Methodist Youth President

Lent and stuff :)

2012-02-22T10:46:00.001Z

I had the privilege, last Friday, of working with some of my young people on a writing workshop. Meg came up and we worked on producing some content for a new blog, o be launched in the next couple of weeks.

We started with some Bible study, and some of the insights they had were incredible (bare in mind these are the same young people who are constantly complaining and never listen!!!) – I was so impressed!

They were then allowed to express their thoughts on the passage, some produced a video, some wrote a testimony, some did artwork. The amount of creativity on display was a real delight to see. I’d like to think this is the kind of worship God’s after...being free and being creative.

We made it clear to the people there on Friday that there is no wrong answer, and that had such a good impact. It allowed them to be free with sharing what they thought, and be really creative in sharing that.

In John’s gospel, it talks about worshipping in ‘spirit and truth’, and I think this is what it means to do that – be really free and really creative. God loves it when we use the gifts He’s given us in worship, and I think too often we’re too scared of coming out of the routine, or doing worship ‘wrong’.

Worship can never be wrong, and it can never be too free or too creative.

As Lent is beginning, I’d really encourage you to take up exploring how we can truly worship in ‘spirit and truth’; how we can be free and creative in our worship.

What are you giving/taking up for Lent this year?

Sports Consultation & BYC

2012-02-14T16:04:00.002Z

I spent yesterday at our sports conslutation, and today with some faith organisations and the British Youth Council...

Both of these things get me really excited!

How the church links with the rest of society is so important - we should be at the forefront of all of this. I'm so excited by the work we're doing in sport, it links with our heritage, and is so exciting going forward!

The British Youth Council, is an organisation we're getting more and more involved in. This gives us a platform to discuss and share the issues concerning all of you, as children & young people in our church., in our wider society.

The church should be right at the forefront of society; my prayer is that the work we're doing with sport, the BYC and a whole load of other stuff puts us back there. I hope that's your prayer too.

Exciting Stuff!!

2012-02-07T16:20:00.002Z

The past few weeks have been completely manic! It just seems to be one exciting thing after another! Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving all the awesome stuff that’s going on – just bit of a break between each one would be appreciated!! (:P)

So, I think I’d better share with you some of this awesome stuff!

Think Talk Be is an online space we’re trying to create to enable children & young people to think as disciples, talk as disciples and to be disciples. We’re getting children & young people to write the content, and can’t wait to get it started! Watch this space for more information!

We have finally booked all the places on the Israel & Palestine visit. We’re really excited about the programme for the trip, and the group of young people we’ve got going. Again, watch this space to find out more about them and what they’re up to!

'Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track.' Proverbs 3:5-6

Please keep the whole Chidlren & Youth Team in your prayers - pray that we are able to trust & rely on God so that we can keep on track in the work we do for you and for the kingdom.

Schools Visits

2012-01-20T17:23:00.000Z

I’ve been completely blown away this week. A matter of months ago, I had no idea we even had a Methodist school, but now I’m completely blown away by the work they do.
This week I’ve visited four Methodist schools:

· Hippings, Oswaldtwistle
· Westleigh, Leigh
· St Andrew’s, Salford
· Rosehill, Ashton-under-Lyne

All four of these schools have a lot in common; they all have good or outstanding Ofsted reports, all have enthusiastic, well-behaved kids, all have a strong Christian ethos, and all are meeting a need in their community.

All of them are placed in the vicinity of deprived estates, therefore a lot of their kids come from these less advantaged backgrounds. The schools are a place of support and advice for the parents and all of the family, and in some cases are the first port of call whenever there is a problem.

I guess this is where we should be as a church. I spoke to one head, who saw her school as ‘the church’s mission’. What these schools are doing is what we should be doing as churches! These schools are going out to those who are in need, are meeting a need in their communities – what a lesson we, as a church, could learn from that.

I talked to a lot of kids and asked them what they thought of church – most answers were that church is dull and boring, they don’t know when to stand up or sit down, or they have no interest in it (there were some positive ones thrown in too!); then when I asked them what they thought of their morning worship in school, it was completely different! They were able to participate, they sang good songs, they were allowed to have a bit of a laugh...again, what a lesson we can learn as a church. How much of our worship is fun and engaging without being patronising to these kids who are actually very capable of a mature spirituality!

I’ve had my eyes widely opened this week, to what an asset we have in our Methodist schools.

Let’s pray for them, and the continuing part they have to play in our church.

OPPs & Schools visits

2012-01-13T12:58:00.002Z

It's an exciting, but very busy time at the moment! With meetings about Greenbelt, Bible Project, Connecting Disciples, Interfaith Organisations, JPIT, YPS Reference Group, a week of schools visits, Methodist Council and the small matter of a National Methodist Student Conference; there are a few busy weeks coming up!

I feel very proud, as should you, to be a part of a church that does so many exciting things! We should be celebrating more and more of that.

As you know, our OPPs are currently in Tajikisthan - they especially need your prayers! It seems strange to think that we're already thinking about next years intake of One Programme Participants. If you know of any projects that you think will make good OPP placements, either get in touch with your local PPM or with me and we can start the application process!

Next week, I'm visiting four North West schools in the North West region. I've never claimed to be a children's worker, and schools work is something that lies way outside of my comfort zone!!

However...I've definitely got used to being thrown in at the deep end, and I actually think that doing some work in the Methodist schools is crucial to our work as a church. In our 65 schools, most are not from church backgrounds, and often they are from families that aren't quite so well off as others.

These are the children and young people that we need to be working with! These are the children and young people that we should be trying to share the word of God with, in as creative a way as possible.

I'm feeling very nervous about next week, but I can see that it is realy valuable work - your prayers would be very much appreciated :)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T17:25:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

Some people seem to think that the fact its a new year changes everything...it doesn’t. I arrived at the first cell group of 2012, and yes they were still annoying and rowdy and messy as all good youth groups are!

The spend most of their time moaning that I’m never there! I would like to take this opportunity to say that this is not the case, and I never miss it on purpose. I, in fact, love leading my cell group. Its probably one of the most infuriating yet at the same time rewarding things I do with my week!

I want to share with you what I did with my Cell Group yesterday, and want to challenge you to do it yourself as we head into the new year...

Take some time to think about what it is you’re hoping for this year. What do you want to be proud of by the time 2013 comes around? What changes do you want to have made to your lifestyle? What resolutions do you want to have kept?

Think about some of the big decisions that might be coming up... Which job to go for? Which Uni to go for? Which sixth form to go to? Which church to go to?

Make list of a few of the hopes and dreams you have for 2012, and write them on a piece of paper and seal them in an envelope.

As you seal the envelope, take some time to reflect on this verse from scripture...

I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:10-11 (The Message)

Think about what this verse means for you as you go into this new year. Think about the incredible promise that God has made us, the part we have to play in his place.

In the lead up to Christmas, I’m sure we’ll all have read about the extraordinary thing that God called Mary to, let’s all be excited NOW for the extraordinary things that God has in store for us as individuals, for us as Methodists, for us as part of a global Christian movement.

I pray that you are richly blessed in 2012, and maybe that you’ll consider some of these things in your prayers this year...

· OPPs trip to Tajikistan
· Think. Talk. Be (an exciting new project you’ll be hearing lots more about very soon!)
· Connecting Disciples Conference
· Methodist Israel & Palestine Visit
· YPS Review

Amen.

Giving...

2011-12-19T10:56:00.000Z

I guess I couldn’t have missed out this advert from my advent blogs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSLOnR1s74o

What’s your favourite part of your Christmas?

For me, food comes pretty high on the list, all the TV Christmas specials, spending time with friends and family. I wonder how many of us are like the little kid in this advert.

How many of us can’t wait to get up on Christmas morning to get our presents?

How many of us can’t wait to get up on Christmas morning to give our presents to other people?

“Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it cam up in the east, and we have come to worship Him.”

Matthew 2:2

The wise men can’t wait to see Jesus, to give the gifts they brought for Him; not only did they bring material gifts for Jesus; they gave their time and energy.

How will you give of your time and energy this Christmas?

How will you make sure this Christmas is as much about giving of your time, energy and money as it is receiving?

Ordinary people...extraordinary things!

2011-12-16T09:39:00.000Z

I can’t even comprehend what it would have been like for Mary. One day, she’s making plans for your new life with her husband to be, the next she’s trying to work out how on earth she’s going to possibly be able to articulate to the aforementioned husband to be that you’re going to have a baby that isn’t actually his!

We often gloss over the significance of each character in this story. Without Mary accepting God’s call, without Joseph not disgracing Mary, without the wise men not going to Herod on their return; imagine how different the story would have been! There wouldn’t even have been the story as we so fondly know it.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=2011+british+airways+advert&docid=1365078181284&mid=37D54822476B67CD061837D54822476B67CD0618&FORM=VIRE5#

God calls each of us to serve in exciting ways, ways that we can’t even imagine; none more so than Mary’s! These people that God calls are just ordinary people, but God uses them for extraordinary things!

Imagine how those pioneers in the advert must have felt...how does that compare with Mary’s emotions? How does that compare to when God calls us?

What extraordinary role does God have for you this Christmas?

Short-term Christmas?

2011-12-12T14:56:00.001Z

How many of you watched the X Factor final yesterday? I’m sorry, but surely those two hours of television would have been better filled by just Coldplay than all the rest of them?! I think that’s enough of my misery on that subject for now...!

My house has always been a Strictly household (I’d just like to make it clear that this is forced upon me, you’ll be surprised to know that I don’t actually enjoy watching Russell Grant in a lycra sequin suit...!), but X Factor is on most Saturday nights too.

Those of you who do watch it, I wonder how many of the contestants from last year you can remember?

Struggling? I bet most of you won’t be able to name all of this year’s either...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYCToHQk6nc

Fame for all these people is almost certain to be a short-term thing. There might be the odd couple that last a few years, but I expect that in a month’s time we’ll have forgotten about most of them.

‘The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.”’

Luke 1:30-33

The angel appears to Mary, and shares what God has in store for her. Mary isn’t just in for the short-term fame thing, she’s part of a story that will last forever!

The most exciting thing...we’re part of that story that never ends! We are the people of God, who are to proclaim the good news of Christ this Christmas!

So...

How will you encourage people to see the birth of Jesus as significant in the long-term?

How will you ensure your Christmas celebrations are not just short-term?

Prayer

2011-12-06T09:53:00.005Z

I don’t know about you, but I find prayer really difficult.

I’ve never been one for kneeling by my bed each night and doing all that shebang, I much prefer it being more like an ongoing conversation with God throughout my day...but that’s turned out to work about as well as the kneeling by my bed thing!

I think this is a problem a lot of Christians have as well. So I thought I’d share a way of praying I find really helpful, I find it’s great for trains :)

I carry this little card around in my wallet all the time...

I love this as a structure for prayer. Before anything, reminding yourself of how completely awesome God is! Why we love Him, why we worship Him. Then you bring all those things that you’re not proud of, that you need to ask for forgiveness for. Then thank God for all those amazing gifts that he pours out on us each day. Finally, ask God for some help!

I think a lot of us are guilty of just using our prayer times to plead with God for some help, we forget about how awesome God is, how much we need God to purify us, and the incredible number of things that God gives us that we should be thankful for.

I really challenge you to make one of these cards for yourself, maybe with some bible passages you find more helpful, or you might just want to print one of these ones off. Put it in your wallet, or your purse, and take 5 minutes each day just to go through it and spend some time with God.

Prayer scares me...a lot! But when I remind myself that it’s not actually about all those fancy words that no-one understands; instead, it’s just you talking to you father, your friend, I feel a lot better!

Christmas is coming!

2011-12-01T12:09:00.002Z

What, for you means Christmas is coming?

The start of December? Your advent calendar? Christmas decorations go up? Advent candles in church?

What about this...?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogetBqMgau0

How many people, on Facebook & Twitter, posted about the start of Christmas being when that advert came on the TV?!

In the Bible, its John the Baptist who heralds the coming of Christmas, the coming of Jesus.

'And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.'

Luke 1:76-79

Elizabeth was barren, but God blesses her and Zechariah with a child. That child was to be the one to prepare the way for the birth of Jesus.

How will you prepare the way for Jesus this Christmas? How are your preparations going to ensure that the centre of your Christmas lies with the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Leicester

2011-11-28T13:09:00.001Z

I was privileged, on Saturday, to go to a church in Leicester to lead a worship event at a church there. We had a really good night or worship, fellowship & prayer, with about 30 young people.

I got to go over and lead the event with some people I worked with as an OPP last year, we developed the same thing in Wellingborough and to be invited to do the same somewhere else was really exciting!

Hopefully, through what happened on Saturday night, those young people from Leicester will be able to run their own events from now on. We talk about this word empower a lot, but I think that’s what we were doing last night; showing other young people that actually if you have something you want to do or change, and God’s grace to carry you through and guide you in the right paths, then there’s no reason why you can’t do it!

