Bridport Youth

Weycroft Reunited Christmas Party

2010-01-07T04:15:00.000-08:00

If Christmas were about Jesus...

2009-12-23T02:24:00.000-08:00

At the start of December we enjoyed the last of 2009's "Weycroft Reunited" events. It was more or less in the usual format, but with a Christmas party theme, so we had decorations, a tree, lots of tasty treats & Christmas music. We had lots of party games, a meaning-of-Christmas play, involving everyone, followed by a Christmas pub-quiz. Lots of fun... and at the end of the party we had a visit from Father Steve Christmas - a priest from Birmingham with a flowing white beard who, oddly enough, will only wear red (must be tricky at funerals!) He kindly brought lots of presents to all those in attendance under the age of 18, which he distributed having reminded everyone of the greatest gift of all, ever.

In case you were wondering, the greatest gift ever was Jesus, the eternal Son of God, whom God gave to us all, so that we could know Him & have eternal life (for ever & ever!) & why was Fr. Christmas mentioning Jesus, do we suppose, at a Christmas Party, of all things?? Ah, well that will be because Jesus is "The Reason for the Season"!! Christmas is all about Jesus - or so I've heard.

I gave the children of our local secondary school - almost the whole of year 7 - the chance to say what Christmas is all about, and they had to choose between 5 options:

A. Family & friends
B. Presents & shopping
C. Jesus & Christianity
D. Decorations & lights
E. Food & chocolate

Out of about 100 pupils, how many do you think said that Christmas was first and foremost about Jesus? One. That's right - just one. 1% of 11-12 year olds. There were a few others who named option C as their second or third choice, but many more said that as far as they were concerned it had nothing to do with Jesus at all!

And I think they may be right. Of course, lots of young people at Weycroft Reunited said quite quickly, when asked what Christmas was all about for them, "Jesus" - or something similar. But is it true? I can't judge. What I can tell you is that looking around me, I would have to say that Christmas has very little indeed to do with Jesus... even if the thing is named after Him, & that's what I told the young people at W. Reunited.OK, Christmas is a party to celebrate the birth of Jesus... fine. But in most people's case, it is an excuse - not a reason. This is true even of many of those who call themselves Christians. Let's be honest. Christmas is about excesses, about extravagence, about family & friends, food and drink, shopping & debt, lights and festive cheer. If Christmas really were about Jesus, then people who believe in Jesus would spend time with Him. If Christmas were about Jesus, people would stop doing the things that He hates and start doing the things that please Him. If Christmas were about Jesus, people would show Him love. People would open their hearts to Him. They would listen to His voice. They would obey His words. If Christmas were about Jesus it would be a truly wonderful thing. But people celebrate, their hearts far from Jesus, their lives empty, or nearly empty, of His love. Do you suppose He is pleased by all these festivities, supposedly in His honour? Do you think Jesus likes Chirstmas? Really?

Well, we have a chance to make Christmas about Jesus in our own lives. So let's do it. Let's get close to Jesus, spend time with Him, listen to His voice, hear His words, obey His commands & be filled with His love - His life. That is the festive cheer to beat all festive cheer - and it's not just for Christmas - it's for every single day of our lives. Make Jesus happy this Christmas. All he wants is you.

OMG Jesus was a Jew!!

2009-12-18T03:10:00.000-08:00

During the last couple of weeks of term I have been teaching R.E. lessons about Christmas in Secondary School to classes in years 7, 9, 10, 11 & 13. It was a lot of fun: there were those members of year 7 who called me Darth Vader (my fault, that one) while everyone else couldn't quite decide whether to call me Joel or Sir; there were the chocolate prizes, highly coveted by some, for giving presentations, winning the Christmas quiz, solving the "Christmas Countdown Conundrum" or spelling syncretism backwards with one's eyes closed (Blogger doesn't think syncretism is a word - Blogger should get a dictionary!)

There was much debate and discussion, too, particularly in year 7, about the true essence (or meaning) of Christmas; there were even those brave souls who impressed me no end by maintaining that for them Christmas is all about Jesus (not a popular opinion among today's youth).

