Wales

This weekend I went to celebrate the wedding of Joel and Eleri Barder. I know Joel from university and it was really good to see him. They got married in a beautiful chapel in a town called Pwllheli, on the beautiful Llyn Peninsular. To get there I travelled up from Cardiff, so therefore drove through a lot of the Welsh countryside. It reminded me of how much I love Wales.

I went to university at Aberystwyth, and whilst there I feel in love with Wales. I love the countryside, the wildlife, the people and the constant reminders of God's creative power. In Aberystwyth we got to experience dazzling sunsets and raging storms. Often during the winter, the Irish Sea would pick up the beach and deposit it on the roads around the seafront. The wind would rattle the windows and you could taste the sea spray everywhere you went. I was a real picture of God's power. Whilst I was at Aberystwyth I attended and served St Michael's Church. It's a place I have really fond memories of.

Sunset and starlings

St Mike's from the castle ruins

This weekend I saw stunning beaches, ten red kites, rugged mountains and got to catch up with a lot of people from St Mikes. Whilst this weekend reminded me how much I love the country, it also filled me with a sense of sadness, too. Wales is full of churches and chapels. These are the reminders of the 1904 Welsh revival. It is no surprise to me that a revival could take place in this beautiful part of the world. The wedding also reminded me how passionate the Welsh people can be about God. The service was bi-lingual, and the hymns were sung in both Welsh and English simultaneously. Songs of praises were sung with a rousing volume and both Welsh and English speakers were able to worship God in their mother tongue.

However, the chapels are just a reminder of how vibrant the church of Wales was. We were staying a few doors down from a chapel, and I asked a friend who knew the area well about the churches in the town we were staying in. She told me last year that church had five members, two of which had subsequently died. The church is just a shadow of it's former self.

I really thank God for my time in Wales, and for the beauty of his creation. I really pray that the Church of Wales can was again flourish in this amazing country.

The final curtain

So, I am no longer a youth worker. The last three years have been brilliant and I have seen God do so much in me, around me and through me (which is a miracle in itself).

Some of the youth with me, with my massive nose, and Erica at the front.

So here are some of the answers to your questions and some that I've been thinking about myself.

Why teenagers? Aren't they all horrible and grotty?
No. I much prefer working with teens than adults. Teens can be more enthusiastic, joyful, welcoming, loving and caring than most adults. I've been exceptionally lucky. My youth group comprised of the wisest, the most passionate, the most servant-hearted, the most compassionate people I've ever met. Okay, next question before I make myself cry.

Top 3 highlights

1. Four of my teens getting baptised. That was such a high. Such a cold and windy day, but it was probably one of the most rewarding days of my life.
2. Taking the teens to Soul Survivor.
3. My send off party. Once again they made me proud in how they were enthusiastic and how they offered to help out.

Low lights

1. When no-one showed up. There have been multiple sessions, especially during the summer months, when everyone is doing something else. It's hard not to take it personally.
2. When one teen showed up. Especially when it was a girl. This was not only awkward but a child protection issue. However, it did lead to a great conversation and a lot of faith issues were dealt with that evening.
3. When it feels like no one cares. It's a Friday evening, at 10:30. You've been working all day. You're tired and your desk is a mess, the lounge is a mess. You just want to go home but everyone is gone and it's just you to sort it out. It's moments like those that I really have to remind myself of the privilege it is to serve the living God.

Did you get any presents?
Loads. I got balloons, a teapot, a Spiderman lunchbox, little Doctor Who figurines, a whoopee cushion, some massive inflatable boxing gloves, DC Comic top trumps... One of my teens made a memory board which was brilliant. I really appreciated the thought and effort that went into that and all my presents.

Who has been instrumental in making the last three years so good?
There have been so many people who welcomed me when I first joined this church and who have been willing to bless and support me. God has been so gracious in placing me in a community of people I really love and love me in return. Particular shout outs go to:

• Peter, my pastor. He's been ace and I've grown so much because of his support. He's a kind, encouraging boss that isn't afraid to challenge me. 
• James, who has been a brother, mentor, friend, counsellor, rebuker and role model.
• Marie, she's helped me lead the teens over the last two years. She's an amazing force of nature.
• Erica, who has helped me throughout my last three years. She has such a huge heart for people and is so helpful.
• Duncan. Simply for being an amazing friend.
• and, of course, the teens. I have been exceptionally lucky. It has just been ridiculous.

Hannah (who should blog more) asks "Would you say that working for a church has changed your attitude towards church? Has it had a positive or negative impact on your own personal faith?"
Definitely positive, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It can be really tough, dispiriting, demeaning, painful and frustrating. You'll make mistakes, people will annoy you or hurt you. You'll be exhausted and stretched too thin. It is also, for the most part, a real blessing. One major thing was that I got to know what was happening elsewhere in the church. This was awesome, as you definitely saw God at work in various places. I think I'll miss this the most.