I love God’s response to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1...

‘“Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.’

Jeremiah 1:6-8

God promises to be with all of us, if we have the confidence to respond to something that God has put inside of us; whether that’s a vision, or something along the lines of the holy discontent I talked about in my last blog.

Hopefully that’s what we achieved last night; not only did we encounter God, but we also managed to give people the confidence to step out, say ‘I’m not too young’, and go forward knowing that they’re backed by God’s unending promise to be with us.

Holy Discontent

2011-11-22T12:11:00.000Z

I started reading a book this morning, called ‘Holy Discontent’ by Bill Hybels.

He says that God is restoring our world; bringing it from its current broken state to its ‘original beauty and purpose’.

As God is restoring His world, the books talks about God placing this idea of holy discontent within us as something that motivates us to make a difference. When we have this feeling of holy discontent inside of us, we almost become like Popeye! When we get that feeling, or eat that spinach, we become this unstoppable foce that wants to make a difference, and do God’s work in restoring our world to its ‘original beauty and purpose’.

So, I’m interested to know, what is it that gives you that feeling of holy discontent? What is it that you can’t stand? What makes you want to make a difference?

3Generate

2011-11-11T15:21:00.003Z

Well, what a fantastic weekend! I left last Sunday, feeling completely exhausted yet very proud to be a Methodist and really excited about the future of this church.

I’ll be blogging over the next week or so about all that happened at 3Generate, but I want to start with the worship. Partly because, this was my contribution to the weekend(!), and also because for me it was the most powerful thing about the whole weekend.

We kicked off looking at CALLING, and I spoke on the story of Samuel and how he was called by God. Three verses stuck out for me (annoyingly as I was trying REALLY hard not to make it a 3 point sermon!)...

‘...the word of the Lord was rare...’

I often look at the world, and my own situation and just think, where on earth is God in all this. That was true for Samuel, and is probably true for pretty much everyone at some time in their life. But actually, you don’t have to look that hard to see where God actually is!

I challenge you to make a list of all the places you can see God working through (e.g. creation, friends & family), and see how many pieces of paper you can fill...I guarantee it’ll be at least 2!

‘...Samuel did not yet know the Lord...’

We often think that we have to be this perfect Christian to be called by God. Actually, if you look through the Bible, the people God called were the last people you’d expect to be called by God.

'By Him, you are called into relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ' – 1 Corinthians 1:9

Each and every one of us is called by God; primarily to have a relationship with Him. God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.

‘...stood before Him exactly as before...’

God stood right in front of Samuel to call him, but still didn’t notice until after Eli pointed out it was God! I think a lot of us have a very set image as to what God’s call will end up looking like, and unless the call fits in with that set image we have in our head we often miss it.

I challenge you to open your eyes and your hearts to what God’s call might be, and prepare yourself to be blown away by the incredible and surprising way that God reveals that to us.

The Saturday looked at our RESPONSE to God’s call, looking at the story of Noah. I doubt whether many people have received such a specific call as Noah did (I doubt He’s ever given many the exact measurements for the boat that He wants them to build!), but all credit to the guy; he did as God called Him to. How often do we just have that blind obedience to God’s call? How easy is it for us to do that? Can we actually just go in with blind obedience, or are there too many external factors for us ever to be completely sure that its God calling us?

I hope you realise I ask all these questions because I don’t actually have the answers myself...if any of you could enlighten me that would be great!

We spent the evening sharing a Love Feast. Ruth Pickles shared her testimony about when she felt like Noah and we all had a really good discussion. I was amazed at how everyone took part and responded. God definitely richly blessed us in our worship at 3Generate.

I challenge you to consider the questions we discussed for yourself, or maybe in a group with people from your youth group, housegroup or church...

When did you last feel like Noah?
When did you last feel like you were sinking – what happened?
What is the oddest thing God has called you to do?
Where have you seen God this week?
Do you feel God calling you? What will your response be?

On the Sunday morning, we spent some time reflecting on God’s PROMISE to be with us, using the story of Jeremiah as a focus. God calls Jeremiah, but he’s scared and says he’s too young. But God says to him, ‘Do not be afraid, for I am with you’ (Jer 1:8).

This is God’s promise for EVERYONE! I think sometimes as a church, we’re afraid to take risks. I’m not saying we should start doing all this irrational stuff, but sometimes the way forward is to step out, and to take that risk. Certainly, that risk, for me, becomes much less scary when I remember that God is with me in all that I do. I’m never too young to respond to God’s call, because God is with me all the time, whatever age.

God CALLS us into relationship with Him, that demands a RESPONSE, and through all that God’s PROMISE is to be with us.

Cliff College

2011-10-28T10:41:00.002+01:00

I spent last week up at Cliff College, taking part in the Christian Life & Mission Course. This is two weeks of intensive study, then four assignments that I have complete throughout the year. There are ten of us on the course, the other 9 are interns from Scripture Union, 3 of whom are working at Re:Generation church, which is a Methodist fresh expression in Romford which has twice as many young people as adults in the congregation! I was really challenged by the whole week, so thought I’d share some of what I’d learnt :)

The first day we looked at Jesus through the whole Bible. All through the Old Testament there is the mention of this Messiah figure coming, the birth of Jesus is the fulfilment of the Christ that is prophesied about throughout the Old Testament in Isaiah, the Psalms & Deuteronomy to name a few. I think this is one of those things that you know of, but certainly I had never made any sort of connection between in my head; and it really challenged me!

We were looking particularly at Luke’s gospel throughout the week, and it really surprised me how much each of the four gospels differed. I was aware that John just kinda does his own thing, but the differences between the three synoptic gospels were staggering. Matthew was written to try and keep the Jews happy, whereas Luke was written without that care, instead it show the passionate and inclusive side of Jesus.

Stories like; The Good Samaritan, The Lost Son & Zacchaeus only appear in Luke. These are stories where Jesus talks about reaching out to those who are lost, that no one else would want to talk to, showing Jesus on the side of the marginalised. How much of our view of Jesus would be changed if these stories weren’t there? How much of our view of Jesus is based on what these stories portray? I’d just assumed that these were pretty common to the gospels, definitely not that they only appeared in one of them.

In Matthew’s gospel (Matt 1:20-21), the angel appears to Joseph to foretell the birth of Jesus. In Luke (Lk 1:28), the angel appears to Mary. The angel appearing to Joseph would have been acceptable for the Jews, some would say that was why Matthew told it that way; however, can you imagine how the Jews would have reacted to the angel appearing to Mary?!

It struck me, that Luke’s gospel, and how he portrays Jesus, is very Methodist. The compassionate side of Jesus, is what I believe Wesley wanted to emphasise when he came away from the Church of England and went out to share the gospel with those that no one else wanted to touch.

How much of the compassionate side of Jesus do we portray today, as Methodists?

What would Wesley think of the Methodist Church today?

More importantly, what would Jesus think of the Methodist Church today?

Leicester, Newport Pagnell & Methodist Council

2011-10-15T08:54:00.002+01:00

After a really good, but very busy week in London, I spent last weekend working with some awesome young people, on Saturday in Leicester and on Sunday in Newport Pagnell.

One of the projects I worked on as an OPP was Relate, a youth worship event that was really successful, and some people from Methodist churches in Leicester have invited the group from Wellingborough to go and run one over there! I met with four awesome young people on Saturday afternoon who were really keen on the prospect of a church filled with young people on a Saturday evening in November.

I’m sure you’ll hear lots more from me about it, but make sure you put Saturday 26th November in your diary if you live anywhere near Leicester!

Sunday evening, I spoke at a youth service in Newport Pagnell. Again, what an awesome bunch of young people! They were all so passionate and led the service themselves with amazing confidence and passion for Jesus! I spoke on the theme of Evangelism and used the Tell. Show. Be. video as a focus. All the young people there were really engaged (if not the talk then the preacher bingo!), and I think really took something away.

That is the real joy of this job, going out and seeing young people, who are so passionate about sharing this amazing and incomparable love that Jesus has for us, and them having the chance to be creative and try and make a difference in their communities.

Monday and Tuesday I spent at Methodist Council. It was good to share with some really interesting people in some very interesting topics that I’m sure will come up at Conference later this year.
This weekend I’m in Leeds with this years OPPs and the YPS Reference Group. Then the next couple of weeks for me will be spent at Cliff College doing two weeks of study up there. Please keep me in your prayers as I go up there and try and learn more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus and do His work.

Finally...

Don’t forget to book onto this year’s Children & Youth Assembly. God’s definitely pitching up...how can it not be completely and utterly awesome?!!

Shore Foundation & EMYC

2011-10-04T13:00:00.002+01:00

Sorry it’s been a while, but my very exciting blog is back!! :D

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of joining a group of youth workers and young people for the Bristol District Youth Weekend in Portishead. The weekend was all based around the scripture in Matthew 7:24-27 where it talks about the wise and the foolish man. It was really good to be challenged, and to see the young people be challenged on making Jesus the foundation that their lives are built upon.

Thank you so much to all of those people that worked so hard to make the weekend happen, and all of the young people who came and made it an awesome weekend!

This time last week I had just got back from Vienna for EMYC. It was a really interesting experience with some great people. There are some really exciting things going on all over Europe; from youth weekends in Ireland, to mission projects in Germany to the European Methodist Festival in Krakow, Poland next year.

So far this year, its been fantastic to feel a part of something bigger just in terms of this country, but to have the sense that God is working in the Methodist church all over the Europe is incredible!

Please keep all those involved in Children’s & Youth work across Europe in your prayers.

Worship

2011-09-20T16:02:00.001+01:00

Last week, I had to clear out the past two years of Worship@Infuse resources from Infuse. Looking back, it seems really strange looking at how we used to do things there, and also what my attitude to it all was.

We started out with the attitude that it was very much for the church kids in the town, then they stopped coming, then we spent ages going back and forth between whether this was a discipleship thing, or a way for us to evangelise. That was a question we never really found the answer to ourselves, but God clearly showed us through the people that He brought to that place on a Sunday evening what the purpose of that event was.

For a lot of the people that came, Worship@Infuse is their only ever experience of church, and God gave us the task of trying to engage with those kids as well as we possibly could, and God provided a fantastically committed team of volunteers who made it happen every month.
Looking back over the emails that were sent after most sessions, each one says don’t be disheartened about this, don’t be disheartened about that. I used to lead some worship during the session, and although we tried so many different styles it seemed like no one ever engaged, or made an effort to connect with God. Its really difficult to continually build yourself up to do omething like this, when nothing seems to go in.

Looking back now, I see that it was a very gradual thing. Looking back now I am not disheartened at all, I’m completely amazed by the way in which God works...it surprises me every time!

There are people that, when we started this journey of Worship@Infuse, would just play pool all night, and look like they weren’t at all interested in what was going on, but something must have gone in. I have no idea what it was that moved them from the pool table to listening to the worship, or to the speaker, or that then moved them to get into a cell group, that then got them to come to church!

It just amazes and humbles me every time I think about it; that a small team of people in a small little town, can be used by God in such incredible ways. For those few people that we manage to transform in a whole range of different ways, all the Sunday afternoons & evenings, all the frustration, all the anger that Go had put me into something that seemed to be achieving nothing all becomes worthwhile.

I know lots of people who are running these types of events, and I know the frustrations that you are almost definitely going through. God is working through you, you have no idea where the spark will emerge from that will really make that guy or that girl really sit up and take notice of how amazing a life with Jesus really would be for them. Stick with it, don’t feel like its wasted time, even just one life being transformed in the smallest of ways makes it all worth it.

King, High Priest, Saviour...

2011-09-15T16:10:00.002+01:00

In my Cell Group yesterday, we were talking about the wise men and their encounter with Jesus. As I’m sure you all know, when the wise men meet Jesus, they all give him gifts; gold, frankincense & myrrh. These weren’t random gifts with no thought behind them; they had a strong significance both in terms of who Jesus is and how He is still impacting on our lives.

The first gift described is gold. Gold is something very royal, worn by a King or a Queen. This gift was to symbolise Jesus being our King. Jesus is often described as the King of the Jews, but He is also King over our lives. He is our ruler, He guides us, and He leads us in every part of our lives. There isn’t a part of our lives that Jesus doesn’t want to be a part of; He’s in every single decision we make, whether we recognise it or not.

The second gift was Frankincense. This was a perfumed that is said to have carried people's prayers to heaven. The High Priests in the temple would have used incense, and were also seen by some as the link between the regular temple-goers and God. In the temple, there was a huge curtain going from floor to ceiling. This separated the rest of the temple from what was known as the most holy place. The most holy place was somewhere only the high priest was permitted to go into because no one else was deemed ‘holy’ enough.

When Jesus died, ‘the temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom’ (Matt 27:51). What does this mean for us? It means that now nothing can separate us from God, because we have Jesus.