There were some amusing moments for me, like when most of the year 9 GCSE class, and many members of the y11 GCSE group too, revealed that they were very surprised that Jesus was a Jew. If I remember aright, it went something like this:

Reading from Matthew 2: Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?
Pupil 1: King of the Jews?! Why King of the Jews? Was Jesus Jewish??
Me: Yes, Jesus was Jewish
Pupil 2: No way!
Pupil 3: No... Jesus was a Christian... wasn't he?
Me: Neither Jesus nor any of His disciples were "Christians": the term had not been invented yet. In fact, for quite a long time after Jesus was crucified, the Roman authorities considered followers of Jesus to be members of a Jewish sect (I might not have said exactly that)
Pupil 1: OMG! I never knew Jesus was Jewish!
Pupil 4: Jews are cool. I like Jews

Take from that what you will.

Christmas News Update 09 - Click to read

2009-12-13T06:36:00.000-08:00

2009-11-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

2009-11-30T12:21:00.000-08:00

2009-11-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

Have You Got Star Quality?

Cheryl Cole. Frank Lampard. Miley Cyrus. Will Smith.
Do you know who these people are? These people are stars, aren’t they? Popstars, filmstars, sports stars. They twinkle and sparkle. We see them on TV, in magazines. We’re talking about them in the playground, at home, on Facebook and Twitter. They’ve achieved so much, haven’t they? Wealth, fame, beauty, influence. Surely when their lives are over and they get to the gates of heaven Jesus will say to these guys “Well Done!” He’ll say, “You were so famous, so popular, you really stood out above the rest. Everyone knew your name.” Isn’t that what Jesus will say?

Use your talents

Some of these ‘stars’ have done a few things to make Jesus proud. A few of them may even have done many things that please Him. But so many of them will have failed to do either with their lives. Jesus once told his friends a story about a man who entrusted his property to three servants while he went away. Sometimes it’s called the Parable of the Talents. He gave one servant five talents of money, another two talents, and another one talent. When he got back he found the one with five had invested it well and made a profit of five more talents. Also the one given two had made a further two talents. But the servant given only one had buried it in the ground and made nothing. The man was pleased with the first two servants and angry with the last one. He said to the first two: 'Well done, good and faithful servants! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:21)

The Truth

The truth is that at those pearly gates Jesus will say to many of these so-called ‘stars’, “Why did you waste your life? Why did you throw away all your money on cars, houses, clothes and jewellery that you didn’t actually need? Why did you worry so much about how you looked and how many people liked you? You had so many more chances than other people to speak to the world - Why didn’t you use the fame and influence you had to change my world for the better?”

And Jesus will say to some of you, ordinary guys and girls, “Well done, guys! Since you did the best you could with the little you had, since you spent your lives trying to please me and share my love with everyone you met, I am really pleased with you. And so I am going to give you fame and influence in heaven. You might never have had it on earth, but now you shall!”

How can I be star?

You may never become famous, or really rich, or a ‘star’ in the eyes of most people, but you have been given life, health, dreams and influence. Take a moment to think about what you’re good at, even if it seems there is nothing – what are the talents God has given you? Maybe you can befriend someone who’s lonely. Maybe you can help someone with difficult homework or to get better at football. Maybe you can share your money with a friend who has none sometimes. Whether you’re at home, with your friends, going off to college, jobs or university, you can choose to love Jesus and stand for him in all those places and in all those seasons of your life.

A different kind of Star

‘Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault…in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe, as you hold out the word of life…’ So wrote a famous Christian called Paul to his friends in a letter (Philippians 2:14-16.) This is what a friend of mine once said to me. You see, there is a different kind of star, one that twinkles and sparkles in a different way. A person who doesn’t complain, who doesn’t argue. A person who is careful to do the right thing, and comes clean as soon as they realize they did the wrong thing. A person who goes against the grain, who doesn’t lie, cheat or steal. A person who sticks up for what they believe in, who shares the hope of Jesus Christ, even if it costs them their popularity. This is not an easy thing to do. Some days it’s a real struggle. But it’s one that is worth making, and it’s what will make you a true star.

