all those changes take place and bed in. I'm very fortunate to be able to go on this conference as part of my professional development with work and to be able to apply it to my work context and my personal development in where God seems to be taking things with us as a family! I'm looking forward to the next 3 weeks immensely!

As part of some of my preparation for that week away, I've been doing some reading around the whole LifeShapes and Missional Community emphasis that originally came out of St Thomas' Sheffield and now is expressed through 3DM in the States and ECPN in Europe as well as the Order of Mission.

Mike Breen's blog has recently linked to a series of posts from another blog about their experience as a transitioning Missional Community and what that means and the process they have been through. It's fascinating and very exciting and although a million miles from where we're at in our church position right now, it's where we would see ourselves and believe God would see us being, once this next season works itself out.

So, the 3 posts are here (Post 1) here (post 2) and here (post 3)

If you have some spare time to travel with this team through their time on a Learning Community, applying the principles of LifeShapes and Missional Communities and not being bound by rules and religiosity, then I would recommend it!

I didn't really blog too much about Pilgrimage last year but I hope to be more in the zone this time round and will be taking the laptop with me!

Hope you've had a happy Sunday and be blessed as this new week unfolds!

Your Illustrious Diocesan Youth Team!

Have just had the day with Andy P and Rachel, my colleagues on the Youth Team for the Diocese. We were running a training day as part of the CME programme for Year 3 Curates across the Diocese on Engaging Creatively with Young People.

It was a great day and lots of fun, with a small but perfectly formed group!

So in honour of my lovely colleagues I thought I'd just post a pic taken of the three of us on our recent 'jolly' up to Blackpool for the National DYO Conference. Just so you know, we came 2nd in the Sandcastle Competition with our interpretation of the Trinitarian Cow of Wonder...you kinda had to be there...

 The 'three-uddered' cow...we were very proud!

 From left: Andy Poultney (Barking Area), Me, Rachel Brett (Colchester Area)

Have a great weekend with promised sunshine!
 
 

Duffy Robbins...

was our keynote speaker last week at the National Diocesan Youth Officer's Conference. Andy P, Rachel and I travelled to Blackpool on Tuesday with great expectations and they were generally met!

Duffy was excellent although American - I don't mean that in a negative sense but there are always things that are lost in the translation and application. His overall theme was encouraging longevity and integrity in youth ministry and I appreciated his insights into some of the parallels between our life stages and how we in turn minister to young people. 

It was a shame that he wasn't around more in the social times and over meals for our small (40 ish) group to get to chat with him more, but the North West region who hosted the conference more than made up for that with some brilliant fun activities, excellent entertainment and a general feel of loveliness. 

I'm back into a busy week with some important meetings about big events and preparation for a training day this Saturday for our Falcon Afloat team. 

So I hope this week finds you well and looking forward to all it holds...and I think this is a great perspective on Mondays:

 

Next Diocesan Youth Workers Forum - Prayer

When?

Tuesday 25^th May, 9.30-15.30

 

Where?

St Mary’s, Church Lane, North Ockendon, Upminster

Who?

For anyone involved in youth ministry across Essex and East London - in whatever capacity - full time, part time, spare time, churches, schools or otherwise...all are welcome!

 

What?

It’s another chance to share your journey in youth work with others from around Chelmsford Diocese.  The theme of the day is ‘prayer’ and we'll be exploring two aspects:  

1.  'Teach us to pray' - how can we engender a more effective and meaningful personal prayer life?  We'll be learning from and be led by a Priest with many years of engaging in different forms of prayer...hands on stuff...

2.  'Establishing Prayer Rooms in Schools' - Phil Togwell (24-7) and Tim Abbot (CYO) will be helping us to consider how we can engage in this amazing ministry in schools

In addition to opportunities to share stories, pray for each other and worship together – and eat!

 

Cost?

£10 per person including refreshments and lunch, payable on the day

 

What next?

Book in!  Please follow this link to book in via Eventbrite:

http://chelmsfordyouthworkersforum.eventbrite.com 

Please note, if you want to come we’ll only know if you have booked in if you have done so via this link.  And, if you do book in and don’t show up you will still have to pay for the cost of the day....ok?  

(Please note that when you book in, it will say its free but it will be £10 - that’s the only way we could do it on Eventbrite – thanks!) 