‘So, friends, we can now – without hesitation – walk right up to God into “the Holy place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of His sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is His body’
Hebrews 10:19-21

The final gift was myrrh. This was a substance used, in those times, for embalming dead bodies. Possibly the most significant part of our faith is that Jesus died and then rose again. He showed that not even death could hold Him, His power far surpasses the devil, and the sheer act of dying for each and every one of our sins shows that His love for us surpasses any love that we feel for someone else, or they feel for us.

By dying on the cross, Jesus saved us from sin, Jesus is our Saviour. Through Him we have salvation, we have eternal life in a place that doesn’t even compete with the best bits of the world we currently live in, we have freedom from the life of sin that we once led.

Jesus is our King. Jesus is our High Priest. Jesus is our Saviour.

Another busy weekend...

2011-09-12T13:22:00.004+01:00

So, almost two weeks into the job already! I can't believe how quickyl the time is going.

I discovered that Saturday was affectionately known as Synod Saturday, and for the first time I took part in Synod Saturday!

Me and Huw Hides, an OPP from last year who worked in Sedgley, went to the Birmingham District Synod held in Stratford-upon-Avon. It was a really good opportunity to meet people, and chat to them about Youth Assembly, the ONE Programme and the YPS. Part of this job that I love, is the opportunities that I get to meet people, and I met some lovely people on Saturday who were really supportive and encouraging in what they said. Thank you to all those that were there on Saturday, it was really good to be with you all.

Sunday was spent in Birmingham, with multiple train related disasters...but aside from that we had some training and planning for Youth Assembly. The whole event is looking really exciting! In all aspects, from the worship to the fun, to the workshops, to the drinking coffee...God is going to be there, God is really going to be at the centre of all that is done at Youth Assembly this year.

If you haven't signed up yet, or want some more information about Youth Assembly and what it's about, go to www.methodistyouthassembly.org.uk, or email youthassembly@methodistchurch.org.uk.

New OPPs...

2011-09-07T10:07:00.005+01:00

Wow...almost a week into the job already! I've already met and worked with some fantastic people, I feel so privileged to have this opportunity!

The celebration event last Friday was brilliant. All of the OPPs from last year worked so hard and we all really felt like it was an awesome way to end the year!

I spent the weekend with the new OPPs which was really interesting. The range of projects they're working in is massive, and almost all of them sound really interesting as I'd love to go and see them all in their projects at some point over the next year.

I think everyone who has been a part of the ONE Programme would say that it was probably one of the best years of their life. Not only does it help your personal development, but the amount of young people you work with that you see a change in , that you see God's love working in, only helps the development ofyour relationship with God too.

So to all the new OPPs, I know many many peopel are praying for you over the next year. I pray that your work does not only benefit your local communities and the Methodist church as a whole, but it also helps you in your relationship with God.

If you're around at Birmingham Synod on Saturday, or the Youth Assembly Planning Day on Sunday, please come and say hello. I want to be able to meet as many people as I can this year and find out whats goign on in the church all around the country, so I may as well start as I mean to go on!!

Hi!

2011-09-01T12:55:00.004+01:00

Hey everyone!

My name is Sam Taylor and, as of today, I am the new Youth President of the Methodist Church!

I go to my local Methodist Church, Great Park Street, and have been involved there for many years; both in leading the worship, and other parts of the Sunday morning, but also outside of that time in helping to run the church's youth project which is based right in the town centre.

For the past year I've been an OPP, working in the youth project. The project runs a youth cafe which opens 4 drop in sessions a week, and one of the things that I was doing as part of the year was helping to run one of these evening a week. I've also set up a cell group for those on the fringes of church, and a ministry for all the churches in my local town; going right back to Acts 2 and the early church, and trying to replicate the kind of church that they had then.

The past year has been amazing, I've seen God's never ending love so much in other people, in the world around me, and working through me! It has been incredible to see the change in other people, how God is continually impacting on their lives, and how God always makes strengths out of our weaknesses. I pray that the passion and enthusiasm I finish this year with, continues throughout next year in all the work I do.

Probably the biggest thing that I've learnt over the past year is that worship and being a Christian is far more than just about a couple of hours of a Sunday morning. Its the building of relationships in the youth cafe, its the discipleship we do in small groups, its the fellowship that we have with other Christians throughout the week, its our whole lives. There isn't a part of our lives where God isn't there, there isn't a part of our lives that God doesn't care about!

This is something that I want to challenge the church with over the next year. If the church as a whole is to move forward, then it has to focus on fellowship, and emphasise the importance of building relationships. In our society especially, we need that encouragement from each other otherwise we get so disheartened at the world around us that we lose sight of God. But with those people to encourage and support, we can do incredible things, we can make a difference in our local communities, the world, and everywhere in between.

We believe in a God that goes way beyond our comprehension, there are no words that do any kind of justice to his power, his love and his grace. If we have faith, if we believe that through God's strength we can do incredible things, the he will do those things.

I'm so excited for this next year, I want to thank all those people who have encouraged me and been so supportive, and of course I want to thank the amazing OPPs that I had the privilege of spending the last year with. Please remember me in your prayers as I go into next year serving our incredible God and His church.

That's all folks...

2011-09-01T09:29:00.003+01:00

Wow. What an amazing year. I can't begin to express everything that I have gotten out of the previous 12 months as the Methodist Youth President, but some of my highlights have included;

* Hosting Youth Assembly 2011
* Visiting the Shetland District
* Comparing in the Big Top at Greenbelt Festival
* Going to 10 Downing Street twice- once to launch Church Action on Poverty's Close the Gap campaign and once to the Prime Ministers Easter Reception
* World Methodist Council/Conference in South Africa where I was appointed chair of the youth and young adult committee of the World Methodist Council

This year has confirmed for me all the best things about being Methodist. I've met so many fantastic people and have made friendships that I'm sure will last a lifetime.

Please pray for Sam as he takes over from me and for all the work he will be doing over the coming year.

Christy-Anna

Matthew 17:20
Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Conference 2011!

2011-07-03T15:11:00.003+01:00

I should really start this post with an apology. Somehow the months have flown by and I didn’t even realise that I haven’t blogged since March. So I thought what better time to catch up than while I’m at Methodist Conference!

Over the next few days of conference I will be updating my blog ad including snippets from my travels since my last post so hopefully by the end of the week we’ll be all up to date!

I arrived in Southport on Thursday lunchtime. The sun was shining and there was a sense of anticipation for what Conference 2011 will hold. Since arriving I’ve spent time with different people including the other Youth Assembly reps and numerous young people who have come as District reps (which is very exciting!) as well as having 2 meals with my District (Southampton). The first one was at Pizza Hut where we decorated hats and befriended a local waitress called Beth (although I’m not sure whether she was pleased about this or not!). The second was at Nando’s where I was asked to explain to the older people how to order from the confusing menu! Although afterwards I did establish (by talking to the other youth reps) that their menu is confusing for any age.

Yesterday was a great day ending with an imaginative time of worship to celebrate BibleFresh and the new hymnbook “Singing the Faith”. I loved the 8-minute Bible sketch interwoven with different hymns and songs. In the evening I had dinner with the other youth reps and members of the children and youth team so we could have a catch up.

This morning I was up early to practise the prayer I was going to read for the worship at 11. I had a fab breakfast with Fiona Holmes before locking myself out of my room (for the third time!) and nearly being late- but it was all fine in the end and the reading went well! The worship overall was really enjoyable and I was happy that due to my small part I had a seat reserved on the front row so I could see everything going on.

I think I’d better leave it there for now as I’m off to the Ordination Service at Leyland Road Methodist Church soon. Below you can read about some of the things I did earlier this year.

Travels around the Connexion- April Part 1

Back at the beginning of April, I visited the Wellingborough Youth Project to see some of the work they do there (this also happens to be where Youth President Designate Sam Taylor is working as an OPP- so we had a chance to catch up and chat about Youth Presidenty things!).

The evening started with Cell group which was planned by the young people. I was amazed to find out afterwards that it was the first time that they had done it as it was a really powerful and enjoyable session. At the end of the session we spent some time praying together for different things and again I was amazed to find out that a few months previously they wouldn’t pray out loud. Each of the young people seemed completely at ease with praying and the atmosphere was really good.

After the cell group, everyone started getting ready for Infuse which is a drop in cafe. Young people are free to come in or go as they please but must sign in and out as they go. The leaders take turns doing this, serving the food and drinks and chatting with the young people who come along.

I really enjoyed my time at Infuse. To me it is a real success story. For the Church to have a presence in the centre of Wellingborough that is obviously such an integral part of the local young people’s evenings is brilliant.

Matthew 18:20
"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."

Kindness of Strangers

2011-03-21T10:13:00.004Z

Well I’ve been pretty rubbish at updating this blog (and after promising weekly updates!) as everything as been so busy. Here is an update of some of the things I’ve been up to in the last month;

*Spoken at a Connexional Team lunch along with other members of the Children and Youth team to give an idea of some of the things we did at Youth Assembly –Sam Taylor, Youth President Designate was there so I roped him in as well and thought he did a good job as we pretty much adlibbed our way through!

*Organised a District children’s fun day as part of my OPP role

*Met with the Youth President review group which I felt was very productive. We did some thinking about what the role should involve and how the role can be flexible to suit the gifts of the elected person each year among other things. A paper is being written from that group which will go to the next Methodist Council Meeting in March.

*Been in Contact with Church Action on Poverty about possible partnerships with Generous. (Also been in more talks about how we can improve the Generous website. Any suggestions please let me know!)

Random Acts of Kindness and “Pro-Social” Young People!

At the beginning of this week I attended my last meeting of the Connexional Leaders Forum. It was enjoyable as usual and I was even asked to chair a session, which was a bit nerve wracking but I think it went ok!

Unfortunately, the trip was slightly marred by the fact that when I was about to get on my train home, I was told my ticket wasn’t valid and it turned out I had picked up the wrong ones from home. Now just to make the point of how frustrating this was- with the amount of gates I’d gone through and trains I’d been on, my ticket had already been checked by EIGHT inspectors who hadn’t noticed the wrong date! As you can imagine I was quite upset especially as I had no money to buy a new ticket and didn’t know what to do, so rather unhelpfully I rang my husband in floods of tears. After I’d gotten off the phone a very kind woman approached me and asked if I was ok and if there was anything she could do. I told her no and explained what had happened and then, amazingly, she offered to pay for my ticket home. My first instinct was to say “That’s very kind but I can’t accept” but I knew I didn’t have any other way of getting home. I was basically speechless at this remarkable display of kindness and didn’t say much besides the words “Thank you so much!” and “I don’t know what to say!” whilst she walked me to the ticket office and bought my ticket. Afterwards I gave her a big hug and said thank you again and then she was gone before I realised I never actually found out her name! The whole journey home I was buzzing at the kindness of a complete stranger and felt incredibly blessed.

As if my week hadn’t already been exciting enough I had various things on everyday and on Thursday I was helping at one of our youth groups called Bob (don’t ask me why!). Immediately after our group, there was going to be a public meeting in the Church about anti-social behaviour in our area so we thought it would be great if we stayed to welcome people and make teas and coffees. I was really amazed at how well the group did and sadly I was the one who didn’t really have a clue what I was doing while they were doing a fab job of making drinks and chatting to people. Well done Bob for showing how great young people can be!

More Travels, Downing Street and Free CDs!

2011-02-10T10:35:00.014Z

I haven’t managed to post anything for a couple of weeks as I’ve been very busy. So that this post isn’t ridiculously long I’m going to try to stick to just the highlights!

24^th-25^th Jan-Methodist Council

*Enjoyed most sessions although some were a little long.

*Hotel we stayed in was a bit creepy- realised when I was leaving it reminded me of the hotel in the film “The Shining”!

*The Council has put together a small group (including me) to review the role of Youth President -which is a welcome development.

28^th-30^th Jan- OPP training weekend (Read more about OPPs here)

*Every OPP took part in planning a session- some worship, some looking at our projects, some games -which made the weekend relaxed and made everyone a part of it.

*Chatted with Sam Taylor (Youth President designate) about how we can mange the transition of our roles later in the year.

*The food was great!

*Did some more planning for Generous with the Generous DJs (more about that soon!)

*Played a great new game called psychiatrist which I plan to bring back to my home youth group!

31^st Jan- No10 Downing Street

I was lucky enough to be asked to help Kick off the start of Church Action on Poverty’s “Pledge to Close the Gap” campaign by representing the Methodist Church (along with Leo Osborn, President Designate). We delivered postcards written to David Cameron and Nick Clegg about the issues Christians think need addressing and a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to consider the issue of poverty and inequality in the UK.

