Stuff I Did

Blog-Day seems to have moved to mid-week. I have mixed feelings about the last 7 days, some definitley seem better than others (or worse, depending on whether you're a glass half full or half empty person). The photos this week start off with the remainder of my trousers after the cycle back to the house this morning. It's the final long, steep hill leading up to my house that does it! The next few photos are of me using the material in the most eco-friendly ways I could think of. Waste not, want not and all that. The last photo is the poster I designed for the new club, Impact, that I started up.

Talking of up, Impact kicked off its first ever session this week with a trip to the cinema to see Up. It was a fantastic film, but not Pixar's best. I would give it 7/10, but this is a blog about my youth work, not my film reviews. So I won't.

Ever since Saturday, I've had mostly boring, stay-at-home days. On Saturday I had what I just described, but got loads of work done. I've planned all my sessions until Christmas for both the Sunday morning Y@11 and Impact. Sunday I had to lead the kids talk during the service. I had this great analogy about my bike, if you want a detailed summary, let me know! So it was set to be a great talk. But, I kept getting tongue-tied, the talk was meant to last 5mins, mine lasted 90secs and I got all the kids at the front whereas they usually stay with their families. It was a tad disasterous. It's not even like it was my first kids talk, I've done several before and this one was by far the worst. Equally, the teenage group that goes out halfway through the service which I lead was set to be a great session. I had spent many hours planning it, and it was full of different sections. But that went bad as well.
Looking back at it and trying to work out what went wrong, it hit me. That Sunday morning, I had a big list of things to do before the 9.30am service. One of those things was to pray. Guess which one I didn't do. I didn't do it deliberatley, but it made such an impact. I always pray before a session, but somehow the most important thing on my list was left til last. It just proves that no matter how much work I put in, it's nothing if I don't involve God. I felt pretty rubbish by the end of that day.

Monday was nice to forget about Sunday, as it was my day off. Grace came over and we went on a 2hr walk, which took us 5hrs. I don't know what was worse, our fitness levels or our orienteering ability. Monday is my favourite day. Tuesday is not my favourite day, particularly this Tuesday. I had another stay-at-home day and I was so unmotivated. I had a lot of work to do, but not the drive to do it. The hours snailed away. Yesterday was a good'un, as I had the opportunity to meet with 4 local headteachers. I had the chance to ask what I and the church could do, and also the chance to pray with them.

So basically Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday are days I'd rather forget, but hopefully it will make me not forget to pray next time!

Talking of prayer, please continue to pray for me, and also:

• That good bridges will be built between the local churches and the local schools
• That the new Impact will be a great success
• That I will be motivated!

I may blog again before I go home on Sunday. I'm going home for half term, which should be awesome! I'm also going to be recording with my Christian band, Silence Sung. And of course, the legendary, Littlehampton Bonfire Night.

See y'all laters,
Mikey x

Permit to Rave

I sure wish I had time to rave! I've been uber-busy (which is pretty darn busy) which is why this post has been delayed by a whoppin four days. The photos are

1. The ticket machine in Eastbourne
2. The teenagers decorating the biggest of the 121 arrows on the stairs.
3. An average to-do list for one day, not including my appointments!
   

I have been progressing with my many projects. The biggest projesct of the year will be turning the ballroom where we meet into an arts centre which a.) brings people into the church b.) brings us into the community more and c.) gets more money into the church, which we so desperatley need! Other projects I am starting include getting an afterschool club going at the church. We have so many kids cut through the church grounds to get home from school and they could all potentially start coming to an afterschool club. Equally, a breakfast club is in my profiteroles. I have been to meetings and been doing research for all these projects!
Another project that I hope to get off the ground by the time 2010 arrives, is to start what's called a Messy Church. A Messy Church is a fun, family based church service. Much more informal and usually on a weekday afternoon/evening. The format is basically:

• Craft/games
• Short church service (very family based)
• Dinner

It's been very successful all over the country and I want it to be successful here in Eastbourne! My home church in Littlehampton is just about to start one. My vicar is a bit cautious about it. I usually have the big dreams and crazy ideas, and he has to tell me the practicalities of it. It's usually money based, as as with most churches, we're running on money we don't have! This is also part of the problem with the arts centre as to get the stage into working order, we would need to install some new stage lights. I was told

"They're not as expensive these days. You're probably looking at only about ten to fifteen thousand pounds."

Jaw dropping moment.