Liz Baker

2009-08-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

Summer News Update

2009-07-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Weycroft Weekend Away 2-4 May
This annual weekend went off superbly, as usual. Several young people from Shaftesbury journeyed down with Clive and Jean Thomas to meet 22 of our youngsters for 2 days and nights of fun, fellowship, food and more. Joel led the teaching and ministry sessions this year on the theme of “The Father’s Love” (loosely linked to the film Finding Nemo), and Liz taught us some new songs. A trip to the local pool, a range of craft activities, plenty of team sports, together with the team song performances and the obligatory waterfight kept everyone entertained. A big thank you to Valerie Payne, Louise Djeebet, Maggi Sutcliffe and Steve and Mish Bartlett for ably supporting us.

Weycroft Re-united Events
When asked whether they would come back to Weycroft, all the young people replied “Yes - Can we do it again next weekend?!” This response inspired the idea of a reunion, and the first was held 6 weeks later. The second took place at the start of July, and three more meetings are scheduled to the end of 2009. We kick off each meeting by sharing a meal together, followed by games, teaching, group chats, prayer, songs, and rounded off with some team sports. In this way we aim to include the key ingredients of the weekend away. Meetings so far have attracted around 15 young people.

“It’s Your Move”
This term we’ve led workshops for Year 5&6 pupils at St. Mary’s and St. Catherine’s Schools. The sessions were to help prepare the children for transition to secondary school and are based on the Scripture Union resource. They included a presentation and group discussions. Children each received an appealing booklet to browse. We’d like to thank all the volunteers from local churches who helped to supervise the discussion groups.

Youth@Home Group
The twice-monthly discipleship group for young people attached to Bridport Churches is going strong. It is held in our home every 2nd and 4th Monday 6.30-8pm. Since its launch we’ve been looking at the different aspects of God’s nature, what Jesus did on the cross and how to deal with different kinds of friends. Each session includes chat, activities, prayer and snacks. We have a few spaces still available, so if anyone else is interested please get in touch (see contact details opposite).

The Project Council
The Youth Work Project Council is currently looking for more new members so if you are a member of a Bridport Church and are interested in serving with us in this way please contact us to find out more about what this involves.

Youth Leadership Plan
One of our main aims is to establish young people in their churches, as well as in the wider church in Bridport; to train up young leaders; and to revitalize the church through a coming together of the generations. The Youth@Home Group and the Colfox lunchtime group play an important part in achieving these goals. Several members of the local churches have agreed to get involved in mentoring our Christian youth in various ways. Our hope is that many more will partner with us in prayer and action to see this plan fulfilled. If you would like to know more or become involved please get in touch with us.
And finally…thank you to all who support us in prayer, with finance and by encouragement.

Weycroft was extremely fun...

2009-07-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

"... I really enjoyed the water fight, food, competitions and drama. I learned useful things and got closer to Jesus by going on it. I loved lots of the funky songs and the way of teaching us new things. I made lots of new friends, learnt new things about old ones, and altogether had a wonderful time. I think it’s an opportunity every Christian, and non-religious, kid should have. I’m totally looking forward to the reunion."

- Polly Sutcliffe

Ecuador & The Words That Changed My Life 3

2009-06-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Around 1300BC in the Middle East, when this command* was given, contracts between suzerains and their suzerainties were commonplace. Great kings and overlords formed protectorates made up of tributary nations or tribes. These tribes or nations retained some degree of independence but they paid tribute to the Suzerain, and they yielded to the Suzerain's authority: i.e. the Suzerain's will was binding law. This total submission and payment of tribute or tax, was given in exchange for a promise, or contract granted by the suzerain ruler. The ruler ordinarily provided military defence and several gifts and advantages. Often these gifts were equal or greater in value than the tribute paid by the tributaries. If enemies threatened, or drought or pestilence or famine, the tributaries would receive the help they needed from the Suzerain. The greater the authority and power of the Suzerain, the better off they would be. The summary of what the Suzerain demanded of the tributary was love. This is the same love alluded to in the law of God.