Find out more on the Church Action on Poverty website

5^th Feb- BMYC

Went to Oxford to hear the British Methodist Youth Choir perform. I really loved it and was thrilled to be given a free cd of their music! It’s a real shame the choir isn’t better know as they are fantastic and perform with style and professionalism. The choir is open to anyone between the ages of 16 and 27 who can read music and sing. To find out how to join or more about the choir visit the BMYC website

The Identity

This morning I have been sent a cd by a band made up of young people from a Methodist Church in Chester called The Identity. I've been listening to it all morning as I've been working so as you can probably tell I think they're pretty good! They have just released their debut ep which you can find out more about here

Although I have enjoyed my travels over the last month, I’m very pleased that I will be based at home with my family for the next 10 days! I’ve also been doing a lot of work in my role as Southampton District OPP. I’ve just started a new blog for that which you can read here. I hope to post on each blog every other week so for anyone who’s interested in what I’m doing there should be weekly updates one way or another!

4 months in!

2011-01-13T14:04:00.004Z

With the New Year I feel I’ve pretty much settled into the job as Youth President (scary to think I’m a 3rd of the way through already!).

Earlier this week I went to my second CLF (Connexional Leaders Forum) meeting in Northampton. I have to say, it wasn’t as interesting as the first- but the people were lovely and welcoming as always and it was a valuable chance to network if nothing else. My favourite bit was the opening devotions when I arrived. I didn’t know either of the songs we sang, but it didn’t matter- with all the harmonies going on it was just lovely to listen to!

From there, I went onto MCH (Methodist Church House) for 2 days of team meetings. At Wednesday lunchtime we settled down for the afternoon with a big pile of yummy pizzas and had creative (and I thought quite exciting!) discussions about the future of Youth Assembly, opportunities to work with other organisations and Generous(keep an eye out for opportunities coming up soon!). On the way home I was really encouraged by all the ideas we’d talked about and can’t wait to get stuck in to the rest of my year in office!

Psalm 25:5

Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-17T16:11:00.006Z

Well, Christmas is nearly here and soon we'll be welcoming in the start of 2011. It's a good time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the future.
If you still haven't pledged to do an action on Generous and would like to, click here for an overview of the outcomes from Youth Assembly to see what you can do.

So Merry Christmas and I hope you have a fantastic holiday. I leave you with a few words from Luke 2 and I will be back in the new year!

" So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."

Highs and Lows of Youth Assembly 2010

2010-12-06T15:03:00.012Z

I’m really sorry for the delay in getting this posted- I’ve been taking a well-deserved break for the last week! I’m not going to bore you with a blow by blow account of everything that happened over the weekend of Youth Assembly (I don’t think I’d have the space or the time!) so I’m going to share some of the highlights instead.

Favourite session;

The Saturday evening session using the electronic voting system (I really did think it was fab in case you hadn’t already guessed at the time!). I loved the fact it was quick and easy and so transparent.

Worst bit;

Having to drag myself out of bed at 6.30 on Saturday morning to fit in 2 radio interviews before the first session.

Favourite space;

The 24/7 worship room. I may be a bit biased as I helped to hang up the curtains in there but I loved that area and wish I’d had a chance to spend some time in there over the weekend.

Funniest moment;

The Welcome session I hosted with Jemima- we really didn’t know what we were doing (as if you couldn’t tell!), but have a good laugh when thing didn’t go as planned! Plus the jingles by Ross helped to lighten the mood!

Best worship moment;

In the Communion on Sunday morning singing “Trading my Sorrows”. The guys from the workshops leading the singing and dancing were so enthusiastic and it was really enjoyable. I also really liked the intimate atmosphere of the Communion on Friday night.

There were a number of resolutions that came out of Youth Assembly. You can find some of them by going to methodist.generous.org.uk but here are those going to Methodist Conference 2011;

Youth assembly asks Conference to affirm that sporting activity plays an important part in young people’s lives and encourages a healthy and holy lifestyle

Youth assembly asks Conference to appoint someone to promote and support sporting activities in churches, districts and across the wider connexion.

Youth assembly urges Conference to reinforce the efforts to make worship leader training more relevant and accessible to young people

Youth assembly asks Conference to encourage every circuit to included in its resources for ministry a commitment to providing specific support to people experiencing transitions and those impacted by drugs and mental health issues,

Youth assembly asks Conference to affirm its commitment to pay a living wage to young people aged 18- 21, and to clarify how much that living wage should be.

Youth assembly asks Conference to advocate for the UK wide implementation of the living wage by all Employers.

Youth assembly asks Conference to direct the Connexional team to facilitate and enable young people to lobby for fairer access to education including EMA and University fees.

Overall I found the weekend hard work but also really enjoyable. We’ve had loads of feedback already which is brill, but if you want to let me know your thoughts you can email me at

youthpresident@methodistchurch.org.uk

Recovery Time!

2010-11-23T11:02:00.005Z

Anyone wondering what happened at Youth Assembly this year- I will be posting about it at the end of the week after having a few days to recover!

Thanks again to everyone who worked hard to make it happen!

Action for Children and Practising My Jounalism Skills!

2010-11-11T14:50:00.006Z

Yesterday morning I met with Tom and Helen from Action for Children’s campaigns team. They’re really keen for us to find ways of working together more, which is fab considering the history between the 2 organisations and the fact that participation is high on both our agendas. Watch this space for more info about how we might co-operate in the future. http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/content/742/About-the-partnership

In the afternoon I met with Anna Drew, Head of Media at MCH, and picked up an MP3 recorder so I can report from Youth Assembly next weekend. Keep an eye out for me- I’ll be looking for people to interview!

Methodist Youth Assembly 2010

2010-11-08T16:57:00.003Z

Things have a bit quieter for the last couple of weeks. Had some time off, which was brill and gave me a chance to reflect on my work so far. Most of what I’ve been doing has been going to meetings- which have been really valuable, but I’m really looking forward to Youth Assembly in 2 weeks so I can meet more young people!

Methodist Youth Assembly Goes Generous : See the PGL centre for yourself!

One thing I’d like to hear more is the positive things that are happening in local churches and communities from young people’s perspectives. If your church is doing something exciting- I’d love to hear about it! You can email me at youthpresident@methodistchurch.org.uk or catch up with me at Youth Assembly.

My Introduction to the Ways of Methodist Council

2010-10-25T13:35:00.007+01:00

Tuesday 12th October

My Epic Failure and Playing Dodgeball

Visited a youth group at St Georges Church Boscombe. I told them a bit about what I do as Youth President.

We made Chocolate mug cakes (which are amazing and only take 3 minutes in the microwave!). I was told that I had produced an “epic failure” but it tasted good so I didn’t mind too much.
After that we played Dodgeball. I felt sorry for the team that picked me and was praying I wouldn’t make an utter fool of myself! Amazingly I was still in near the end with one other person on my team (I think this may have had more to do with the fact that no-one wanted to throw the ball at me rather than my incredible dodging skills!). I was also very proud that I managed to get someone out- something of a miracle considering my throwing arm. Despite me being fairly inept (read rubbish) at any kind of sport, I really enjoyed it and had a laugh.
The group was really friendly and one of the youth workers was kind enough to let me stay overnight (in a very cool basement bedroom!).

My failed but tasty mugcake

Wednesday 13th- Friday 15th October

First joint Methodist Council and Mission Council (URC)

Up at 5.15 on Wednesday to get my train from Bournemouth. Arriving in Derby I was still feeling bleary-eyed. Outside the station I spotted a large group who looked like they could be from the Methodist and Mission Councils, so I scanned the faces until I saw John Colenutt (Youth Assembly rep). We were all bustled into taxis and sent on to The Hayes conference centre. When I arrived I briefly passed my Dad who was there for another conference. He insisted on wheeling my suitcase round which probably made me look very lazy!
In the first session I made an impression by introducing myself as Christy-Anna Briggs (my maiden name), which peopled seemed to find funny as they all laughed- well at least they’d remember me!

Methodist Council Session

Had a good time at Council- met the Fury (Fellowship of United Reformed Youth) rep, had an inspirational Bible study and heard about Fresh Expressions. At different points we split into groups. My group was fantastic. We talked about poverty, news ways of Church, what it means to be Church and one guy even suggested we sell all our Church buildings and start everything from scratch! (Not sure this idea would be popular with everyone...).
I went to a workshop about the “missing generation”. Ironically about half of us were actually in this age group, but it was good to get different perspectives on an issue currently affecting our churches.

Joint Council session

One thing I thought about a lot at council was prayer. I think everything we do should be based in Prayer and a desire to see God’s will done. Over the 3 days we had a Communion service and an in-depth Bible study which were really refreshing and helped to keep the focus on God instead of us.

The Joys of Travel

2010-10-11T11:36:00.008+01:00

5th October 2010

Off to MCH for a YPS (Youth Participation Strategy) team meeting.
Frankly, the day didn’t get off to the best start. For some reason, my arms and legs didn’t want to co-ordinate with the rest of me so I tripped up escalators several times and even managed to get my suitcase stuck in the barrier leaving the toilets at waterloo.
At MCH the first thing I did was chat to some of the media team and record a podcast interview about Youth Assembley.

Good food and Good Company

Next, I had lunch with John Ellis and Mark Wakelin (two of the Strategic leaders of the Methodist Church). We went to a vegetarian restaurant called the crypt, which was lovely. It was really great to find out more about their specific jobs and talk about some of my thoughts so far- so much so that I was 20 minutes late for my next meeting with Doug Swanney (Head of Discipleship and Ministries Cluster)! Luckily he was very understanding and we had a chat about the Cluster which was very helpful.

After work, I had the pleasure of going for a curry with the PPM’s (Sharon, Rachel, Lynne, Carl and John). We waited a long time for food, but when it arrived it was well worth it. We then headed over to Leicester Square and had delicious real ice cream before going back to the hotel.

6th October 2010

My First (and hopefully worst) Walk into Work at MCH.

It was unfortunate there was a torrential downpour on the way so my linen trousers and canvas shoes were competing to see which could soak up the most rainwater. I think I left a puddle in the lift as I had to wring out my clothing when I reached the 6th floor to stop the drips!

More Good Food and a Team Field Trip!

Then for my first Connexional Team lunch! Got off to a good start with the food- stuffed vine leaves, olives, falafels and hummus- all my favourite foods. Yummy!
I’ll be honest and admit it was much more interesting than I expected. The Methodist President of Benin was visiting and gave a short speech. We also got to hear more about Bible Fresh and Equality and Diversity. Martyn Atkins (another Strategic Leader)spoke on the themes mentioned in his book, “Discipleship and the People Called Methodists”. I did nab myself a copy as I haven’t yet read it!

After that, a group of us legged it to the tube so we could catch our train to Swindon to visit the PGL centre in Liddington- the venue for Youth Assembley 2010. We were a bit disappointed to find our seats were in the Quiet Carriage- but not as disappointed as the other people sitting in it when they realised they’d be sharing with us! I think we did a fairly good job of keeping the noise down...
I was very impressed by the site. It was fun having a look round and talking about how it’s all going to come together. I’m really excited about it!

planning Youth Assembley at PGL centre

8th October 2010

The Not So Wise Taxi Driver

On Friday I went to Birmingham for a YPS reference group meeting at the Diaconal centre. Was slightly concerned when I spent the first ten minutes in the taxi waiting for the driver to figure out where we were going with his sat nav! When he finally started moving, we drove for 30 seconds, turned a corner and he announced “This is the road!”. Well if I’d known how close it was I would have walked, but as it was we spent the next 15 minutes driving up and down trying to find the place. After asking 2 random strangers (who also had no clue as to the elusive nature of the Diaconal Centre) we finally spotted the house number, so the taxi driver locked me in the car while he went to investigate (apparently I look like the sort of person to do a runner without paying!).

When I got inside, I was greeted by the beautiful, but homely decor and a delicious smell coming from the kitchen. People arrived over the next few hours, and we had a dinner of pasta bake and flatbread followed by ice cream and homemade chocolate and toffee sauces (mmmm...).

After the 1st 2 sessions introducing everyone and looking at the history of the YPS, we all wandered to Tesco to get some drinks. We spent the next couple of hours relaxing and chatting in the living room. It was great to get to know the group better- although after another long day I was very sleepy so didn’t add much to the conversation!

9th October 2010

Strange men on trains

The next day we discussed a range of issues surrounding YPS- it was fun and informative. It was also my first experience of chairing a meeting, which I think went ok, except that I kept forgetting I was chairing and was supposed to move the conversations along. A few prompts from Jude (Youth Participation Development Officer) helped me along the way!

The journey home was fairly uneventful, until I was on the train between Bristol and Weymouth. The drunk man opposite me seemed to think that by looking over his shoulder it would somehow disguise the fact that he was taking pictures of me...very weird. I hid behind my book until he got off! Then another man sat opposite me and we got chatting. He asked me what my job is, so I said “I work for the Methodist Church- I’m the Youth President for the year.” To which he replied “Oh...so you’re religious?...You don’t look like that sort of person! You know what I mean by that?” I can honestly say I didn’t know what he meant so I just laughed. He then went on to say “Isn’t that odd...I don’t meet many angels in my life”

I wasn’t sure what to make of this encounter, but it did make me smile!