My attitude toward church has changed a lot, especially as Exilio is a very strange church. But I love it and it is like my family. It definitely has had a positive impact on my faith. I'm bolder in proclaiming the lordship of Christ in both word and deed. It's allowed me to practise the gifts that God has given me. It has also given me truly amazing friends that I absolutely love.

If you feel called by God to work in a church or for a Christian ministry, it'd be wrong not to do it. It's going to be tough, but it's definitely worth it.

Karen asked "If you were to tell a new youth worker one "do", "don't" and "I've always wanted to try this" what would they be?"
This is a really hard question. I have about 6 for each so picking one is tricky.

Do give it a shot. If you've got an idea, go for it. It might not work out but you can say you gave it a go. It also teaches the teens not to be scared of failure, no one is perfect (even youth workers) and that we live in a world that is under grace.

Don't make promises you can't keep. There are so many ideas I had that I suggested to the teens and for one reason or another they didn't work out. I expect, actually, it should be a "do delegate". That way you'd probably see most of your ideas realised rather than failing under your own steam.

I wanted to try loads, from volunteering projects to going camping with them, to getting the teens to lead and come up with a term's material.

Bethan asked "What have you most enjoyed teaching your youth...?"
About Jesus. Okay that is the clichéd youth worker question, but it's hard to say anything else.

The people of the Old Testament series was really good and something I was pretty proud of. If you head towards the "Resources" page (tab on the top bar) you can have a look, and use it if you want.

I also really enjoyed the mentoring aspect of my role. So, that's not a topic more of a methodology. But mentoring is an awesome way to disciple people, especially teens. Especially male teens. Role models are really important for young guys.

"...and learning from your youth?"
I've learnt about joy, passion, and gained their contagious love for life.


I have absolutely loved being a youth-worker. I can't believe it's over.

Quick Questions
What should my blog's new name be? Suggestions include:

• Tales of a trainee teacher
• Tales from Thomas

Or have you got better ideas? I'm reluctant to make it a teacher training blog as it has been more thoughts about my faith (that could be a title). 

Any other questions?

No one wants to be stuck with the new guy

In the last few weeks I have been in some situations where I was the new kid. Being the new guy is always an odd experience and most people will avoid those types of situations. For the most part I find them really funny. Being the outsider gives you a unique opportunity to observe the strangeness of humanity.

On Thursday, I went to a martial arts class at my local community centre. I saw it advertised on the internet and thought I'd give it a go. When I arrived there were no sign posts to say which room it was in, so I could only assume it was in the main hall. Fortunately it was and inside the hall was a group of men, mostly 30s to middle aged, although there was one teenager. I spoke to the instructor, we shook hands, and then I spent the next 5 minutes not being spoken to and being ignored except for some sideways glances. There's being on your own and then there's being on your own in a room full of people. The former is easy to deal with, the latter is just awkward. Fortunately, awkward situations amuse me, and it was hard not to burst out laughing as I watched people intently stretch and practice their positions. I had a feeling that they were all the more intent to avoid catching my gaze, and any conversations that happened between the group were more forced in order to pretend I wasn't actually there. Also, when people are concentrating they often look like they're constipated, have been lobotomised or someone just deeply offended them. I managed to control myself and avoid hurting anyone's feelings.

Then we began practicing positions and techniques. We did it in a bit of a circle and I was told to just copy the person opposite me. The training position felt a lot like I was squatting over the edge of a bridge in order to defecate into the river below (and some people's concentration faces just added to the humour of this). That ended and then we got into pairs. The guy to my right was happy to partner with me and teach me a few things, so I enjoyed this part of the session. Then the instructor told us to change partners. There was a panicked look on everyone else's face as it dawned on them that they could be stuck with the new kid. One guy turned away from me and walked around the room attempting to keep his back to me at all times. Alas, he was too slow and by that point everyone had paired up. He was a nice guy but he still keep gazing around the room in the hope that he could quickly abandon me and join someone else. I then ended up with another guy, when an opportunity arose for my partner to ditch me, who gave me the distinct impression that he'd rather be doing something else.

These types of situations I'm usually okay with. I can accept that when a new person comes into a group it's often difficult for the established group to relate to them and it makes people feel uneasy. There is one context when I do find it frustrating, really frustrating, because it should not be happening. This is within a church or a christian organisation. I have been to enough churches, CUs and Christian Events to see the welcoming done really well or really badly.