What God was saying to the people of Israel was this, "I will be your Suzerain. Yield to me, submit to me, obey my law, and do so with all your heart, and I will defend you, I will provide for your every need, and I will make you a great nation". Such an offer could equally have come from an emperor of the period, but it came from God himself, a far more powerful and generous ruler.

So when Jesus said this is the greatest command, to "love the Lord your God", this was the kind of love He was thinking about: dependence upon God, submitting to Him, yielding to His absolute rule, rendering worship and service as befits the God of the universe. Jesus himself did nothing except in direct obedience to God and this was what He taught others to do also. Every aspect of our lives is to come under the rule of God. That is what it means to love Him: to give up our own agenda and personal sovereign rule, and submit to Him. That is the love of a creature for God. That is what He asked of the children of Israel, and that, I realised that day, was what He was asking of me. Would I give Him my love?

I was yet to discover what loving Him would look like, but I knew then that it would affect every part of my life, and it would involve some hard decisions. But I decided there and then to render to God what was due to Him: my total submission. I have failed on many occasions since then to uphold my end of the bargain, but God is faithful to keep His, nevertheless. I can say with absolute certainty that the decision I made nearly ten years ago changed my life for good, and in no small measure, and I would recommend it to you - to anyone who believes in Jesus - especially to young people thinking about what life holds in store for them - to take the same step. Yield to the Lord. He is God!

*The command: “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength” given by God through Moses to the children of Israel, recorded in Deuteronomy 6:5. This article is the continuation of 2 previous articles.

WEYCROFT REUNITED

2009-06-17T05:49:00.000-07:00

As usual, Weycroft was very popular this year – everyone who went said they would go again, and many said it would be good if we could have Weycroft every week! Therefore, due to popular demand, we decided to set about allowing those who enjoyed Weycroft so much, both this year and in previous years, and their friends, to enjoy regular (albeit not weekly) gatherings which would incorporate many of the aspects of Weycroft – just in 2 hours, rather than 2 days. Thus Weycroft Reunited was born. The first gathering on Sunday 7^th June welcomed all but seven or eight of the Bridport young people who had been on Weycroft 2009, as well as a few friends who hadn’t been able to go this year… and they all had a fantastic time.

On this occasion those in attendance – many of the adult helpers as well as the young people who were at Weycroft – were privileged to see the World Premiere of the Weycroft 2009 Movie. They enjoyed a DIY supper, and home-baked cakes; a good chin-wag and reminiscing on the good times had by all at Weycroft; some live worship music led by Liz Baker, including songs from Weycroft 2009; an inspirational message from Joel Baker about the incomparable awesomeness of knowing Jesus Christ personally; and finally a 7-a-side Ultimate Frisbee contest, which ended 1-all.

The next Weycroft Reunited was promptly booked for Sunday 5^th July at 5pm, with subsequent events on Sunday 6^th September, at the end of the holidays, and Sunday 1^st November – All Saints Day. The content of the gatherings will vary a lot, so that in many different ways, each will be like a little taste of the real Weycroft. If you’re a young Weycroft-goer, we look forward to seeing you at the next Weycroft Reunited!

Ecuador & The Words That Changed My Life 2

2009-06-15T03:59:00.000-07:00

After a protracted gap, here is PART II of the article I started earlier this year. You may remember the story... I went to Ecuador and had lots of adventures. I had begun to live the dream. I was executing my plan to mix God-stuff and me-stuff. But I was torn. I loved God - or so I thought - but I hadn't really considered what loving God really means. Not until that day at the "orientation weekend" anyway. The preacher whose name I don't remember told us about the most important command in the Bible, according to Jesus Christ: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your strength, and love your neighbour as yourself."