(Not so) Scary CLF

2010-10-01T21:59:00.003+01:00

First Official Meeting

Spent Monday and Tuesday in Swanick for CLF (Connexional Leaders Forum). It basically consists of all the chairs of district, the 4 strategic leaders, the presidency and me. It sounds a bit scary, but I had so much fun!

When I arrived, people quickly started introducing themselves and I was made to feel really welcome. There was a mix of presentations and discussions and I even contributed twice during the last half hour! I ‘d been praying for the nerve to speak up when I got there- but in reality everyone was so encouraging, it was easy. It was clear this is a group of people who are passionate about discerning God’s will for the future of the Methodist Church.

It’s a shame my journey home wasn’t so great. Stupidly, I forgot my young person’s railcard and had to pay a £52 excess for my journey. I won’t be making that mistake again in a hurry! At Chesterfield my train was delayed by 40 minutes so I missed my connection and added an hour to the journey. Then to add insult to injury, after running to the bus station in Weymouth I was told by a bus driver “Going to Portland? I wouldn’t bother. The traffic’s so bad we’ve got 9 buses stuck over there. Not sure if there’ll be another one”. Really helpful…As you can imagine, after already travelling for nearly 8 hours, I wasn’t best pleased! I eventually got home 9pm after getting a lift from one of the bus drivers who goes to my church.

Despite the rubbish end to my trip, I was still left feeling uplifted by my time away and can’t wait for the next one in January!

First 2 weeks as Youth President

2010-09-26T15:28:00.007+01:00

Hi ! I’m Christy-Anna Errington, the new Methodist Youth President for 2010-11.

Who Am I? - Some Random Facts

- I was named after a canal boat my parents saw while they were expecting me

- I’m married to Jon and we have a 3 year old daughter, Millie

- I grew up in the Methodist Church but only started taking my faith seriously when I was 16

- Over my life I have lived in 13 different houses

- I’m obsessed with reading and drinking tea

- My big dream is to take my family on a round-the-world trip

Tea Party and meeting the Wesley Brothers!

3^rd Sept 2010

My first official event was a Celebration Tea Party for the 2009/10 OPPS (One Program Participants). I was quite nervous as I wasn’t sure what to expect, but everyone was really friendly. It was a good chance to hear about the work of the OPPs last year and to meet the new OPPs I’ll be working with. The scones were pretty fantastic too! I was then given the Youth President Cross, Bible and lanyard in the official handover from Pete Brady.

After that, the new OPPs, PPMs (Participation Project Managers) and a few others headed over to St. Katherine’s conference centre for the first OPP training weekend.

It was loads of fun- informative but also quite laid back. The weekend was a mix of “getting to know you” games and sessions with titles such as “How to be an amazing OPP”. One of the highlights was a sung history of the Wesley Brothers- brilliantly performed by Carl Dodd and John Boyd!

The Wise Taxi Driver

14^th Sept 2010

Spent the day at MCH (Methodist Church House) for a Methodist Council Training day. Met some more members of staff, who were all very accommodating. I just hope I don’t forget all their names!

I actually really enjoyed the day. Am definitely not as scared about going to Council now as I have a better idea of what to expect. It was also really helpful to be told not to worry about asking if I don’t understand what’s going on!

The worst part was that I had to leave my house at 6 in the morning! Luckily the taxi driver was really interested in hearing about the role of youth president, so got to have a good chat about it with someone from outside the church! Towards the end of the journey, I was talking about what I think some of the challenges for the year are going to be and he said “I suppose the trick is getting the balance of confidence and humility and making sure one doesn’t get in the way of the other.” Brilliant!

Are you ready?

2010-07-28T17:10:00.000+01:00

Are you ready for Youth Assembly 2010?

This years youth assembly is being held at the PGL centre Liddington near Swindon. Did you go to durham last year and have a blast? Well this year should be even better, we have some great topics there and working on a fantastic programme for you all at the moment.

Booking is now open at http://www.methodistyouthassembly.org.uk/, book now to avoid disappointment!

Look forward to seeing you all there

Pete

Changes

2010-07-23T12:49:00.002+01:00

Over the last few days I’ve been thinking about the various things that have happened over the last few weeks, things ranging from conference, breakout and then after conference.

Conference in a whole was good; there were really exciting things that came from conference which young people will now be consulted on at Youth Assembly. There were times that were trying but the youth reps & everyone handled them absolutely fantastic. Just to bring you all up to date with the resolutions that we put through were

• That pending the review of the role of Youth President if it is right for the role to return to full time, that conference supports us in doing so. The notice of motion was agreed as long as the money needed from this came from within the existing budget.
• This coming connexional year the YPS is running on a 50% reduced budget, we requested that the following connexional year the budget be increased by 30% to enable to continue the growth of the YPS - This notice of motion was denied.

The thing that I struggled with the most in regards to the last notice of motion wasn’t that we lost; it was that the discussion was cut short. There were people still wanting to talk and the debate was still being had, but yet someone moved that we push this to the vote before the debate had been heard which was agreed by majority of conference. It was difficult at the time to accept as we had spent long periods of time discussion various other topics and to have our cut short was difficult to accept but its one of those things.

I would like to say a big thank you to the youth reps, and everyone who spoke in favour of our notice of motion and would like to re-assure everyone that whilst there is the budget reduction this isn’t the end for us, we will regroup and come back stronger.

Following conference we were straight into Breakout and getting ready for that. All I can say is what a success, the weekend was fantastic, the weather held up amazingly for us (yes I got sunburnt!) and there was an amazing atmosphere around the site. Friday night people were arriving in dribs and drabs and we had various activities going on including the Children and Youth Team dancing on stage – oh yes we picked the apples, we stacked the shelves and even worked in a bit of big fish little fish.

Saturday everything was full throttle all day – I was up and on the sports field for quarter to 8 in order to get the contractors on site and get everything set up there. I didn’t get to see much of the rest of the site on Saturday as I was helping to keep things running smoothly on the sports field but talking to people, and hearing various things the feedback I heard was that it was all going down well.

Once all the sports programme had finished I was called to meet the DJ we had brought in to do a set for us as he is an old friend who I used to work with. We got him all set up and introduced him to the production manager etc, I had a bit of work to do in the office and missed the start of the gospel worship, but what I caught up with towards the back end was fantastic. Following this was the DJ set by Danny Mylo – well what can I say about this except WHAT A NIGHT!
It was absolutely fantastic; everyone had a great time even OGGY danced the night away. When it came time to finish no one wanted to but because of the curfew we had there was no choice.

Sunday most people started packing up early, I was luckily staying on sight over night again to help clear up, but Sunday morning had work that needed to be finished for the closing ceremony of breakout. During this we introduced the themes that had been present all through the weekend which was:-
• Connecting with each other
• Connecting with the world
• Connecting with God

We then had a look back at the past 65 years of London weekends, MAY C and breakout. At this point we showed a video that looked back over the growth of London weekend, MAYC, and then breakout, and I have to admit I got a bit choked up watching it, and then seeing everyone else and it suddenly hit home that everything was coming to an end.

I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank all the team who helped shape the closing ceremony as it was fantastic and a fitting send off, there was a lot of work put into it and was worth every hour spent on it.

We were then lead in worship by Phillipa Hannah who had performed for us on Saturday, she helped us create an amazing vibe to send people out on a spiritual high. As soon as it had started breakout was over.

I suppose that the running theme for this blog really is change/ growth. The YPS this year has grown more than I could have hoped and that’s due to having an amazing team in place who all work tirelessly, and breakout will change its form into something else. There are people who are nervous about this but I look forward to it. Change isn’t always something to be scared of, be open to it, embrace it, better yet CELEBRATE IT

Yours
Pete

Nepal day 4

2010-05-17T17:28:00.000+01:00

So today was the first day of the conference, when my alarm went off this morning at 6:45 so I could be at breakfast for 7 I laid in bed and thought to myself "my body is still on UK time" as such I've been yawning all day and apologising for doing so.

Never the less after breakfast the day commenced with a procession from all the delegate countries (again pictures to follow I’m afraid) we then headed into the main hall where we had an opening ceremony and worship. We then broke for tea and then everyone gathered together again for Bible Study. Everyone then broke for lunch and as John and I are facilitating a workshop on Wednesday we met with some key people to tell them what our needs were for this.

After lunch everyone got together again to go to workshops. Chris and I attended the Social Media workshop which was about exploring what social media could do to aid the young people of south Asia in their mission work. after the workshops we had a bit of down time so both Chris and I decided that as it was so warm we wanted to get a shower, so both headed up to our rooms and got a shower and freshened up. We then headed back downstairs and after a few minutes talking with people went back into the main hall for a few more sessions.

This just about takes me up to this moment besides leaving out another delicious meal

So that’s me signing off for another day

Speak to you all tomorrow

Pete

Nepal

2010-05-17T02:30:00.001+01:00

Some of you may ask yourself why i am blogging about Nepal – well to answer the question I am here with John Boyd one of our Youth Participation Project Managers (for the north east). Last year before John and I were in our current roles we were asked to go to Sri Lanka to assist in the planning for the South Asian Christian Youth Network. As we were involved in the planning for the conference the World Church asked both of us to attend the conference which is in Nepal between the 16th and 21st of May. Whilst I’m here at the conference I’ll be blogging about my experiences here and the amazing things I’ll be seeing.

Day 1 – Friday 14th May 2010

I flew from Manchester to Heathrow terminal 5 – a flight which is supposed to be 1 hour long (more like 20 minutes) and then headed over to terminal 3 to meet with John. After checking in rather than hanging about we went straight through security in order to get something to eat before we flew. We managed to find a restaurant which was showing the Australia vs. Pakistan cricket match so with several hours to kill in there we made ourselves comfortable and began to watch the match. Before we knew it, it was time for John to head to his gate as his flight to Doha was an hour before mine. I spent the next hour having a wander around the terminal before it was time for me to head over to my gate for my flight. Luckily my flight to Doha was particularly quiet so I managed to sit on my own allowing me space to spread my legs out a bit. Once I had landed in Doha and gone through security I set out to find John and luckily enough he was at the top of the first escalator that I went up. We decided with a couple of hours to kill it would be a good idea to get a drink as we were both thirsty. I got just a simple water, and John went for watermelon juice (this was the most expensive round of soft drinks I have ever seen) the round was the equivalent of £8 for 2 drinks!!! After killing sitting around for a couple of hours we again headed to our departure gate in order to commence the next leg of our journey which was Doha to Kathmandu.

Day 2 Saturday 15th May 2010

Upon landing in Kathmandu we were greeted by a friendly taxi Driver and an old friend in Jessie Annand who we had met the previous year at the planning meeting in Sri Lanka. We shared a taxi out to the hotel where we were staying over night before we headed out to Pokhara. As we were getting out of the taxi we were again greeted by some old friends Vinod Victor, Jacob Isaac and Shemil Matthew (again people that we met in Sri Lanka) who were heading out to the Fulbari Resort in Pokhara. We headed inside to meet the rest of the Delegation from the UK Chris Hoskins , Suzie Shortland and Joanna Ramsay and Chulli Scarfe. We sat and talked for a while and then John and I decided to head up to the rooms to freshen up a bit before we went out for something to eat and a walk around Kathmandu. We headed out of the hotel and started walking up one of the main roads (it seemed) in Kathmandu and headed up to the shrine in the picture’s below – seeing the crowds gathered around the shrine receiving blessings and lighting candles at it was really overpowering as the shrine was in the middle of a main road with cars going past it in every moment. It wasn’t hidden away inside a room, or down a back road it was there in what seemed like one of the busiest main roads around. Chris and Joanna decided to head back to the hotel and eat there as they had both had upset stomachs following eating Buffalo MoMo’s . So myself, John, Chulli, Suzie, Jessie and John headed to find a local resteraunt to eat in. After we had eaten we headed back to the hotel and sat and talked for a while before heading to bed.

Day 3 16th May 2010

Today was the day we were heading from Kathmandu to Pokhara on the coach. We got up early and headed to breakfast at which point we decided it would be a good idea to head to the supermarket for some bottled water before embarking on the mammoth 7 and a half hour journey. So Chris, Suzie, Joanna and myself headed out to the local supermarket and stocked up. We then headed back up to wait for the last few members of our party then headed out to a meeting point for the coach where we were yet again greeted by some old friends in the Sri Lankan delegates to the conference. We Shared the coach over the incredibly long coach journey over to Pokhara which is 203km.