My pastor said the other day that most churches think they're far more welcoming than they actually are. They did surveys where they asked usual congregation members how welcoming they thought their church was and then they also surveyed first time visitors. The results from the two groups were rarely the same. This should not be the case. We should always be showing the all-welcoming love of our Lord and Saviour. We are told in Hebrews 13:2, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." It's too easy to focus on our friends and the people we know but Jesus tells us we shouldn't:

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14)

When the opportunity to show hospitality to strangers and welcome people is dropped in our laps, we should jump on it (on the opportunity, not the visitors).

Quick Questions

1. When have you felt really welcomed?
2. What awkward situations have you been in?
3. Do you think hospitality is important?

Other links
Rachel's post on What does it mean to be hospitable?
What does the Bible say about hospitality? 

Times flies when you're having fun!

Wow. It's 2012. Not only that, but it's February 2012. I hope you've not been worrying that I fell into a ditch only to be found months later by a passing dog-walker. If you have, you can breathe a sigh of relief. If you haven't, you've got a better grasp of reality than I have.

How has 2012 been for you? Good, I hope. Mine has been really good so far (except for a minor glitch in the proceedings, but more on that later). There have been numerous meals, a games evening, a birthday (mine) and a church weekend away.

The Weekend Away

Last weekend was the church House Party. The theme was "Risk It!" and it was looking at what it means to risk things for Jesus. We looked at the parable of the talents and thought about how we should use our gifts and resources rather than bury them in the ground.

Mosaic was also in charge of the evening entertainments, on the Friday and Saturday night. Jimbo ran a "Exilio goes to the dogs" event, which involved watching weird competitions (e.g. cheese rolling and pillow fights on a beam) and choosing the winner. I came second and my housemate, Crawford, won. Saturday night was a quiz/games night, hosted by the mighty Duncan. We each lead a round. My round was a Chinese laundry/ scavenger hunt round, which went well. Unfortunately, some of my youth cheated by sneaking a look at the answers.

We had hot tubs in some of the lodges and, being the crazy, off-the-wall people we are, decided it would be a good idea add shower gel to the water. There were many bubbles.

Birthday
Monday I turned 24. So old. So old. As it was the day after house party I was given a day of rest, which was nice. For the last two years, my birthday was actually at house party and I sort of missed that, but I still spent it with the Mosaic crew. This year, I met up with James at Trago Lounge (followed by an impromptu trip to IKEA) , and then had a curry extravaganza. There was about 16 of us and we ordered take-away Indian and ate it at the Bemroses'. Some of us then hit the town and got absolutely wasted (and by town, I mean one pub, and by wasted, I mean had two drinks). I was in bed before midnight (it would have been sooner but I went to Tesco Express to pick up some milk for breakfast).

The glitch
The Friday before house party, I had an interview for a PGCE. I thought it went pretty well, and was told I'd find out on Monday (being my birthday). Fortunately, I didn't find out on Monday, as it would have ruined my day. I didn't get the place. Today I received a letter saying:

Thank you for attending an interview for a place on our PGCE (Secondary) course. Whilst we are unable to offer you a place on the course at the moment, we have now placed your name on our reserve list.

(If you were wondering, the envelope it arrived in used FSC certified paper. It's always nice to know that your rejection letter was sent with a clear conscience.) Tuesday, afternoon I was a bit miserable. Wednesday, I was fine with it but had to tell everyone I hadn't got the place. When I told people I was okay about it, they mostly tilted their head and gave me a look to say, "he's either trying to be brave, or he's in denial. Poor chap."

I had the lyrics of The Lord's My Shepherd in my head all Wednesday morning, and it was a helpful reminder of God's goodness throughout everything.

The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want;
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; he leadeth me
The quiet waters by.

My soul he doth restore again,
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
E'en for his own name's sake.

Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill:
For thou art with me, and thy rod
And staff me comfort still.

My table thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head thou dost with oil anoint
And my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God's house for evermore
My dwelling-place shall be.

 Quick Questions

1. How has 2012 been for you?

The Heavenly Man

I was leant The Heavenly Man by a fellow Mosaic member. This was ages ago and I hadn't got round to reading it but while I had a few hours free I decided that I would. It tells the story of Brother Yun who faced persecution from the Chinese authorities.

I liked it, although it wasn't the most well written piece of literature. It sometimes seemed too focused on the minutiae of what happened and lacked emotional colour. However, the horrific nature of the Yun's torture at the hands of prison guards and the police was harrowing. I cannot believe that I would be as faithful to God's will in the face of torture as these men were. Despite the threats of arrest and possible execution Yun continued to proclaim God's word.

The miracles that they witnessed were also amazing. The book really shows what amazing things God can do. God enabled healing, unbelievable escapes from prison, gave people gifts of knowledge that saved them from arrest, and protected them from the authorities. Their faith was inspiring, relying on God to provide for everything.

I loved Yun's passion for the word of God. He prayed and fasted relentlessly until he was given a Bible. He memorised whole chapters and books and was able to pull out verses to give him strength in any situation. I would love to begin learning verses for different occasions and store them in my heart as he did. It showed how life-giving the word of God actually is.