There is a lot of teaching around on what it means, or might mean, to love your neighbour, and we are reminded to do so regularly in the Church with good reason. It also has the benefit of being almost Politically Correct and acceptable to talk about in all streams of Christianity. Yes it's radical, and admittedly few Christians actually do it very well, but at least it's talked about - people know something about it - even many non-Christian people and organisations think it right to live by the so-called Golden Rule, which actually comes from the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:12, "Therefore, whatever you want people to do to you, do also to them".

But the deaf lady who preached that day urged us not to forget the injunction to all believers: "Love the Lord your God." In fact, given the sequence in which Jesus teaches these two supreme commands - we are firstly to love God and secondly to love our neighbour - it follows that it is useless to do the second without the first. In fact, we cannot truly do one without the other.

But how? What kind of love? What will that love look like? These are important questions for several reasons.

It is easy to see how you might love a friend - he or she is, after all, a physical person very similar to you in many ways. You can be considerate, encouraging, helpful, generous, listening... &cetera. But God is not physical - He is Spirit - He is not someone you encounter through your ordinary five senses, and He's not like you - He's not human. He doesn't need your encouragement, or your help.

There are many kinds of love, each appropriate to particular relationships. For example, there is the love you may have for a pet, or that between you and your brother or sister, or that of parents for their children or children for their parents, or that of lovers, of a husband and wife. There is the love you render to your friend, to your neighbour, and if you're really advanced at the loving thing, to your enemies. But what is the love of people for their God, of creatures for their Creator?

There are many allegories in the Bible that describe the relationship between God and people. Like parables, these allegories use a material metaphor to portray a spiritual reality. There is the father-child relationship for one, there is that of husband and wife, of master and servants, of friends, of host and guests, and of king and subjects. In our days of parliamentary democracy that last one is perhaps a little difficult to relate to. But it is just that analogy that is alluded to when God commands His people through Moses "love the Lord your God with all your heart..."
TO BE CONTINUED.

Weycroft 2009!

2009-06-09T01:38:00.000-07:00

The May bank holiday weekend witnessed the regular annual event known to us all as Weycroft. 30 young people went to stay at the TASK centre at Weycroft Hall, near Axminster for 2.5 days of fun. Well, truth be told, we did a lot more than have fun! Although this event has become an annual tradition in Bridport (and Shaftesbury) it was the first time Liz and I have been involved in it, and this year we, in the Youth Project, were leading it...

The theme of the weekend was the Fatherhood of God and in between a trip to a local swimming pool, a barbecue, a camp fire, a water-fight, a sports tournament (football, volleyball and ultimate Frisbee) forest skills, a walk in the country, film-watching, jewelry-, banner- and bread-making, team song and drama contests, and the like, we spent time thinking about God being our Father, and what that means for us.

We thought about God the faithful Father, who always loves us despite everything we do - like the Father in the story of the lost son. We spoke about how God gives us the chance through Jesus, to become His children, and to know Him as our very own Father, and how God wants us, above all, to "come home" to Him, and enjoy being His little children. We discussed God the "Father to the fatherless" whose heart breaks for us - for all our hurts and problems - and not only for us, but for all people - and this made us realise that if we become God's children, we will come to care deeply for those who are hurting and lonely in our society. We also thought about how as a good Father, God is a firm father, who disciplines us, and who wants us to grow up whole and complete - He wants us to be perfect, even as He is perfect. Finally, we learnt about how we can talk to God as our Father... using the well-known "Our Father" prayer as a starting point.

Our hope and prayer for you, if you went to Weycroft this year, is that you will know God as your Father as you never have before, and that you will go on discovering a fantastic relationship with Him, that will change your life as it has changed - and goes on changing - our lives.

COMING SOON TO THE BLOG: THE WEYCROFT 2009 FILM.
If you went to Weycroft this year, or a friend of yours went - or if you're thinking of going next year, you can order a copy of the DVD from us for £1.

Happy Easter - Jesus is Alive!