During the journey the scenery that we saw can only be described as Amazing as im not amazing at taking pictures and I only have my Iphone to take them with Chris has his camera with him and is truly a gifted Photographer so Chris set to taking plenty of pictures of the scenery we witnessed while passing through. Once i get the pictures from Chris ill upload them to my Facebook account and maybe set up a Flickr account for everyone to see the pictures on there. Words cannot describe how beautiful the scenery was – an absolutely dramatic change to the fast paced bustle of Kathmandu to the slow steady going of the countryside. After 7 and a half hours since departing with 2 stops one lasting an hour and the other 20 minutes we arrived at our destination “the fulbari resort” in Pokhara where the conference is being held. We caught up with old friends, met some new friends then headed to our rooms in order to drop off our cases and freshen up. We then headed down to dinner and then took a stroll around the grounds and then that brings me up to this moment right now where i’m writing out this blog (which ill now be posting in the morning as its 00:10 here so time for me to head to bed)
More to follow over to coming days so keep your eyes out for new updates

So depending on what time you read this good morning, good afternoon or good night

Pete

Youth Assembly

2010-05-01T12:45:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone,

Sorry that it has been a while since I have posted a blog, things seem to have gotten busier and busier. With Youth Assembly coming round again we have been looking at the content and arrangements for this years Youth Assembly. Part of doing that has involved looking through various parts of feedback and reports that have been sent into us. I came accross this report to Synod from Cumbria district and wanted to share it with you all.

The Youth Assembly was at Ushaw College: a nice place, though it was a bit creepy having a statue of some saint with someone’s head under his arm in the dining room. You weren’t bored – there was always something to do – even at 2 o’clock in the morning. They only had rooms for 300, there were 50 more young people than that, so they put those aged 18 and over (including Rachel) in two hotels down the road. The hotels were posher, but not as much fun.

The main lounge had X boxes, giant Jenga, magazines, Wii equipment, and there were graffiti boards in most rooms: some had questions on to answer, others were for comments on the topics we were discussing. There were sweets inviting us to take one and think about where the sugar came from. There was an amazing band: “Lifecolour” – 4 16/17 year olds. People were chatting about everything.

Everyone was really friendly – at the beginning, one girl walked up to us, and asked if we wanted to join her group. She turned out to be Ellen’s room mate. We were both sharing double rooms. People came from all over the country. It would have been good to have had a big map to show people where everyone lived. People were asking us if we lived near Sellafield.

We got there about 7 on Friday. It started at 9 after we were offered sandwiches on arrival. There were tons of groups discussing things. On the Saturday there were 4 seminars – more fun than school workshops – with discussions and activities. One of the things we both did was youth violence: one of the starting games was putting a big rope down the centre of the room, and you were asked about a topic – starting with whether you preferred shoes or trainers, and ending up with serious questions such as “how much youth violence do you think there is” (you had to position yourself along the rope according to your opinions.

We both did “Youth Violence” and “Equality and Diversity”. Ellen did “God and Me”, and “Self Esteem”. Rachel did “Me and my rights” (talking about voting ages, discrimination, drinking rules), and “Sexuality”. You could change seminars if you didn’t feel comfortable in the one you were in, but we were quite happy with the ones we chose. In “Know your rights” one of the girls was very anti-government – she was quite a formidable opponent. It was good to see people from different races there – there were quite a few people from Nigeria (now living in London), a couple of French people, a New Zealander, an Australian, and people from other African countries.

There was a fair bit of reading to do for some of the seminars. At 8 o’clock in the morning there were informal prayers for the people in the college (optional, but Ellen and her room-mate went anyway). You’d do things like writing prayers on paper aeroplanes and flying them, and writing regrets on bits of paper, scrunching them up, and throwing them in the other direction.
The food was good. On the Saturday we got breakfast at half past eight, bacon butties at 11, and soup and sandwiches at half past 12. You had a big dinner – and we didn’t even have take our plates away to wash them up. The vegetarian options were good, too.

On the Sunday we had the main assembly for the voting process, and to tell our conference representatives what we wanted them to report from the assembly. After every seminar you would have “My Challenge” (something you wanted to do), a “Team Challenge” (something you felt your church or youth group ought to do), and a “Conference Challenge” (for the Youth President and other conference representatives to take to the Methodist Conference). The voting was very formal. The people wanting to be elected had posted messages on the Friday evening. One very nice Northern Scottish girl had the surname “Haggis”. We had to vote for the next Youth President. The new youth president is a nice guy – he’s quite funny, but serious at the same time.

The Assembly was good. It was run by the oldest young people, and people were able to express all sorts of views. We went straight from the Assembly to Sunday morning worship – it would have been nice to have a break. For worship people sat in a big rectangle with big screens for the words, and a huge stage. Because there were so many of us (some came from the community round about) people were sitting on bean bags, and on seats upstairs which were full. The band did all the music. Most of those leading worship were from the Newcastle area.

The next event is Breakout. We’d love to go again.
Rachel and Ellen Watson

These sort of reports are what helps us to create an amazing event for everyone. While we are talking about Youth Assembly, You may recall that at Youth Assembly there was a lot of talk about the Methodists ‘going Generous’.

Generous is an online community actions site that we want to be the platform which we deliver and follow through on the resolutions we made at Youth Assembly last year. We want Generous to work so that young people right across the Connexion can engage with those resolutions on an ongoing basis, rather than leave them as a fading memory back at Youth Assembly itself. ]

It also provides a great way for you to commit to actions that are all about treading more lightly on this precious planet we share and living more generously with all the people we share it with.

From the Generous actions page ( where you can commit to actions and leave comments) to the chat room ( where you can have online conversations about the issues that are important to you), Generous provides:.

• a great way to keep in touch with the people you met at Youth Assembly;
• the chance to share things that affect you on a daily basis in your lives and churches;
• the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process emerging from the Youth Assembly that will then play its part in re-shaping the Methodist Church

You can find Generous at http://methodist.generous.org.uk. It’s easy to join and the more of us leaving comments, signing up to actions, meeting in the chat rooms, the more dynamic content we’ll generate and the more chance we’ll have of really influencing the shape of things that affect us all.

So, I look forward to seeing you on the site soon.

Go on: be Generous!

Pete

Reflection

2010-02-28T10:54:00.000Z

At 9 years old what did you want to do with the rest of your life? Did you have dreams of being a fireman, a footballer, a dancer? Some people may have seen in the National papers a few weeks ago about a young boy from Bradford who was stabbed to death by his older brother aged 20. It’s taken me a while to be able to come to terms with his death, and this is the first time I have really been able to talk about it so I wanted to share this with everyone.

The boys name was Jackson Taylor, he was a typical 9 year old, lively, energetic, full of life and one of a kind, yes he had his problems but who doesn't? I knew Jackson from a disco that I used to help staff on a regular basis which he attended, he was always guaranteed to be one of the kids who got your attention at some point whether for the right reasons or the wrong reasons, but he truly was one in a million.

When I first heard about the stabbing and where this had happened, my first thought was please don't let it be him! When my fears were confirmed I was speechless, my Superintendant, and the Deacon in our circuit had both been in touch with me to see if I was ok etc but until after I had met with the circuit youth group that I help run I wouldn't let myself confront the grief that I felt following his death. This is partly because I wanted to be strong for them and be there if they needed anything. Then once I had seen that they were ok rather than confronting my own emotions I threw myself into work again to stop me from feeling these feelings.

I now find myself in a place where I have to confront them I need to find some closure to this, so I ask you again at 9 years old what you want to do with your life? What did u want to be? Did any of you think that you would be dead? The whole thing has made me look at my own mortality and think about the mortality of my family, friends and people in general that I know, it has made me realise how short our lives are.

Jackson didn’t get that opportunity to live his life but he will be forever remembered by me as the lively energetic person that he was. When people die everyone seems to say R.I.P (Rest in Peace) - to steal an idea from my Superintendant to Jackson I say R.I.R (Rest In Rave) he won’t be in heaven being quiet and tranquil he will be treating it as a party!

We only get one chance at life, we need to make the most of it, take the risks, enjoy every second of it, and don’t spend it looking back or over your shoulder.

CARPE DIEM - SEIZE THE DAY!!! Live each one as if it was your last, and enjoy every second of the party!

R.I.R lil man!!

God Bless

Pete

Introduction

2010-02-15T12:36:00.003Z

Hi everyone,

I'm Pete the Youth president for this year until the 1st of September. For the first few months of my post ive been getting ready for the launch of the Generous website, which is how we are tracking the impact that each action from Youth Assembly has. Generous is a great way for us all to work together towards making a difference in our day to day lives so i encourage everyone to sign up http://methodist.generous.org.uk.

I've also been working on the planning for breakout and believe it or not the planning for the next Youth Assembly. If you would like to be involved in either event id encourage you to e-mail me and join in with the planning

If anyone has any events that are happening soon that are focussed around young people, or would like a visit to see your project/ group then please let me know so that i can come and visit

I'll be blogging regularly aswell as posting reflections on my travels on a regular basis.

Look forward to hearing from you all

God Bless

Pete

ABMY

2009-07-27T13:35:00.005+01:00

On Thursday I spent the day at the Association of Black Methodist Youth conference.

The day began with 2 different, but equally brilliant speakers. Both of who spoke beautifully and relevantly to the group of young people who where there.

After lunch the young people chose an activity to do, from raft building to rounders and other activities. I had the opportunity to find out a bit more from the ABMY exec and other young people who were still around about what the ABMY does and what they want to see in the future. During the conversation the young people came out with some amazing points and ideas that I can now use to influence the direction of the work of things like Youth Assembly, Breakout and the general work of the Children and Youth team of the Methodist Church.

I had a lovely day, with some amazing young people and even got a free t-shirt!

If you want to know more about what they do, or get involved, here is their website - http://www.abmyc.org.uk/

Council of European Churches

2009-07-27T12:07:00.006+01:00

I have had the pleasure of spending the last week in sunny Lyon, central france in order to attend the Council of European Churches!

I had not heard of it before I attended, but have been subsequently impressed by all the work they do! The main work of the conference is to influence the work of working groups and staff teams set up and funded by all the different churches that make up the council. The working groups and staff teams focus on issues like;

Current Issues
Bioethics
Charta Oecumenica
Climate Change
Education
Economic and Social Issues
Environment
European Integration
Globalisation
Intercultural Dialogue
Inter-religious Dialogue
Migrants
Minority/Majority Churches
Prayer, Worship and Spirituality
Religion in the Public Sphere
Socially Responsible Investment
Theological Education
Values, Religion, Identity
Women

During the conference itself we spent lots of time learning from each other and listening to invited speakers from all over the world. There were many hearings and workshops which enabled us to spend time as the body of Christ listening and learning from each other.

My role there was to represent the young people of the Methodist Church, and when I was talking to people about the work that I have been doing and about the Youth Participation Strategy, many people were excited about the work and latched onto our vision for a better future!

Methodist Conference

2009-07-18T16:00:00.003+01:00

Methodist Conference this year was really interesting, here are just a few of the topics that we debated;

"Safeguarding and safer recruitment"
"Singing the faith – the Music Resources Group Report"
"Hope in God’s Future – Christian Discipleship in the context of Climate Change"
"responding to the Anglican/Methodist Covenant"

We agreed to;
Establish a working party to develop a theological statement on the nature of pastoral care in the Methodist Church

Establish a working group with the Church of England called ‘The Joint Anglican-Methodist Working party on the Ecclesiology of Emerging Expressions of Church’ (affectionately known as JAMWPEEC – basically looking at the nature of the church in relation to Fresh Expressions

Support a ‘Year of the Bible’ given that 2011 is the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible

That membership of BNP was incompatible with being a member of the Methodist Church.

I will blog more about what proposals the Youth Conference brought to Conference later on in the week as I am currently at the Conference of European Churches in Lyon with our new President!

Find out more about what happened at Conference by visiting http://methodistconference.org.uk/ and following the links

London 10K run

2009-05-20T09:50:00.003+01:00

Do you want to join in the 10K London run on 12th July? MRDF have a few places left for anyone that wants to do it!

For more information, see http://www.thebritish10klondon.co.uk/

If you want to join in, contact me!

MYA #2

2009-05-07T16:56:00.001+01:00

Youth Assembly is an exciting new event for 11 -23 year olds. A chance to shout about real issues that are bothering you. With a diversity of workshops and issues, there’s something for everyone to get involved with. We’ll be exploring issues through arts, drama, sports, multimedia, speakers and conversations. It’s a chance to meet new and exciting young people, a chance to worship in a modern and relevant way and learn about important things in a fun and participatory approach.

We want to;
 Offer you training and support
 Encourage you to participate
 Challenge you to explore and express the Christian faith
 Enable you to make choices and influence your world
 Help you share experiences and bring you together

The point of Youth Assembly is to help you have your voice heard in the Methodist church. We are going to do this by helping you write ‘resolutions’ (A posh paragraph which tells the church want you want them to do)

We’re going to do this at Youth Assembly in loads of different ways;
1) By asking you what you want to talk about before you come
2) Through participation games on the Friday night
3) Through ‘themed rooms’ where you can explore an issue that you want to explore
4) Through workshops
5) By having lots of informed interesting people around that you can talk to
6) Through ‘participation sports’

Some ideas of what you might want to talk about;
 Your vocation
 Self confidence
 Gun and Knife crime
 Social action
 Your faith
 Your rights
 Equality and diversity
 The Methodist church’s Youth Participation Strategy

For more information and updates, join the facebook group (Search Youth Assembly) or email us at youthassembly@methodistchurch.org.uk

Concert at St Pauls

2009-03-27T19:32:00.002Z

Tomorrow im off to Aberystwyth for a concert!

