I am sure this is not an orginal idea, but Jesus included Judas in the last supper, even though he was about to betray him. What does this say to the exclusive way we often choose to do communion nowaways?
Judas and inclusion
8
Worth a read
Here is an updatefrom Worth Unlimited an organsiation I was involved with for a while, if you are doing anything with young people at risk it will be worth a read, just so you can get a feel for the organisation. With stuff now happening all over the country it is great to hear how they are growing and impacting so many young people.
2008 has started at a fast pace across the branches with lots of developments and progress made. So much so that in fact it is impossible to contain everything that we could tell you about Worth Unlimited around the country within this one single email. We suggest that as well as what you read here, you do contact our Branch directors around the country who will be more than happy to provide you with even more stories and accounts from their branches which is where the real graft is done building hope, unlocking potential and realising worth among young people.
In this update :
· A Story … as yet unfinished
· Youth Mark Recognition for Local Branch
· Bridging the Gap
· New Initiative encourages wider Church involvement
· Macclesfield Grows
· Worth Unlimited in the Tyne Valley
· Significant Government financial backing for Worth Unlimited
· Media Interest Grows
· OCN Accreditation for “World Worth Living In”
· Annual Bike ride details announced
· Conclusions
A story … as yet unfinished
Once upon a time … there was a charity called dare2, set up with a significant launch grant from a businessman to help promote best practice in work with marginalised young people in UK. Just over two years ago its CEO, David Boul, met Tim Evans and realised he and Worth Unlimited had skills dare2 needed.
David continues the story, “A cross-funding arrangement was agreed and Tim got started on a strategic plan for dare2. Tim and I realised quickly that the two charities had far more in common – vision, mission and goals. By this time last year they had worked out a strategic alliance in which dare2 funded good practice development and testing with Worth.
With encouragement from both boards, co-operation got closer. Then last October we happily did the obvious and joined forces under the Worth Unlimited identity. Rather than go through the complexities of formal merger, dare2 trustees joined the Worth Board bringing the remainder of dare2’s launch grant.
All this may sound a bit remote from the world of a marginalised young person, but … together we now have a stronger national team to support Tim, a new treasurer – that’s me, and an increased number of branches with a strong emphasis on best practice. More importantly though, together we are having more impact with young people.”
Youth Mark Recognition
Worth Unlimited for Waltham Forest has just been awarded a Bronze level Youth Mark by the North London Connexions Partnership, following an intensive inspection of the projects that we run by a team of young people from North London Connexions. A team of young people including a young person who was one of our service users when she was young, spent more than 20 hours visiting the Mobile Youth Venue, a local secondary school and our office, speaking with our staff and many of the young people we work with. Their conclusion was that Worth Unlimited provides services that are welcoming, easy to locate, warm, cosy and user friendly.
Matt Perry received a certificate and award on behalf of the team of staff, volunteers and management group and assured the inspecting group that where areas for improvement had been identified (around making our policies easier to access and wearing name badges especially on the Mobile Youth Venue) these would be acted on. “We were keen to be inspected by young people,” said Matt, “Because as our service users it is their opinions that we value the most and want to act on. I am glad that the inspectors found our team and projects to be welcoming and friendly for young people and that they have given us some good ideas to build on and use to improve further what we offer.”
Bridging the Gap
15 young people from local Muslim and Christian communities in Waltham Forest recently spent a weekend together in Cumbria with support from our team and the Active Change Foundation. We explored the question “One Community OR Worlds Apart?”. The young people who got on so well together concluded that Waltham Forest could be and should be one community and that this one community is diverse with many different faiths and cultures making a contribution, not unlike a football team with different players playing different roles but still being ONE team.
The BBC filmed part of the residential broadcast a film about the project on BBC 2 on Friday 14th March on the Daily Politics Show which included comment by a Minister for Community Cohesion.