2009-04-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Easter News Update from CTiBD Youth Workers Joel & Liz Baker

Lighthouse Youth Café

This is proving to be a popular Friday night destination for a number of young people in Bridport, with upwards of 60 young people “on the books”. Numbers in attendance vary and are capped at around 25-30 each session. We have begun to introduce short workshop sessions to engage those young people not using the sports equipment (table tennis, pool etc), such as cooking, circus skills and other crafts. Young people also have the option to listen to a short talk/film about Jesus. The Youth Café runs at a financial profit and in the first quarter of 2009 it has netted £200 for the Project. We are always looking for more team members keen on hospitality and service to share the load and make it lighter, please get in touch if you can help. Special thanks go to Bridport Christian Fellowship for generously hosting the Café.

Sir John Colfox School

Joel assists with several Spanish lessons each week, and runs an after-school Spanish club on a Wednesday. On Thursday lunchtimes Joel leads a group of mainly Christian young people in worship, prayer and witness. The work in Colfox is helping to build some good new relationships with young people. Next term Joel expects to give extra support during Activities Week (13-16 July), and hopefully also during the Spanish Exchange Visit (26 June – 5 July).

Youth@Home Group

In late February we launched a twice-monthly discipleship group for young people involved in the Bridport Churches. It is held in our home every 2^nd and 4^th Monday 6.30-8pm. Five young people from Holy Trinity Bradpole, St Mary’s and BUC are attending regularly to get to know God better through chat, activities and prayer (and snacks!). We can accommodate up to 12 young people so if anyone else is interested please get in touch (see contact details opposite).

Weycroft Weekend Away 2-4 May 2009

Preparation for this annual weekend of fun and fellowship is well underway. Joel is leading the teaching and ministry sessions this year. Places are £50 and filling up, please contact us for a form if someone you know would like to come along.

The Mill

In March Joel finally received CRB clearance to help out at The Mill and he goes along every other Thursday evening.

Social Action

We have enjoyed supporting Bridport Christian Fellowship projects led by Jonny and Laura Broome, including recent litter-picking around the town.

Prayer Team

A group of praying people stand in the gap for the Project in their own time and way. There are no scheduled meetings, but Joel sends out a regular prayer letter and stays in touch by phone and email. Please let us know if you would like to join in this essential part of the Project.

Youth Leadership Plan

This plan, which has been under development for several months, aims to train up young leaders who will “go and make disciples” of the young generation; to establish young people in their churches, as well as in the wider church in Bridport; and to revitalize the church through a coming together of the generations. The Youth@Home Group and the Colfox lunchtime group play an important part in achieving these goals. Our hope is that many of you will partner with us in prayer and action to see this plan fulfilled.

Thank you…

…to all who support the Youth Work Project, whether financially, by being a member of the Prayer Team, by helping staff the Youth Café, by helping Joel at Colfox School, or by babysitting…and the list could go on! A special thanks to the Project’s Executive Council for putting in many, many hours of effort. Happy Easter!

Contact us:

Phone: 07899 055178

Email: bridportyouth@live.co.uk

http://bridportyouth.blogspot.com

A week in the life… …of the Churches Together youth worker

2009-03-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

(Just to give you a flavour)

Wed 11^th Feb: (The week starts here because Tuesday is my day of rest.)

6.30am: Up for prayer (with Liz).

8.45am: on foot to pre-school w/ Judah.

Working in St. Mary’s Church office: prayer, then planning & preparing: Spanish club; Thursday Colfox youth meeting; Youth Café. Phoned Centre for Youth Ministries about my training…

12.30pm: Meeting with fellow youth worker to discuss plans, etc.

2.20pm: Colfox – taking a small group in a yr 11 Spanish lesson, followed by an after-school Spanish club from 3.40-4.30pm.

Thurs 12^th Feb:

9.05am: Colfox, lesson 1 – take small group; lesson 2 – classroom individual support; lesson 3 – small group coursework support.

12.35am: Host lunchtime youth meeting in Colfox.

1.20pm: Back to town for pastoral lunch meeting with young person.

3pm: Meet Western Gazette reporter for interview about youth café.