This week saw the end of ClubOne (or Clu Bone as I called it) and next week will see the start of Impact. I was a bit worried about telling the teenagers about it, as there will be a lot of changes. ClubOne ran like this:

• 7.30 - Arrive, do what they want (XBox, snooker, craft, table tennis etc)
• 8.00 - God Slot
• 8.15 - back to doing whatever they want.
• 9.00 - end.

Impact will rn like this:

• 7.00 - Arrive, Bible study*
• 8.00 - Go downstairs for usual activities (XBox, etc...) plus big group games.
• 9.00 - end.

*The Bible study will be much like the Sunday morning group. It will include prayer, games, DVD, music, food, discussions and of course the bible study.
I managed to get them excited about the new Impact by telling them that to kick the new club off we will be going to the cinema next week to see Up. Risk Assessment here I come...

I've had some great successes this week. I have managed to get the much needed female youth leader and she's fantastic with youth! I'm going to be interviewed for a local newspaper about the things I've been doing. Hopefully this will let people see the church is active and alive! I went into Scouts this evening to lead an evening about Christianity as they are working towards their Faith Badge. They really engaged into what could have been a very boring evening! They were very questionable and a lot of them were very interested in coming to church and Impact. But it wasn't only the scouts who were interested. The leaders asked lots of questions too and sat there ears perked. Back to successes, I've also managed to get myself a ticket (not literally) into all of the local schools doing assemblies, clubs and walking around and chatting to kids at lunchtime. This week has been brilliant! I am being used by God and I love it!

Please can you pray for

• Inspiration
• That the right people will contact or be contacted by me to get these projects off the ground.
• That seeds will be sewn into the hearts of the scouts and leaders and that Christians they meet will carry on the work that was started tonight.
  
• Guidance for my friend Jon as he contemplates the next move.
  

Sorry, a very long blog post, but a lot is happening - God is on the move.

Speak soon,
Mikey.

"Respect Christ as the holy Lord in your hearts. Always be reasy to answer evryone who asks you to explain the hope you have."

1 Peter 3:15

Pick Jesus

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I saw these picks in the Christian Resource Centre and had to have a couple! I'm giving one to my fellow musician Jon, but the other is mine - sorry! I've attempted to find the CRC four times now and only found it today. I was overjoyed when I was told that I can just stick it on the church tab, like using a company credit card. I wouldn't try it for yourself though, you still need the pin!

The other photos are (in no particular order)

• My ginger root
• My peanut butter
• My venus flytrap, Benny, which has now completley devoured the chicken.
  
• My new photos
  

This week has been just as busy as the last. I've been particularly busy today cutting out 121 arrows of different colours and sizes to make the stairs up to the youth room a bit more beautiful. I've also been trying to visualise and plan the conversion of an old but magnificant ballroom and stage into a new arts centre. I went down to the Tourist Information office to get leaflets on every artsy club, group, organisation, gang, crew, posse, gang, troop and herd that is lurking in Eastbourne. The aim is to get them to use our venue for either rehersals, performances or group meetings - turn it into an arts centre. Unfortunatley the TI office was shut, but it'll give me something to do on Tuesday.

Wednesday was most definatley the worst day so far. I woke up late, rushed to church on my bike, nearly ran down two children who stepped out in front of me (their fault), nearly got run down myself (my fault), was 1min late for church so they had already started. In the afternoon I had a funeral. So not the best day, but apart from that, it's all been good!

Tonight I have to pack my little brown suitcase from the 1950s as I'm heading back home tomorrow for a couple of days! This is why I'm writing my blog on a Saturday rather than Sunday. I can't wait to be home. A few members of my youth group are getting confirmed (like baptism, for those at Parkside!) on Monday so I need to leave home early on Monday, I would usually go Tuesday morning. Tonight I also need to finish off my preparation for tomorrow's youth group which will be on the theme of Letting Our Lives do the Talking.

Again, for those pray-ers amongst you, could you please include:

• Me as I go to visit an old friend this week. I'm planning to rescue him from the rather terrible path he's on at the moment and I can't do it without God and prayer!
• The other seven youth workers doing the same scheme as me in different places.

Remember, you're always more than welcome to come up and visit, I would love to see you!
Maybe see you around,

Mikey x

A Week

Me blogging late into the night and the FairTrade food I used for my Sunday morning youth group (that was this week's theme, and was handy for getting respect!). As it was Harvest Sunday at our church today, I asked them:

"Do you want to eat this FairTrade food, or would you rather give it as a harvest offering?"