We'd love you to join us....

 

Thanks.

 

Alice, Rachel and Andy P

x

 

 

 

Young People and the Vote

I'm very fortunate in my role to be part of a team of Youth Advisers - one for each Episcopal Area. My Colleague Andy P writes a weekly message to his Kairos Community - youthworkers and leaders in his area of the Diocese and I'm graciously included in that! 

Each week it challenges and inspires me and I often forward it on or encourage others to sign up for the Facebook group of the same name. I'm posting Andy's offering for this week as it's timely and touches on the recent NASA (Natter About Synod Agenda)* focus group that we ran for young people recently. I was going to post on this anyway, but what Andy has written is much better and I hope encourages you and stimulates you in your youth work - or any other ministry for that matter - as we gear up for a monumental week or 10 days in our nation's history.

Over to Andy:

"Morning all, hope you’re fighting fit and ready for another week....

It’s just over one week till the General Election, and a very important one it will be too. The challenge for this week is to be considering how we can get our young people interested in this apparently dull subject and, if you have young people eligible to vote, getting them to do so.

I personally believe that it is very much part of our Christian responsibility, duty even, to exercise our right to vote. As is often quoted, ‘we get the Government we deserve’, in other words, if we choose not to vote we can’t exactly complain about who gets into power and how we are governed. I also think therefore that we have a responsibility and a task as Churches, and especially youth workers to help young people gain a better understanding of why and how they should vote. This is as important as teaching our young people about what Paul says about love or how to conduct relationships...this is Gospel stuff.

I have always believed this, but there’s one reason why this year, this is even more important than ever, that is, the rise and potential power of the BNP. Shockingly, in the Barking Episcopal Area, there are BNP Candidates contesting local council seats in nine out of fourteen parliamentary constituencies. Let me quote from Bishop David’s recent letter to Churches and now issued as a press release:

‘Along with Church Leaders across London, I call upon all people of goodwill to reject racist politics in the forthcoming General Election and local elections. 

We encourage people to vote in such a way as to prevent racist political parties making any more electoral gains - indeed to out-vote such parties where they have already been elected. 

In particular, we urge people to reject the British National Party (BNP) and similar political organisations.

As church leaders we do not endorse any particular political party and recognise that there are many social issues which require much closer attention from elected politicians, not least those of housing, immigration, unemployment and the sheer speed of social change in some of our white working class communities. However, we call on everyone to reject the BNP and like-parties. They will not provide unifying solutions to these issues.’ 

*As Youth Advisors we recently ran an event with young people on this very subject. It was quite remarkable to see the young people who, in the main, arrived ignorant of most things to do with politics or even any real idea of why it’s important, and who left so much more switched onto the power they have and the importance of voting.

Our own frustrations or apathy in regard to politics should not be an excuse for in-action, either in us not voting or failing to engage in this issue with young people.

When thinking of the power of politics and especially democracy we often use examples of places such as South Africa or Iraq where the right to vote is held in such high regard because it determines so much in terms of the dignity of human beings made in the image of God. This year in the United Kingdom, the importance of voting matters just as much – please vote, and please help your young people to do so too.

In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, ‘Darkness cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Bradwell Pilgrimage

Really excited about the Bradwell Pilgrimage coming up on Saturday 3rd July. We're delighted to be welcoming Archbishop John Sentamu to be our speaker and he will be joining us on the 2 mile walk, hopefully with his drums!

 

I'm busy working on the Youth Zone which this year will feature a Labyrinth, Firestorm doing creative arts, a Games Zone including football, netball and Dodgeball and a Pamper zone as well as console games and refreshments...further details on www.bradwellpilgrimage.webs.com 

There is also a full programme of worship, workshops, stalls, refreshments and the space and beauty of the Chapel of St Peter on the Wall...come along and bring your friends, church, family, neighbours...see you there!
 

Christmas Greetings from the Diocesan Youth Team!

Copehagen Summit

A really great post from an eye witness over the last weekend. Tim travelled with a delegation of people from Chelmsford Diocese, joining others from Christian Aid...and his 'day job' is Christian Spirituality Development Worker with Chelmsford YMCA - also pretty cool!

http://themaranatha.blogspot.com/2009/12/copenhagen-2009.html