4.30pm: Last-minute search for replacement baby-sitter.

7.30pm: Go to (adult) fellowship group at friends’ house: Wonderful!

Fri 13^th Feb:

9.30am: Meeting with line manager – 2 hours long this week.

11.30am: Shopping for the youth café – new table tennis bats and balls are needed, among other things.

5.30pm: A journey to one of the cake-producers to collect special St. Valentine’s Day cakes for the youth café.

6pm: Setting up & preparing @ Youth Café. Helpers arrive and, after prayer and briefing, we get to work. Doors open at 7pm with over 30 young people queuing outside. Then: 4 hours of feeding, entertaining and having fellowship with young people (and attempting to keep them under control.) Then the big clean-up operation. At 10.30pm we take one of the young people home, and then head home ourselves.

Sat 14^th Feb:

Not much going on in the world of youth work on this particular Saturday! So, off to market and then house-work and gardening, apart from a brief chat with local young people in the street.

Sun 15^th Feb:

9am: set off to church service at HTB (Bradpole). I’m preaching this morning (on John 1:1-14) and as it’s the “family service”, Liz and I lead the congregation in the B-I-B-L-E song. Good fun.

8pm: Meeting with Liz to pray, plan and prepare for next week’s launch of the new youth @ home meetings at our house.

Mon 16^th Feb:

This is admin day: weekly finance trip to the treasurer’s with café finances, expenses etc; writing this article for the BUC magazine; editing a newsletter for the churches; writing letters to parents of young people potentially coming to youth meetings; printing flyers for those meetings; writing and sending a prayer-letter to the youth work prayer team; calling a church leader to arrange a meeting; internet communication to arrange meetings with young people this week (it’s half term)… and more besides.

7pm Go to Rock Solid to assist with the meeting and talk to the young people.

Tues 17^th Feb:

Day of rest – well, almost – off to Yeovil for most of the day to get the car fixed/serviced…

7pm Go to Youth Alpha at the Bridport Christian Fellowship to help out with the evening and spend time with the young people there.

Bridport Youth Discipleship Group

2009-02-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

NEW Youth Home Group

Deepen your faith & have fun

Games « Chat « Bible « Food

We'll explore things like…who God really is...

…how to talk to him (& hear from him!)

...his awesome plan for your life...

Every 2nd and 4th Monday evening 6.30pm - 8pm

For guys and girls in Years 6 to 11

Joel & Liz Baker (CTiBD Youth Workers)

07899 055178 bridportyouth@live.co.uk

Ecuador and the words that changed my life

2009-01-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hello People: this is my first personal blog entry for you, the Bridport Youth.
I want to tell you a story. When I was about your age - maybe a year or two older, or younger - I went on an adventure to a little country in South America, called Ecuador. I was there, allegedly, to learn Spanish at an international language school in the capital, Quito. What I did in the space of a few months in Ecuador has given me a lifetime of memories, some good, some not so good. I'll share a few of those memories with you in a minute, but before I do, let me tell you a little bit more about me.

I had left school at 16, but I'd done enough exams to get a place at uni, so I decided to go away on a Gap year. I had some savings, thanks to my parents (and despite myself) and so for the first half of the academic year I spent nearly the whole lot going to South America to improve my Spanish and see the world.