Some fella will benefit from our teabags and bananas.

One week has been and gone. And what a week!
It has been full to the brim of different duties and events. This week has consisted of:

• Planning meetings
• JAM and Jaffa lunchtime clubs at schools
• ClubOne (Or Clu-Bone as I now call it) evening youth club
• Mid-week services
• Delivering leaflets and getting my bearings of the local area
• Interiour design for the youth room (inc. carpet fitting!)
• A lot of visiting people in the parish
• A lot of planning
• Paperwork
  
• Totz mother and toddler group (60+ people)
• Confirmation class
• Home group
• Under the Dome, a coffee morning for those north of 70yrs.
• Preparing a Harvest Supper
• Planning and leading the Sunday youth group
  
• Some shopping
• Drinking lots of coffee

And on the more leisurely side:

• Going to Beachy Head
• Pub lunch
• Watching movies at the house
  
• Reading
• Relaxing in the sun
• Going to the cinema
• Photo editing
• Playing lots of music
  
• Lots of phone calls to friends and family
• Some shopping
• Drinking lots of coffee

A lot of the latter was with Grace (my girlfriend) who has already come up twice to see me! Mum and Dad came up today (Sunday) which was lovely. I now have a venus fly-trap which I have fed some leftover chicken. My friends Colin and Sue are coming up on Sunday to visit as well!

So as you can see, I've been very busy! I've clocked 35miles this week (average of 5miles a day for the less able mathematicians and tired). I get 20p a mile for some reason that I'm not worried about finding out, so it's turning into a nice little earner! I've managed to write a page in my diary every day so far (usually in the early hours of the next day!) with a bible passage relevant to how I'm feeling or what has happened during the day.

I was thinking about going into the local university to see what kind of thing young people would want from the church and also get involved with the Christian Union. I wasn't sure if people would not listen to me as I would be the same age as the first-years. I was given this as an encouragment.

"Do not let anyone treat you as if you are unimportnat because you are young. Instead, be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith and your pure life."

1 Timothy 4 : 12

I will let you know how that works out.

Again, for those of the praying type, please pray for

• Good relationships with those I work with and meet
• Clarity and guidance for my fellow youth worker and friend Josh Bellamy

If you're not of the praying type, try it!

Thank you for all your kind messages, phone calls, texts, thoughts and prayers - each one really boosts my confidence!

Speak soon,
Mikey x

The Scribbles of a Coastal Youth Worker

Welcome to my blog! The fact that I am coastal makes no difference to my line of work, but I could not think of any other adjective. I hope you have a good read of this and future blogs, as I wouldn't like to feel that the irritating tap-tap-tap of the keys is for nothing.

Well here I am. Eastbourne! I'm in my lovely house (not home) where I shall be for the next few months. In reality, it's nearly a whole year, but I have to keep saying things like "a few months" because in all honesty, I'm homesick. Despite knowing I probably should leave it a while, I've been making lots of phone calls to friends and family. Yesterday I left home. It was very sad, but it had to be done some time, and I believe that this is a great way to do it!

The internet here is, shall we say, limited. I would love to be streched out on the lovely green lawn in the sun, or on my cosy bed, but I'm stuck in a little dark office as the wireless is ineffective. Hopefully next time I blog it will be sorted.

Double dose of church this morning. There was the very traditional Anglican 9.30 service (not my cup of tea) and the more young-family based 11am service. Both services I was interviewed at the front with questions like "What footie team do you support?", "Do you like tripe?", "What was the last film you saw?" (The title was too rude to say! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/) and "What are your hopes fo the year?". I was truely interrogated.

The 9.30 was all robes and cassocks, silverware, scripted prayers and to top it off, an organ. It's been an age since my last traditional Anglican service, and it was a shock to the system. The 11am was great though. Despite being told not to plan anything, I was given the task of leading the youth group spontanaeously. It went really well, and we had 8 teenagers in the group. After church, they had their monthly Bring & Share meal. I had no food to bring, but I certainly eat.

I am missing home and I hope home is missing me, but in less than two weeks I will be home. Grace is coming tomorrow as Monday is my day off, she knows Eastbourne better than me and can give me a tour! She gave me a lovely note before I left with the verse Joshua 1 : 9 written on it.

"I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the LORD your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go."

It was really encouraging for me.

If you're a praying person, please include:

• Mum and Dad
• The other seven girls doing the same scheme at other churches across the south.
• Meeee!

Photos are of my room. Keep checking for blog updates!

Mikey x