The thing, perhaps, that impacted me the most was Yun's criticisms of the Western church.

"In the West many Christians have an abundance of material possessions, yet they live in a backslidden state. They have silver and gold, but they don't rise up  and walk in Jesus' name. In China we have no possessions to hold us down, so there's nothing preventing us from moving out for the Lord."

He also notes that the Western Church's worst enemy is itself. He notes how "in China, Christians are persecuted with beatings and imprisonment. In the West, Christians are persecuted by the words of other Christians." It's scary, but sadly true.

It's worth reading but quite long and can be pretty repetitive. There are many moments that will inspire you and strengthen your faith.

Quick Questions

1. Have you memorised and Bible passages or verses off by heart? Which ones?
2. What books do you recommend?

October Round Up

It sometimes seems that Richard Dawkins says things just to be contentious. In this interview, however, he comes across quite well. Dawkins seems to hold Jesus in high regard, and says that if he was born in this day and age he'd probably be an atheist. Not sure about that one myself, with him claming to be the Light of the World and the Son of Man and all that. I'm also glad I'm not Anglican, as I would have taken complete objection to being called "harmless". Dawkins also had a few words to say about William Lane Craig in this article. This was definitely Dawkins being typical Dawkins, beginning with the sentence, "Don't feel embarrassed if you've never heard of William Lane Craig." I get the idea that he doesn't like him very much.

The area around St Paul's Cathedral has been occupied by demonstrators who oppose the country's current financial system. This has caused the first closure of the Cathedral since the Second World War and one canon chancellor to resign. The Guardian has some interesting articles on the subject:

• Giles Fraser explains why he decided to leave;
• Marina Hyde doesn't like St Paul or the church that took it's name;
• Another Marina doesn't like St Paul's Cathedral, and goes into some strange tirade about cults of Mary;
• Riazat Butt talks about how the likes of Williams and Sentamu are silent on the subject, but probably support the cause of the protesters;
• A lot of Christian groups, however, are voicing their support.

We can't do an October Round Up without mentioning the significance of the last day of this month: Reformation Day! What, not what you were expecting? In 1517, on October 31st, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a church in Wittenburg. I think my favourites are numbers 62,  "The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God", and 94, "Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell". You can read them in oldy-worldy English here, or a more modern version here.

Okay, so you expected me to talk about Halloween, didn't you? As I am but a slave to my readers, I will. The Resurgence website thought about whether we should receive, reject or redeem halloween. I'm going to go with redeem. We shouldn't forget that the contagious nature of Christ's holiness is far more powerful than then contagious nature of pagan frivolity. Jesus sat with tax-collectors and touched the ritually unclean. These were outrageously "irreligious" acts in his day. It was this sort of thing Jesus should have been rejecting. He, instead, redeemed them. I think we can be forgiven for giving sweets to kids dressed up as vampires or fairies. The Verge network posted some ideas on how to be missional during this holiday.

I can't have a monthly round up without a mention of my friends at the Church Sofa blog. This post reminded me of the Tea and Toast efforts of my Christian Union. It makes me wonder how many more drunk converts we could have made if we had this (Answer: none).

Quick Questions

1. What tough decisions have you made due to your faith/morals?
2. What did you do this Halloween?

The perils of the church sofas

(Originally posted at the Church Sofa) Not to brag, but my church has three sofas, a load of comfy chairs and a pile of bean bags. And they are good, soft, squishy sofas. I know a few people, myself included, who have had naps on them. When someone announces they’re going to have a lone, quiet prayer-session in the lounge, you know what they really mean.

I’ve run quite a few youth socials in that lounge, from film evenings to a sit down meal with communion. We can pull the sofas around to make a sort of home cinema, or arrange them around coffee tables for a cafe feel. They help to make a really welcoming and relaxing environment and quite often visiting teens will comment on the swanky set up we have. These sofas, however, aren’t as great as they seem. The first time I visited the church, one of the teens fell off the back of one. Last Friday, one of my youth found a crème egg that was probably lost at Easter nestled between the cushions. I dropped something down the back and, going to reach it, my hand emerged covered in fluff and youth-snack debris. But my concerns over our church sofas goes further than this.

