Widows Mite

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD. I just got back from the launch of Streetspace Weston super Mare and they already have great stories coming back from the young people on the streets. Can you help us reach more projects by getting involved by asking others to text their mite. If you are going away this christmas or in church this sunday would give out a notice or show the picture.

mitesmall

Do something small to make a big change for young people! Text the word MITE to 82540 and help Frontier Youth Trust raise £100,000.

PLEASE DONT TURN OFF YOUR PHONE IN CHURCH!

Frontier Youth Trust (FYT) has launched a project that will lead to a huge increase in Christian youth work that is on the street alongside young in the UK! They want to grow at least 36 new local StreetSpace projects in the next 3 years and develop a national network of Christians who are working with young people in their own neighbourhoods. FYT have secured £60,000 to start the project, but needs to raise a further £100,000 to make it all happen.

For the last 3 years FYT has piloted StreetSpace and it has been effectively and creatively engaging young people on the streets in the South West. This has even included the exploration of new ways to grow church with them. The project has been recognized and welcomed by young people, local police, councils and Christians and has been inundated with requests to start or support similar projects across the UK.

Richard Passmore (StreetSpace Project Leader) says “we have an amazing opportunity to help and support young people, especially those who may be at risk, by meeting them where they are at. We are at a critical point in this development and we want to mobilize Christian youth work as an expression of God’s love for young people on the streets.”

To make StreetSpace happen nationally FYT is launching the ‘widow’s mite appeal’ (See Luke 21). Dave Wiles (CEO) says, “we recognise that money is tight for most people at the moment so we are simply asking for lots of people (actually 100,000 of them!) to contribute a small amount to make a huge difference”. FYT is asking Christians everywhere to turn on their mobile phones (even if they are in church!) and to text their individual mite to help them help young people on the streets.

So please turn on your phone and text the word MITE to 82540 calls will cost £1.50 and over a pound will go directly to the StreetSpace initiative. Text with all your mite (excuse the pun). For donations from outside the UK or for larger donations to the ‘MITE’ initiative, please go to: www.widowsmite.org.uk You will then be able to make a donations to FYT and pay by paypal, credit or debit card.

For more information please email Frontier Youth Trust frontier@fyt.org.uk or call Dave Wiles FYT CEO on 01225 480973 or 07799108339

An orthodox view

Years ago when Off the Beaten track was first published I did a training session, and described a street based communion (coke and crisps style) and asked participants – Is this church? Oli was present and has been thinking and working on his eccelesiological position in response to the question. He has published an interesting short read exploring the need for orthodoxy around the issue of eccelesiology and communion that is well worth the read and download. Find it here.

I really like the fence model he proposes and it presents a good challenge, but before I post my responses i would be interested to hear others views.

young people and technology

I was listening to radio 4’s technology show the other day and there was an article on young people and technology and one thing that stuck out was the comment that the reason adults struggle with new technology is that it breaks into our world and have we have the choice of interaction. However young people inhabit / live in the world of technology. It was the inhabiting word that struck me. There are lots of articles on how computers are changing the way we think, but I wonder now if as digital natives young people have already been socialised in different conceptual frameworks and if this is some of shaping factors the changing approach to commitment and faith.

Tuffty and Clive

Congrats to Clive on her year 6 SATS, she received an award this week as she was the first student in the school to come top in all three subjects of Maths, English, and Science. Although rather embarrassingly as the head teacher noted the glass plague looked smaller in the catalogue, so she just needs to make sure she doesn’t leave it on the window sill and burn the house down one sunny day! Tuffty now is revising for his Maths GCSE course work but motivation for the 80 page workbook from the school is heavy going!! So glad I am not at school anymore!