'The British Methodist Youth Choir will be performing at St Paul Methodist centre in Aberystwith on the 28th March at 7:30 pm'

Im looking forward to it . . . see you there!

Psalm Drummers

2009-03-12T11:08:00.006Z

At the Methodist's Lay Workers conference we were treated to an evening with the Psalm Drummers

Big booming drums, Cow bells, Tamborims, agogo bells and more were awaiting us laid out on the floor . . .

For two hours, we learnt the rhythms of samba and played away.

The smiles and joy of all involved was a beautiful sight to see, combined with the power of 100 drums; It was incredibly powerful.

If you get a chance to have a go, do it!

(A picture of me with David the Vice President of the Methodist Conference on the left, and Stephen the President of the Methodist Conference on the right)

Breathe

2009-03-11T17:57:00.004Z

Breathe is a truly interactive experience where you are given an ipod with tracks on to listen to and experience whilst you perform certain tasks around a room.

My faves were;

Build your own town with blocks:
'Church' = Jesus preached here, and got angry!
'Pub' = Jesus was accused of being a drunkard by the authorities!
'My house' = Jesus went to Zacheus' house, why not yours?
Where would Jesus live in your town?
(I put Jesus in the middle of my town!)

Putting blocks in a scale to represent your carbon foot print - I did really well until it came to the traveling!!

I love creative prayer and I found it really accessible, participative and relevant. It is designed for young people in particular, but I think that anyone who is open to new experiences would enjoy it!

Hexham Circuit Youth Service

2009-03-11T12:10:00.005Z

Last sunday I visited Hexham, Newcastle. A group of young people from all over the Newcastle & Durham district got together to plan and deliver an all-age service to raise awareness of the Youth Participation Strategy and Methodist Youth Assembly.

The theme for this year's Assembly (Previously Youth Conference) is ;

Why I?
Go do something beautiful!

So that is what the service was based around. I spoke a little about who I am, and what I do, and about what the Youth Participation Strategy is.

As part of the service, the congregation were asked to write their talents & gifts on a piece of paper and add it to a larger murial which will be taken round the district, to end up at Assembly.

It was a very sucessful and inspiring service!

The group will continue to do services around the circuits in Newcastle & Durham, so if you are up in that area, look out for them!

Methodist Council

2009-02-27T10:50:00.003Z

I wasnt sure what to expect when I turned up, however I was pleasently surprised by the diversity of people who were there!

The most entertaining thing about the weekend was the fact that the fire alarm went of twice during the night, with the result that at 1.30 in the morning, the entirety of Methodist Council was stood in the small chapel, with Martyn Atkins reading out each persons name for them to reply 'here!'. Also, it was noted, that most of the men arrived fully dressed . . . shirts, suit jackets and trousers, proably socks and the essential tie too!

Business is done in the same way that conference is; with the addition of small conversation groups.

"In a ground-breaking new initiative, the Council approved the appointment of three Companions to work with particular international partner churches. The Companions are the first to be appointed in a pilot scheme that will seek to strengthen the Church in its relationships with partner churches around the world.

The Council also pledged support for the Stamp Out Poverty campaign. Stamp Out Poverty is a network of organisations including Christian Aid and Oxfam which campaigns for additional sources of finance to help bring the world’s poorest people out of poverty.

Children’s charity Action for Children featured on the agenda, with Council members approving a strategy for closer working between Action for Children and the Methodist Church on international issues.

As a practical expression of the Church’s commitment to ecumenical working, the Council also pledged to invite a representative from the United Reformed Church’s Mission Council to attend future meetings as a participative observer. A representative from the Methodist Council will also attend Mission Council meetings and the two bodies will explore the possibility of a joint meeting to be held in 2010.
Other topics discussed at the Council included the Church’s engagement with the media, the need to support local churches in fostering discipleship and the Church’s pension schemes for ministers and lay employees."

Read more here.

God in 140 characters

2009-02-26T21:28:00.007Z

“What does the word “God” mean to you?" (My thanks to the Rev. Bosco Peters)

God is the only one who loves me with no strings attached for all of my worthlessness
what does the word God mean to me? He is my “Everything”
Father, Saviour, love, purpose, love, power, love, mercy, love, regeneration, love, adventure, love, authority, love, compassion
God is the source and ground of all that is; in all and beyond all;truth;love;without beginning or end
God is the creator of all that is, and the sure and loving guide of its development
God is love; God is; God is being.
To me God means conscience - thinking before you act and feeling guilty if you get it wrong.
God is the Present Moment. All in All. God is Good. God is.
God is a deity in theistic and deistic religions, representing the sole deity in monotheism or a principal deity in polytheism…
One, Transcendent, unknowable, yet closer to me than my own life
Grace, Omnipresence, Divine
“in him whom we live and move and have our being.”
The Centre of my being and the Being at every Centre
1 word……. GOD = LOVE

Gainsbrough

2009-02-25T22:13:00.008Z

When I was invited to attend the Lincolin & Grimsby district Youth weekend, I'll admit that I was a little nervous because I havent been involved with a youth group for a while.

It was a really entertaining weekend in all; we visited the rectory in Epsom where John Wesley grew up, went on a brilliant ghost walk & burnt a minature version of the orginal rectory (To celebrate the burning of the orgional rectory where John was rescued from the flames - 'a brand plucked from the burning').

We spent some time in the nearby youth facility & created mocktails among other things.

The Sunday morning worship was brilliant with a youth band and Martyn Atkins preaching.

My fears were eased towards the end when I was accepted by the group and a declared a 'double giant sized star bar' - Im assure its a compliment!

My thanks to the organisers & youth groups who attended.

Holiness and Risk

2009-02-11T11:15:00.004Z

Holiness and Risk was a conference last weekend that around 200 people attended. People like Chairs of district, Superintendents, District Evangelism Enablers and various different people from all over the connexion turned up, not sure what to expect.

The concept of the event was to inspire and challenge those people who are 'agents of change', to actually make change happen! There were keynote speakers, workshops and small groups, which enabled us to talk through our big visionary ideas and learn from each other.
As to be expected, some people found this more useful than others, but my experience was definitely a positive one.

I was very lucky in that my small group was fairly diverse. We had myself (One of 5under 25s and the only female in my group, I was definitely a minority!) a minister/District evangelism enabler from Bolton, a male deacon, the mission secretary for the German united Methodist church, a minister from Newcastle and a superintendent who was very animated and had loads of big ideas.

I found that the weekend helped me air my vision and ideas around the Youth Participation Strategy and test them out a little bit, as well as allowing me meet and chat to people who wanted to know more about the work I'm doing.

I found it quite frustrating that there was very little spoken about Youth Participation in the Methodist church and how that will bring change; When I think about the future of the Methodist church, I see something bright and new and beautiful where true participation is taking place. A place where all can participate equally through all layers of the church.

The conference as a whole was set up to allow everybody to participate equally, however that's only if you enjoy listening to people speaking and then talking about it. I was disappointed that there was no opportunity to be creative in thinking about the vision and future of the Methodist church, because I think that it could have brought a different slant to the conference. It also meant that many people there were exhausted from thinking all day.

Looking round to see so many ordained persons present at the conference was both a good and bad thing; Considering that Methodism is a lay-movement there were very few un-ordained people there. I think that there are many people sat in our congregations who are bursting with great ideas, but never really get the chance to air them. A few more of those key people would have changed the air that weekend.

See some of the pictures at; http://www.methodist.org.uk/static/holinessandrisk/holinessandriskpicasaalbum.htm

Street Pastoring in Newcastle

2009-02-10T14:28:00.006Z

While in Newcastle, the President (picture above, centre in black), Vice president (2nd picture from bottom on left) and I went out on the streets in help those people who needed help. On the night, it was fairly quiet so we didn't do a whole lot of work (Although, I helped a girl fix her tutu . . . !) but it was still an incredible experience, to see what its like to be a servant to everyone, no matter what.

Being able to walk the streets (In my 'street pastor's beanie!) and be a servant to those that needed help, to chat and offer support to the homeless and be a living witness of the love of God to those that have it, was a privilege for me.

The scheme has made a huge local impact, from supportive relationships with the police and security bouncers to enabling young people to ask questions about God and receive support from the pastors.

If you live in or around Newcastle and want to get involved with the project, get in contact with them because they are looking for volunteers!

District Youth Enablers Training Weekend

2009-01-30T12:27:00.005Z

A picture that was put up by the scouts, but we felt should really apply to us too!

On the 23rd Jan at Felden Lodge, there was a joint meeting of the new connexional DYEs and the Youth Participation Strategy Reference group.

The purpose of the meeting for the DYEs was for them to attend a training session led by Meg Prowting of the Childrens and Youth Team. The training consisted of good communication practice, basic Methodist knowledge, presentation skills and understanding the role of a connexional DYE.

The Youth Participation Strategy Reference group consisted of 4 people under 25 (Not including myself) and 5 people over 25. They discussed issues and concerns that affected the YPS and the direction of it.

Both meetings went very well and was combined with a 20 minute joint worship.

Newcastle part 2

2009-01-29T10:23:00.003Z

We went to see Action Station in South Sheilds, and they took us on a tour round the building which consisted of a credit union and debt counselling service, a drop in cafe, a workers education association, a detached Youth worker, courses for local people in computing and various skills and a charity to support people with cancer.
It was wonderful to see so many christ inspired projects under one roof! I had a lovely chat with one of the ministers there about the Youth Participation Strategy and a converstaion with an anglican vicar about how we have set a fantastic standard, and they really ought to follow!

We then went to Morpeth to meet some of the flood victims. Hearing the stories of their last year was really informative for me. (Plus the chocolate caramel slices were lovely!)

Newcastle part 1

2009-01-22T11:10:00.007Z

On the 15th of January, I got on a train to Newcastle! The idea of the trip was to shadow the President and Vice-President Stephen and David, to see how they 'did the president thing' to learn from them.

I arrived in Newcastle, was picked up by my friend Fiona, taken to her house for tea, and then we went shopping!

The next day was very busy;

We started out at the main methodist church in Newcastle - Brunswick. Where we saw a presention about 'Scarpa' http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/all_about_us/how_we_do_it/commissioning_our_services/what/find_services/pro_SCARPA/SCARPA_2225.html

SCARPA has been established to provide an intensive support service for young people who are experiencing, or are at risk of, running away, sexual exploitation or trafficking.

Also there were representives from a charity who help women sex workers in Newcastle and a charity who help refugees and immigrants who arrive in Newcastle.

Then we went to visit the Traidcraft office in Gateshead, which was brilliant! I've been pratically brought up on traidcraft, thanks to my Granny, and to be invited into the office and be shown round the warehouse was amazing. We also stopped to chat to the ladies who work on the non-food trading. They were showing us about the work they were doing with Monsoon to get fairly traded christmas decorations into their shops!

Next we visited a project called 'Aquilla Way' which was a charity that aims to 'see people and communities restored.' They run several projects including;

58:12 - providing homes for previously homeless people.

Naomi - providing 24 hour support for homeless young women

Elizabeth House - providing 24 hour support for homeless young women and their children

Karis - providing support to young men, women & children who are affected by drug abuse.

The chief executive is a woman called Jo Grant. Watching explain the work of Aquilla way and the clear passion and vision that inspired her to create and support all these projects truly inspired me. Infact, the whole thing really inspired me! It was crystal clear that it was totally focused on the will of God and helping those who needed them most.

http://www.aquilaway.org/

The post Christmas update!

2009-01-15T09:17:00.003Z

22 Dec - I attended a meeting in Wolverhampton which employed their first District Youth Enabler. (Small print = This DYE is not technically part of the Youth Participation Strategy because we are still in the process of employing people to support the DYEs)
We had four great candidates, and the successful one I'm sure will be very successful in her work to come!
If you would like to get in contact with the Shrewsbury & Wolverhampton DYE, please email me and I will happily pass you on!

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My first christmas with my husband was really quiet. Due to the nature of this appointment and the situation with job losses, i have found it necessary to continue working for my local care home over the holidays. This meant that I worked christmas eve day, christmas eve overnight, christmas day, boxing day etc . ..

However, what little time I did have at home, I spent with my husband which was lovely.

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4 Jan - My husband was preaching at St. Andrews church in Slough, at the afternoon Urdu congregation. It was definitely an experience for me because I didnt understand what was being said, or what I was trying to sing. (trying very hard!) The 'tea and coffee' afterwards was lovely. It was in a small room at the back of the church which was promptly filled with all ages of people. From the very little cute children to the elderly, all of who wanted to talk to everybody! The biscuits were no ordinary biscuits, but gorgeous fudge like confectionery (Which I made my husband buy me some to take home!). It was a proper community in that room, and even when we went back a week later, they were just as pleased to see us!