Feeling the youth program needed a bit of a shake-up, I told the teens that we were looking at doing a few things differently. One of the panicked teens asked, “We’re going to keep meeting here? I love this place.” At first I was touched. I thought to myself, “we’ve created a really positive environment, where teens just love to hang out, relax and discover who Jesus is.” But this comment has begun to worry me. What if the teenagers only come for the sofas? What if they don’t want to follow Jesus, and they’re only interested in the squishy cushions? Is the identity of my youth ministry about living life to the full, with God at the centre, or is it built around the room we meet in? My worry is that the swanky set up only feeds in to the consumerist mind set prevalent in society today. We are simply there to provide a comfortable place where people can chat and relax. The teens just come, eat, play games and go. This isn’t fulfilling Jesus’ commission to us; Jesus did not ask us to “go, buy well upholstered furniture and scatter pillows,” but rather to go and make disciples, baptise them, teach them to obey. The teens just see the lounge as a place where their needs are catered for and any suggestion that they take the initiative and try to put Biblical living into practice go largely ignored.

So, in a way, I miss pews: I have a theory that most missionaries went on their travels to avoid sitting on them another week. I love the fact that our church lounge is welcoming and a fantastic place to show hospitality and inclusivity, but are we just breeding a generation of teens who can’t be bothered to live out their faith and get up off the sofa? I really hope not.

This is Discipling

Kenny Borthwick showed a really awesome video in one of his morning sermons at New Wine. After some searching using the phenomenon that is twitter, I found it.

Quick Question

1. Don't you just love the bit with the catapult?

Ten thousand beside

Two weeks ago I scraped my mum's car along a wall of our church office. It wasn't a particularly pleasant experience. It was made even more unpleasant by the apparent costs and hassle involved in fixing the car. The main problem was the bumper. It had come loose behind the driver's wheel and was hanging down. That was an obvious hazard and we didn't want it to get any worse.

But God is generous, and one of the ways he has shown this is by providing a really loving church community. It is really like a family and everyone is so willing to bless others in small and practical ways. Some people in the church are quite handy with the old DIY, so yesterday I was able to take the car to someone's house and they fixed the bumper for me. For free.

Also, with all this car stuff and other factors (like I haven't received my previous deposit back yet and I'm loosing my interest free overdraft at the end of this month) I've been a bit worried about my money situation. Yesterday some friends from Mosaic, who knew about my worries, gave me an envelope with some cash in as a gift.

Yesterday, I really experienced God's blessing on me. He is an awesome and generous God. The day ended with a meal at James and Steph's with copious amounts of curry, and dessert where communion was also shared. It was a really lovely way to recognise all that God has done for us.

I'll leave you with the final verse of the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own great presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

Quick Questions

1. How has God blessed you recently?
2. How could you show God's love to someone else?

AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church

The leaders of the clans get together about once a fortnight to encourage one another, to make sure we're all on the same page and to get advice and training about different problems we might have. The leaders were asked to read AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay.

AND is about how the church needs to strike a better balance between the pastoral, gathered and stable (modalic) elements of the church and the outward looking, missional, scattered (sodalic) elements. Church tradition has focused on the modalic structures and somewhat neglected the sodalic structures.

There are some really nice passages and one section is particularly poignant. Hugh and Matt (with spouses) were meeting regularly together with friends to discuss "life and God", when one member of the group asked "is this my church?" Hugh replied that Church was about deciding to go on mission with God together, and that if they wanted the group to be their Church they'd have to give their life away. The group unanimously decided that they would come die with them and let God send them.

Although it has a good many of these wonderful accounts, it also has a lot of theory elements. This is the area that I found a bit frustrating and tedious, but did pick up some helpful pointers. One of these was related  specifically in how we deal with the younger people of our church:

Our role as stewards over the spiritual life and legacy of our kids is to model a holistic life of apprenticeship under Jesus.

This seems ordinary enough, but actually has quite far reaching implications. Do the teens of the church see that my whole life is dedicated to Jesus, not just the bits when I'm at church? Do I even live a holistic life of apprenticeship under Jesus? How can they watch me, and other members of the Exilio community do this, when, for some, their only contact with us is a Friday evening with just two of the adults?

So this has got me thinking on how we can incorporate the teens into the wider life of Exilio as a whole. It's hard when their parents aren't involved in the different clans, or the activities of the clan doesn't really suit them.

Overall, it's an okay book. Hugh sums it up really in his final thoughts:

Although we don't feel as if we've given you any wildly new thoughts, we trust what we've been seeing and hearing out in the field will encourage you in the unique calling you have to help lead, serve and die in God's church worldwide.

 It didn't fill me with as much excitement as Total Church.

Exilio Explained

Some things you need to know about my church. It's a bit unusual. First, its name is unusual. Exilio. It's Latin, or Spanish, or Portuguese for that matter, for Exile.

Another way we're unusual is the way we meet. Most churches meet once (or twice) a Sunday and that is their main meeting. Everyone gets together for that one-and-a-half hour slot and then there are extra things within the week you can plug into. Exilio, however, does not meet all together once a week. Instead, we meet in small groups we call clans. There are six clans, and they're all define by a particular trait, value or purpose.