Continue reading
Morris and Priscilla Steel
Today I went to sheffield for a celebration of the life of my aunt and uncle, who died earlier this year. They were quiet heros of the faith, and always supported and encouraged my work, as local methodist preachers they were well known in the area and it was great to hear the stories from the local people whose lives they touched over the past 60 or so years. They were learners and continued to run bible studies and attended theology classes in the university into their 70’s, but more than this they loved people faithfully. Their support and hospitality was renowned, and the minister commented on Priscillas ability to put herself in the shoes of others and so the care she showed was always just right. Morris was often the MC for our family events, with a great sense of humour, and appropriatly wise words for each occassion. These two quiet and faithfull saints will be missed and never forgotton.
Back but not via terminal 5
After the flight was cancelled due to the terminal 5 fiasco, I flew back with Luthansa and (via a slight bit of blagging) got bumped up to business class. The best part of which was when they weighed the my suitcase which I thought was small enough for hand luggage but was too heavy, however the check in lady (note lady not woman – this was business class you know!) said “as you are flying business class sir, it will be fine to make an exception”
I couldnt believe it not only geting bumped but no risk of loosing bags! off on holiday next week but doubt my blagging skills are up to getting the whole family bumped up still we can give it a go!
No blogs for a while but thinking about heresey as a way forward
Next week I am off to the IASYM conference in Germany looking at ecclesiology and youthwork. Then back to the UK for a couple of days of hectic prep and final marking, before taking off with the family to Spain to see my sis and have a two week break, so not sure when i will next post, but am keen to explore the issue of mission as a resource for breaking out of the current church paradigm and the link between this and the need for a heretical imperative to help us fully move beyond our existing pagan christian understanding.Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj movies What’s Eating Gilbert Grape dvdrip
Chard Detached Win £5K
Last night was Opportunity Chard
when 32 projects came together to put their case for funding before the community. 30k was up for grabs and the total all the projects were asking for was 99K so competion was hot. Everyone had a display board and 3 mins to talk about their project. Then the community voted for the project they most wanted to support. People had 5 votes and could only vote once for each project. There were over 400 people there and we were on first. Kevin one of the older yp spoke brilliantly about the need for lights for the skate park and was followed by Sam who as an under 16 couldn’t vote, so he summed up asking the adults to vote for us as they couldn’t. 90 mins later everyone had done their presentations and votes were cast.
We came 4th with just shy of 100 votes and so got the whole 5k we were asking for. It was a nervous night, but the young people did brilliantly!Macross dvd
Flow
Great video here hattip to Jim
Spirituality and young people
Glimpses is an exciting and ground-breaking resource for youth workers that explores the subject of spirituality in a contemporary and relevant way.
Written by Nigel Pimlott and Steve Bullock from the Diocese of Gloucester, Glimpses is published by the National Youth Agency (NYA) and comprises of a book and DVD. Glimpses offers a host of resource ideas for youth workers.
Spirituality is a subject high on the agenda of young people, youth workers and the NYA alike, Glimpses will enable youth workers to effectively integrate the spiritual dynamic of youth work into their everyday practice.
FYT president and Chair of the NYA Bishop Roger Sainsbury has also welcomed the emphasis on spirituality within the youth work agenda: ‘Young people today are very aware of global conflicts in the world and growing divisions in our own communities in the U.K. both often linked to religion – it has never been more important to clarify the place of spirituality and spiritual development in youth work.’
Glimpses comprises of five sections: Reflections provides a series of visual images to engage with. Atmospheres explores the power and importance of environments and Essences tries to get to the heart of what is meant by spirituality and spiritual development. Stations provides a range of some 30 practical tools to aid exploration and engagement, whilst Breaths is packed full of miscellaneous ideas and resources. All this and a DVD full of images, music and video clips to use with the resource.
One of the main features of Glimpses is that it can also double up as an effective tool for churches to use in their adult services, meetings, house and cell groups. Full of resources, discussion starters, images, videos and material it promotes reflection and stimulates thinking.
Glimpses is exclusively available from FYT for just £13 including p&p. (rrp £15 plus p&p). Please send your cheque (payable to ‘FYT’) name and address to the FYT office. Or visit the FYT web site resources section – http://www.fyt.org.uk/resource,print,1.htm
Your part with Flow.