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5 Jan - New Years Service in westminster methodist hall

I took my husband (Bobby) along for this one! It consisted of a collection of people from around the connexion - so people from Methodist Church House, from the Manchester base etc. The first part was a social meal, where the idea was to wander around, chatting to various people to create networks and establish contacts etc. Im afraid that Bobby was doing this far better than I was!
The meal was very posh and dainty . . . the sort of thing you would expect! With prawns on sticks and canapes etc. They even had these funny plastic glass holders which clipped onto your plate, which was quite a novelty for me!

The service was lovely, very full as more and more people turned up. I was asked to read a prayer in the service which was nice. It wasnt particularly challenging, or different, it was in essence a service just to be together and say 'we are methodist'. I enjoyed Davids sermon (Vice president of Conference) as it was quite funny and very relevant.

Over all, it was a lovely day, and I got to catch up with a few people i hadn't seen for quite a while!

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6-7 - The Connexional Leadership Forum

When I arrived, I asked several people what the purpose of this event was, and they all said that it was primarily a meeting where they (Chairs of district and all the really important people) could all meet and discuss relevant issues. Its not a decision making body, but a discussion and networking forum.

Good points - I got to put faces to names, I could talk face to face with people and they could ask me questions that they actually wanted to ask! (Which also gained me an invite to the Shetlands, which I am very excited about!)

bad points - I truthfully had no idea what they were talking about in the business. I didnt expect to understand a whole lot because in reality these are senior people in the church who have spent decades learning what they now know! However, as i talked about this and explored it, a fair few commented that they actually felt the same way!

I aim to write some kind of report on how a young person can actually engage with a forum of this type, because I certainly felt like I couldnt.

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9 - 10

This was a very exciting weekend as we began a process to employ our first round of DYEs!

The role of these initial District Youth Enablers will differ from appointments that will be made after 31st August 2009. It will focus less on local responsibilities and projects. Key projects are expected to include assisting with:

- Selection process for the Regional Participation Workers
- Selection processes for future District Youth Enablers
- Researching and developing networks within Districts and Regions
- Planning Youth Assembly 2009
- Planning Breakout 2010
- Development of the Children and Youth Team of the Methodist Church
- Presentations to Methodist Conference

Eight very talented, passionate young people turned up and proved themselves to be worthy of such a great and important task, so we employed all of them.

Some are very new to the methodist church, some are seasoned to it, some are loud, some are quiet. Some creative, others logical . . . We have a new, very diverse team and we expect great things from them!

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11 Jan

My husband, Bobby, is applying for the ministry in 2010, so we have started the process of doing everything he needs to do before he candidates.
This meant that I found myself in a Jehovas Witness congregation in Calver, Derbyshire on sunday morning. I must say, I was full of misconceptions when I arrived, and full of praise when I left.

It was very similar to a traditional protestant set up with very little decoration, simply a board that hung at the front with a verse from Acts. The service was basically a sermon, a few hymns (Which all reminded me of lullabys) and then an hours bible study. They worked through a book called the 'watch tower' which seemed very simple to me. There was no theology or deeper meaning, or encouragement to think creatively or individually. It reminded me of a GCSE english lesson where you all read the text, then answer questions on the text. However, I loved the fact that Bible study, in any form, was part of the service! I think that's something many ministers could learn from.

At the end of the service, everyone wanted to know who were were, why we were here etc. Also, the giving of resources was a pleasure for them. Even though they knew we werent Jehovas Witnesses, and were never going to be, they gave us a copy of EVERYTHING they used, from the watch tower to their Bible. That's also something we can learn from!

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14 Jan

The Children and Youth team away day.

We all went to a Quaker center in Birmingham which was gorgeous. After lunch we all went down to the massive pond, which was frozen, to skim rocks over the ice (Which makes a fantastic sound!).

The purpose of the meeting was to get to know each other (Because I and two others were new to the team) and discuss important pieces of work that we needed to.

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Sorry for such a long post!

Please feel free to ask me any questions you want!

District Youth Enablers

2008-12-18T17:09:00.003Z

The applications for District Youth Enablers (Paid part-time post) have now been extended until the 5th of January. If you want to know more, or know anyone who you think might be interested, please watch this video, email me at youthpresident@methodistchurch.org.uk or ring/text me on 07717286697 !

2008-12-16T14:51:00.002Z

Former British prime minister Tony Blair has completed his first semester as a visiting lecturer at Yale University, an experience he says has strengthened his belief that religious faith and economic and social globalisation are partners.

Arguing that the process of "pushing people together" has made multicultural and multi-religious societies, Blair argued that "spiritual capital" and "human capital" now need to link.
That, combined with an increased need for multi-faith dialogue, he told reporters after he spoke, "will in time be seen as a defining question, and perhaps the leading question of the 21st century".

Blair was an Anglican but in 2007, after stepping down as prime minister, he converted to Roman Catholicism. In a BBC television document after he left office, Blair acknowledged that his belief in God played a "hugely important" role during his 10 years as prime minister.

Blair has formed his own London-based foundation (www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org), to promote interfaith dialogue. He and Yale officials are working on a joint initiative to address issues of religious faith and globalisation.

*Taken from the Ekklesia website*
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Now, I dont know a lot about Politics, I will admit, but when I heard that Blair had converted to Catholism, I had my doubts, as im sure did many others. But reading this, you could say that Blair is, dare I say it, evangelising?!

I applaud him for this, over the last few years I've not heard him speak or seen any evidence of a Godly way of life. (Then again, ive only really been listening for the past 3/4 years!) Yet evangelising, for me, is standing up and saying 'We cannot do things our way, the only way forward is Gods.' He essentially is saying (I think) that God need never be excluded from economics or politics, but that faith is an essential part of all things.

I thought this concept of God being in control of those who are placed in positions of power had been almost proved wrong, but looking around properly I see that God is indeed always in control;

George Bush - 'Rumours that he had prayed with a young soldier who had lost a hand in Iraq were thought to be myth, but Mansfield tracked down witnesses and a hospital chaplain who said that Bush had prayed with the man, ending by kissing him on the forehead and telling him he loved him. 'For me, that sums up Bush's beliefs. He really believes Jesus is taken up in his heart and soul,' http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/nov/02/usa.religion

Appreciation

2008-12-15T15:04:00.004Z

The view from my bedroom window at Cliff College this morning!

I love the views here at Cliff, being able to get up in the morning and look at the gorgeous scenery. My hubby and I were playing 'spot the location' whilst watching the new 'Pride and Prejudice film' last week, as it was filmed round where we live.

Cliff is just underneath part of the ridge that makes up the edge that Keira Knightly stands on in Pride and Prejudice, and on a clear windy day you can see Mr Darcy's fountain (Chatsworth) from my window!

I'm really blessed to be living here, especially during my presidential year, and I thank God for these opportunities every day.

Things are going really well so far. At the moment it feels like I am laying out the groundwork, a path for the way ahead. Over the next few weeks I hope to start a few conversations rolling, over this and facebook about what and why the Youth President role exists and how you think it should change to become more effective.

Watch this space! (No, seriously! I hope to post really quite frequently, so if you want to keep up, subscribe!)

God bless,

Sarah Malik

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http://www.peak-experience.org.uk/tourism/explore-the-guides/peak-experience-guides/peak-film-literature/attraction-details/PrideandPrejudice.html?ContentID=164&PHPSESSID=c055a8650f6628d91994a5c490f4c3ef

2008-12-12T16:32:00.004Z

Sarah Malik, the new youth president of the Methodist Church in Britain, talks about her role, her hopes for change in church and society, the need to empower young people, and her personal sense of vocation. (The background to her election is here: http://ekklesia.co.uk/node/8047)

Sarah, congratulations on becoming the first Methodist Youth President. In what way do you think your election and appointment sends out a message to other churches? Indeed, how do you see the relationship between young people and the churches more generally, and how would you like it to develop?

I hope that my appointment has sent out a very clear message; one that emphasises equality between young people and adults. I think that the church has dismissed and tokenised young people for far too long. It is time that everybody became equals. I’m not talking about everybody being treated the same, but everybody’s gifts, strengths and weaknesses being treated equally as important. That, for me, is equality. The Youth Participation Strategy (YPS) is all about participation and without equality, we cannot genuinely participate.

The job’s being described as ‘a first’ in more ways than one. Could you tell us more about the role, and how you plan to tackle it?

The way I see it, the new Youth President role is a combination of two past posts, but the new role has more responsibility and more challenges. As I am the first of a new generation of Youth Presidents it is not clear exactly what the job will entail as we cannot see into the future. I will, however, be travelling down to London for regular meetings. I will travel to meet young people all over the connexion. I will be a member of the Methodist Conference, but will also be a member of the Methodist Council (which oversees the life of the Methodist Church throughout the year), and I am simply relying on God’s strength and guidance throughout the next 9 months, ensuring that the first year of the Youth Participation Strategy is successful.

What about those beyond the church? Will the Methodist Church's youth initiatives - and perhaps even more importantly, the initiative of young people within Methodism - be able to reach out beyond what some would see as the confines of a 'church space'?

The District Youth Enablers are the answer to your question. One young person, paid part time, working in one locality to fit the actual needs of the young people that area. We cannot reach outside the church effectively from a national level, only at a local level. This, I believe, is one of the major strengths of the YPS. (For more information watch the video below!)

One of the things we are often discussing through Ekklesia is the decline in formal and inherited Christian institutions in this part of the world, and the corresponding potential for a rediscovery of the Gospel as movement, as a liberating and in some senses subversive force. How do you respond to that and how do you see "the state of Christianity" in this country right now? What does it look like from where you stand?

I believe that the more diverse the church is, the stronger it will be. As a body of Christ, we each need different ways to worship God. Each way is as valid as the next. Traditional churches will always exist and new movements will always be created, I think that this is healthy. There is nothing I love more than being able to wander into Sheffield cathedral and pray quietly and go into my local Assemblies of God (AOG) church and throw my hands up in the air. Its all about freedom of worship.

When churches close, it forces change upon those who were connected to it. I believe that it is this which sorts the wheat from the chaff. People are often afraid of change, understandably, but change almost always brings us into a new and fuller understanding of God.

I believe that we are in a transitional period. ‘I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’ (John 12.24) As old churches close down, new churches are being planted. As an old lady in her 90s once said to me “We took Christianity to Africa and Asia; now they are bringing it back to us!” We are always in a constant cycle of death and rebirth, it’s healthy for us!

Could you tell us a bit more about your own background and interests? Is there something you will be bringing to your role which might surprise and intrigue people?

I live at Cliff College, a Methodist institition near Sheffield, with my husband who is studying theology there. I come from a non-Christian family, but my gran has always encouraged me to come to church. I’ve been involved with MAYC and the Methodist Youth Executive since I was 13 because my youth leader at the time was involved with the executive. My passion is creative prayer. I love the way that creative expression can be used in any context for any group of people. From singing and dancing to labyrinths and prayer stations. This is a way for those who do not usually participate in worship to do so comfortably.
I hope that I will bring a new way of thinking old concepts. My keywords for my presidential year are: Get Involved (with events and projects), Participate (with the YPS), Speak Out (for the Gospel), Justice (for the world) and Change (within the church). My keywords come from what I understand to be the ethos of the Methodist Church, translated into a simple yet challenging form. I want to inspire young people everywhere and show them that there is far more to life than school, work and Saturday nights. This world is full of excitement and challenge and I want to show that.

What are your hopes and dreams?

My husband and I recently bought a plot of land in Baddomalihi, Pakistan, his home town, and we aim to build an educational centre there to help the poorest people with their learning. I wish to work until my husband is fully trained as a minister, then I want to become a full-time mother whilst working in the community.

In terms of culture, music, technology and so on - do you think the generational gap is getting bigger? Is it bridgeable, and if so in what ways?

You could indeed speculate that the generational gap is getting bigger, but I don’t think it is. Older people and younger people have always had different interests. Every generation is different; as is every person. In our multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society the gap between an Asian woman and a white woman is no bigger than the gap between a 9 year old and a 90 year old.

If there was one thing you could change within the church or within society right away, what would it be... and what do you think the reaction would be?

It would be a sense of community responsibility, so that people would be more aware of each other and help one another. In the society I see around me, there is too much individualism; too many people believe that they are the only important person in the world, old and young alike. I wish that people would be more aware and more loving of those around them and act as one body, as Christ calls us to be.
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(c) Sarah Malik is a carer at a residential care home in Eyam, Derbyshire, and the new Methodist Church Youth President.

DISTRICT YOUTH ENABLER PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

My contact details

2008-02-25T22:00:00.000Z

youthpresident(at)methodistchurch(dot)org(dot)uk

07717286697