Our clans (in alphabetical order, not to reveal favouritism) are:

Living Lordswood
This is our geographically focused clan. They live in Lordswood, an area in Southampton. They're also united by a love of nature and they are heavily involved in cleaning up the area.

Mosaic
Mosaic is an ageist clan. It is for the 18-30s (although the age keeps creeping up as James gets older). We meet weekly on a Wednesday and Sunday. Our Sundays vary from car washing, BBQs or just hanging out at Trago Lounge. We also go to the Trago Lounge pub quiz every fortnight (where we have varying success). We're exploring what it means to be a missional community (what does it mean? I would quite like to know) and how we should fulfil John 13:34-35 in our lives:

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

Revitalise
This clan is exploring how God brings wholeness, in spiritual and physical wellbeing. They hold pamper evenings, go on walks and provide support for those who are struggling. They often hold events for the Polish group that one of the group teaches.

Solace
Solace provides a place of belonging to those who need support and time to rebuild their lives. This might be through relationship breakdown, health, poverty, or just about anything. They often have breakfast together on a Sunday, and are involved with other charities such as the Depression Alliance and SCRATCH.

Treehouse
This is the group for families with children under 10. They meet weekly to explore the Bible together but also spend time building up the family both spiritually and practically.

x:cell
The teens! As led by the youthwork (a.k.a. me). You'll read a bit more about what we do through the whole blog, so I won't write too much here.

So they're the six clans. We all meet together about once a month, in what we call "The Gathering of the Clans". This often involves food (gingerbread men one time, cupcakes another), songs and a little bit of craziness.

Quick Questions

1. What is strange about your church?
2. What is the weirdest church experience you've had?

An atypical week in the life of a youth-worker

One thing about my church, my job and my life in general is that I don't really get typical weeks. There are elements that stay constant but the bits around the edges seem to change all the time. This used to be a source of stress as I can be a bit of a control freak but now I really like it.

As my weeks are less than typical it's hard where to start with these things. I've had some quite busy weekends so I'll probably end and finish on those.

Saturday 2nd July
I got the keys to my new house the evening before and aimed to move some stuff in during the morning, but I got up late, had an argument with my brother and was generally too tired to do it. I made up with my brother; we argue every now and again but the hurt feelings never last more than an hour. So, instead I got ready for the wedding of Erica and Andy, two people in my church. I didn't have lunch, because I was really nauseous with nerves. I was playing the piano for the service and it was the first (and hopefully last) wedding I've ever played at. It was probably my stress that had a major contributing factor to the argument in the morning.

I arrived at the wedding, played (some people said I played well, I was a bit too dazed to really notice), and went to the reception. I ceilidhed the night away. Well, actually I left at about 10.30, because I'm a light-weight. The wedding and reception was really nice. It was good to be involved in the process (not only did I play but Andy had me, half of Mosaic, the bridesmaids and most his family slaving away over the favours, Orders of Services, and name place cards).

Sunday 3rd
I got to our church's monthly gathering, about 10 minutes late. I sat there bleary-eyed and a feeling like I had a hang-over (I only had a flute of champagne and a glass of white wine during the meal. Honest). I think I got myself a bit worked up about the playing and the effects of the stress had finally hit me. Mind you, some people (mention no names) didn't even get up until the gathering was over.

I moved most my stuff to my house, gate-crashed the Bumroses for a bit, played with giant chalk crayons and then slept my first night at my new abode. I did skive off a clan-leaders meeting.

Monday 4th
It was Duncan's birthday so went over his house for pizza. I bought him The Action Bible: God's Redemptive Story. (Just to clarify, it was his 24th birthday, not his 14th. He happens to like comic books, okay? It says nothing about his reading/mental age. It's far lower than 14.)

After pizza we went to the Trago Pub quiz. There was quite a few of us so we split in to two teams. One of the teams came second. It wasn't my team, unfortunately.

Tuesday 5th
This is a "church" day. I only work part-time and Tuesdays are my office day. This Tuesday I was meeting with Pete, my boss, and Suzy, Chair of Trustees. The meeting started late and went on for quite a while, so I didn't leave until about quarter to six, nearly two hours after I normally leave.

Wednesday 6th
Mosaic night. Probably my favourite evening of any week. We were thin on the ground, Andy and Erica were honeymooning and Duncan was "ill". We're nearly coming to the end of a series looking at the book of Acts. It's been quite good. I prefered the weeks where we were asked to respond to them in a practical way, like go for a prayer-walk. Lately they've been mostly reflective and it seems too similar to what I normally do.

Thursday 7th
My "day off". It was mostly restful but I did have to bail two of my teenagers out of a soul-survivor situation they've got themselves into.

I was meant to be meeting with Duncan for accountability stuff (the technical term) but he was "tired" after being ill for the last two days. Bless him.