Getting to know Flow can be a hard thing, we can experience Flow in our lives from time to time but being in the flow all the time is harder. Remember when you first realised there was more to Flow than you thought, trying time and time again to make things happen but being just beyond your reach. We need one another to help us find Flow, and Flow has designed it this way. Just as Flow is in you so Flow is in others, and as people flow differently, so can we help one another understand Flow. Some people flow when they think about stuff and because they are thinkers, can help us understand flow or help us when we seem to loose Flow. Some have learnt to trust Flow and we can see from them what it is to live like this. There are even some people who have learnt to go with the Flow so Flow can heal people or help people in strange and miraculous ways. Others find flow when they are talking about Flow, and some have learnt the language of Flow. You see Flow longs to connect with people, and although people have different strengths it is Flow that decides who has these strengths and when.
Think about pulling the perfect trick, unless your feet are right, the weight of your body is in the right place, you have the right speed, take off and landing it won’t happen. Although it is one trick it has many parts, and you can’t do the trick without landing or by using your hands where your feet should be. Once we know Flow we can find Flow in everything, not just the moments when we skate or ride, we become joined in the flow of life with everyone and everything else that knows Flow and because of the old ways of thinking about ourselves are no longer valid. The strange thing about this that it is not that you loose yourself but you find yourself and your part in the part. Remember how where we started – thinking about how different people can help others get to know Flow – well it the same again. Everyone is equally important but more than this we can’t actually function without one another, so it is no good saying I am more important or better than you. Imagine a treasure hunt for Flow and you are in a team, you are responsible for one another, you are responsible for helping one another find Flow, you need to help the others find their role so they can help others find Flow. You can’t find the whole treasure of Flow without everyone finding Flow, everyone knowing their part, if one fails we all fail, but when one person finds Flow we flow that little bit more.
Remember you are here to help Flow be discovered on earth, and you are a part in this process, so find out your part to play and play it well. This is the purpose of what some people call church, to help others find Flow and discover how we can all find our part in Flow, and so be at one with each other, ourselves and the whole of creation. So don’t compete, let everyone play their part, people who help get things set up and make things happen, people who Flow can speak through, the thinkers, the miracle workers, the behind the scenes helpers, the admin people, and the people who speak Flows language, remembering that no-one is more important than the other. But it is so easy to forget so I want to tell you about a different way, an even better way than rules, the way of Flow the way of Love.
If I speak really well, or even speak for Flow but don’t show love, it is pointless. If I am a thinker or I know Flows language or see miracles happen, or even give my money to the poor, without love it is nothing and more than that I am nothing, and not really in Flow. Love is kind and patient, love works for others not for itself, love helps you put up with those around you in the Flow that wind you up, and love hopes for a better world and keeps you living towards this, love won’t fail. Love will help Flow be discovered on earth, love will help you find your part in this process, and love will you play your part well. So have faith in Flow, hope for the future and love to make it happen, but of these three the most important is love.
Open Sets as a way towards enlightenment
I have been exploring the issue of bounded and open sets, one thing that is often talked about is about being committed at the core and open at the edges, yet I wonder if we are missing an opportunity for growth here. I am part of a network that describes itself as A network of mission practitioners and communities who are restlessly trying to follow Jesus in the midst of a changing contemporary culture. The Ugly Truth full I cannot underestimate the support I have found within group and how important the space to be open and vulnerable with like minded people is. In many ways this group is not fully open (nor should it??) but this is what I am questioning. At one level all open groups are self selecting and will attract people around the ethos of the group etc, but open set groups for people exploring spirituality will mean the members come into contact with those they disagree with, those they think are off the wall etc, all of which if processed worked through, dialogued about, motives, passions and actions searched and questioned help us on the path to enlightenment. You can hear a talk on patience a 100 times but try living with someone you think is a Muppet, what has the greater benefit for the soul?