Friday 8th
This is my long day. I go to my sixth-form job from 8:30-4:30 (well, there abouts) and then go to church job from 5:30-10:00. A long day. It went okay. I've been doing content light session recently, mainly because the attendance hasn't been great. I think it's mainly because the sun is out, it's music festival season and parents tend to take weekend breaks about now. So we're doing bring and share sessions, where the teens have to bring and share thing to read, watch, discuss or pray about. I did kick this one off, to give them an idea of what to do. I shared a clip from Sister Act, Psalm 139:1-18, and this job vacancy of a disciple. There was also a bit of Q and A opportunity, where they got to ask about my journey with Jesus.

Saturday 9th
I moved the rest of my stuff into my house. Then I helped the Bemrose's set up Immy's 2nd birthday party. There were fifteen small people. FIFTEEN. I was exhausted by it. Steph made an amazing Pepper Pig cake. A lot of additives and sugar was consumed. There were the obligatory tears. They were mostly mine. I went home and slept for a couple of hours. Then went to my parents (I was staying the night there as I was off to Devon the next day) and went straight to bed. I slept straight through until morning. I don't know how parents do it.

Quick Questions

1. Do you have quite structured weeks? Or is it all free and easy?
2. What would you bring to a bring and share?
3. Do you feel sorry for Duncan? I give him a bit of a hard time, don't I?

The Kingdom of God

When people are asked what the Kingdom of God looks like they'd probably automatically think of a traditional looking church. Perhaps they'd think it was a holy huddle of believers that shut themselves off from the rest of the world. Or maybe they'd think it was a bunch of old ladies wearing hats and floral patterned dresses sitting on hard wooden pews in a dusty, dim building. That is not, I believe, what God's Kingdom looks like.

Every now and again you might get a glimmer of what God's Kingdom is like. It's sometimes in moments of laughter and joy; but sometimes also in comforting someone in great pain. I don't think there is anywhere that fully shows the real beauty of God's Kingdom but we sometimes find a part of it, and sometimes we may even not realise we've seen it until a lot later.

When I was in Year 10, I began running my school's Christian Union. I didn't do that great a job and the attendance was rather low. However, I persisted and by the time I was in sixth-form a teacher that went to a local church began to help me run it. We would alternate and I would do one week and she would do the other.

There were two groups of people within that CU. First was a group of girls that attended the same church as the teacher. To this day I don't really know why they came. They didn't get involved, they ignored whatever I said and they would blank me in the school corridors.

It recently struck me, however, how the other group was one of those rare insights into how it could be. We were, to be frank, a bunch of misfits. I was one of the only ones that attended church regularly, and I doubt most of them believed in God. We all had our problems: I hated sixth-form and for most of the time I was miserable; one girl was extremely shy; another guy was somewhat gregarious and often annoyed people; another girl was having problems at home. However, one lunch time every week we came together, ate doughnuts, played games and chatted about life and what following God meant. It wasn't perfect. Our personalities grated sometimes, people would fall out and we'd have all the drama of teenager life. But somewhere in all that mess was a faint picture of God's Kingdom.

Thinking back, I really miss that small group. I cut most of my connections with the sixth-form upon leaving and I don't really know what is happening in their lives. I very much doubt that there was much of a lasting impact for everyone else, but this picture has certainly remained with me.

Quick Questions

1. Did your school have a Christian Union? What was it like?
2. What glimmers of God's Kingdom have you seen?
3. How can we show what God's Kingdom is like here and now?

Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture

Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture by Mike Frost is a mission in itself. Short of answering the timeless question of "boxers or briefs?", Mike Frost covers every aspect what it is to live as an exile from both the current Christian culture and general society. It is three hundred and twenty seven pages telling us how we should shop, eat, sing, live.

The book's call to a genuine, all-encompassing Godly lifestyle resonated with me, so I wasn't too put off by the length and sweeping subject matter. Little annoys me more than Sunday Christians: those who go to church sit in the pews, think that their job is done and live hypocritically the rest of the week. Christianity should be an all life deal. This is something that the exiled Church is realising and I find this exciting. I was excited by a lot of what Exiles offered in its beginning chapters. I loved the descriptions of the potential of "a radical, subversive, compassionate community of followers of Jesus."

What did put me off, though, was Frost's willingness to criticise. I should have heeded the warning in the "Note to the Reader" that "this book contains a good deal of pointed critique." It is really important to name and deal with problems within the church. Frost does it well and I agree with he has to say. He could have probably done this, though, without hauling individuals over the coals (such as Matt Redman). Although I agreed with the points he made, they lack a flavour of grace.

It's quite similar to Total Church in its priorities and I would probably suggest starting there, and then moving onto this one. It's shorter for a start.

How to Kindle Spirit-Fired Christian Life

Good stuff from Mark Driscoll.

Total Church

I was given Total Church, by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, for Christmas by James and finished it in less than I week. I was quite impressed with my efforts. What I wasn't impressed by was my apparent inability to write notes whilst reading a book. You'd have thought as an English Literature graduate I would have learnt that skill, but obviously not. Therefore, I can't remember much of the beginning bit, although I remember I enjoyed it.

Before I go into more detail, though, click here to read an extract.

Warning: jargon follows

I had quite a bizarre reaction to this book, because it wasn't given just to satisfy intellectual curiosity but more to challenge and change the way I live my life. It may have implications on my jobs, where I live and who I choose to share my life with. At first I felt the book seemed to put into words things I had been feeling for a while. Then, the Christmas blues came in and with them came doubt about it all. I felt it was asking me to commit too much.

I really like the main thrust of the book. I loved the idea of being a gospel-centred community and, as a natural response of this, having a mission-centred community. I really love the idea of community. I've always been a community orientated person, and I've always felt it is something that is a natural out-working of our salvation in Christ Jesus. Christianity was never meant to be an individual deal, but our individualistic society has made it just that. From the very first promise to Abraham, God was calling himself a nation, a united people, not many lone-rangers.

Other notes

• I also loved the model of evangelism. It was community based, it wasn't a hit-and-run or a soap-box affair. I felt it had integrity and expressed the love of Jesus in a way that wasn't shallow and hypocritical. 
• The bit on children and youth work was a very different model to what most churches have and it's one that I want to use elements of. I don't want to take it too far, because I'll probably have to quit my job. 
• I liked the idea that theology should always be mission orientated and be useful for something, rather than people writing intellectual things for the sake of being clever.

The main thing about this book is that you feel it's written by people that live it out. Tim Chester and Steve Timmis are both involved in The Crowded House, which is a network of churches.

Now the Christmas blues have gone I'm really looking forward to living it out.

Youth ministry in the emerging realities

Youth ministry in the emerging realities is an article by Fuzz Kitto. I heard this in Seminar form at Soul Survivor.

Children's Worker for a day

Our children worker left back at the beginning of the summer, leaving a gap that no one has replaced. Fortunately, our church doesn't meet all together during the summer, so this hasn't been a problem. September has come around and we have our first all together meeting this Sunday.

After deciding that the teenagers can occupy themselves for the morning, I've been asked to become a supply Children's Worker for the day. Luckily, I helped with the children's work at my university church, because otherwise it'd be really daunting.

We're going to be using the same material that the adults will be using, which makes it a bit interesting. While the adults will have about five or six take-away points, I have to condense that into one or two, without loosing the integrity of the message we're trying to give.

So for this Sunday, I'm going to have to be all smiley and happy like a CBBC presenter.

Quick Questions

1. CBBC, milkshake or nickelodeon?
2. What have you had to do recently which is unusual for you?
3. How many points do you think a message (sermon, whatever you like to call them) should have?

The Young Church

One of the most worrying things I learnt in Soul Survivor was the state of the young church. There is practically a whole missing generation.

Some facts:

• About 10% of the general population attend a church service weekly
• Only 3% of 20-29 year olds attend church
• Half of these are in London
• Between 1979 and 2005 the amount of 15-19s attending church regularly dropped by 69%
• The number of 20-29s dropped by 61% in this period, but was a lot less in the first place.

This has some important consequences for the church. First, for the minority of 20 somethings that do attend church they find themselves alone in a sea of young couples, toddlers and the middle aged. This can be quite an isolating experience. One of my friends was in a small group with people twice her age. It is difficult to feel supported and understood by people who share few, if any, of your problems, no matter how nice or well-meaning they are.

Although a church should never be treated like a dating agency, people in their 20s may be looking for someone with which they can share their life with. They are not going to find it in a church where they are the only one of their demographic.

More worryingly still is what is going to happen to the church in ten or twenty years time. By 2030 we are going to have very few leaders in our churches, and the general population of the church is set to drop. Between 1979 and 2005 church attendance has dropped by 2.2 million in this country and at this rate it's set to continue.

There are various reasons for this. First, because there are simply fewer Christians in this age range. But that is not the only reason. Another reason is probably the culture we have grown up in. My generation has been told that we deserve the perfect partner, the perfect job, and by extension, the perfect church. No church is perfect. The music is going to suck, or the messages may be a bit boring, or the coffee may not be the brand we like.

However, there is a hope. Although we may not find a perfect church we will find this: a perfect God and a perfect salvation.

And this is why we should be going to church. Church is a space to collectively worship and serve our perfect God. Whether we like the music/message/coffee is comparatively irrelevant.

Quick Questions

1. What's your favourite coffee?
2. What do you most enjoy about church (if you go/have been)?
3. What do you least enjoy about church (or why don't you go)?