I was a Christian. I went to church. I even led my own youth group at the age of 15 (and 16). I wanted to live a life that would please God AND I wanted to live a life that would please me - frankly, who wouldn't? You know what I really wanted? I wanted to have a life of excitement, adventures, riches, with lots of friends, a bit of fame and, of course, I wanted to get the girl - like James Bond always did. I thought about what God wanted, and I thought about what I wanted - I had some lovely dreams. I tried to knit together my own plans and what I knew about God's will. If there was ever a conflict between the two, I either ignored it, thinking "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it", or I worked out a compromise, which would be satisfactory to both God and me - very clever of me, don't you think? The future was bright. The future was not orange. I was in control, I had the new freedom of adulthood and I was having a great time.
So off I went to Ecuador. I met people from all over the world. I drank lots of lovely drinks, and some not so lovely ones. I went out dancing salsa (and a particular style of dancing which I and my associates from Europe pioneered, known as not-salsa). I met some nice girls and I made some good friends. I climbed the highest active volcano on earth (6000m altitude) I visited a 1000-year old Amerindian market and bought a solid jade mask and an alpaca-skin rug. I danced to panpipes followed by Tubthumping by Chumbawumba. I journeyed deep into the jungle of the mighty Amazon basin, paddled a canoe along the Coca river, caught a small Boa Constrictor, met jungle-dwellers, swung on lianas, learned to use a blow-pipe, chewed special jungle leaves and drank a special jungle potion and was temporarily (and unintentionally) possessed by an evil spirit. I played hours of pool in pool bars round the city of Quito. I climbed another volcano just weeks before it blew it's top. I watched it explode and then I lived in the city next to it as the ash showers came down. I went to another town (coincidentally) when its volcano erupted, and played cards with my friends in a restaurant as we watched the whole town being evacuated. I travelled on clapped-out buses across the peaks of the Andes, into the jungle and to the beaches of the Pacific ocean. I surfed and swam in a warm sea. I worked as a waiter in a café for the salary of 26p per hour. I lived through a massive financial crisis, known as hyperinflation, which was so bad that just after I left, they scrapped the whole currency. There was a military coup too - the civil (corrupt) government was overthrown. I saw so much and learned so much and had so much fun. I could go on... like I said, it's a lifetime of memories.

I had started to live the dream, but I was far from satisfied. I felt that I had neither fully lived for myself, nor had I lived for God. But God was part of my life - I couldn't deny that. I was frustrated - I was torn. I had two competing things driving me: my selfish desires, and my love for God. I knew God loved me, and I was sure I loved God - but what did loving God mean? That, I had not really thought about. Not until a few months later.

I had just turned 17 and I was getting ready to do the God-bit of my Gap year: I was going to go back to South America - Brazil this time - with a short-term missionary team to do voluntary construction work. I was going to be a builder/interpreter/missionary. It was a Christian organisation that was sending me, and I had just spent a couple of months raising money for them whilst also learning Portuguese. So there I was, on my 17th birthday, at an orientation weekend, being prepared for the mission. There were 70 other Christian young people there from all over Britain - they were all about to do the same or something similar. It was awesome. It was so inspiring to meet all these real young Christians. And then a lady stood up to preach. She was deaf but she spoke very clearly. What she said changed my life forever. I'll tell you about that next time...

Youth Work Advice/Resource Drop-In at St. Mary's

2008-11-19T05:37:00.001-08:00

*Thursday 20th November* 10.30 am - 6/7 pm.

*Lyme Bay Children’s and Youth Work Training*

This all-day drop-in event will offer resources, ideas and advice on all
children’s and youth work issues, including child protection. Barbara
Meardon, Salisbury Diocesan Children’s Adviser, and Claire Estall,
Diocesan Youth Adviser, will be on hand to answer questions. Come and
get to know the team!

For queries or more information please contact Revd Canon Trevor Stubbs
on 01308 422138, or email revtrev.stubbs@googlemail.com

Directions can be found at:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1970-01,GGLC:en&q=st%20mary's%20church%20bridport&um=1&sa=N&tab=wl

Youth Leadership Forum 15 November 2.30pm at BUC

2008-10-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Are you...

...a church youth worker or youth leader?
...a young person and a member of a church?
...someone who would like to work with youth in your church, if there were any?
...someone who would like to work with young people, but haven't been able to?
...someone who used to work with young people in a Christian setting, and you still have a heart for youth?
...a church leader who has an interest in what is being done to reach out to young people in Bridport?

If your answer is "Yes" then please come along to the Youth Leadership Forum, on Saturday 15th November, 2.30pm at Bridport United Church's Cottage Room. It is our earnest desire that there would be people present from all of the member churches of Churches Together in Bridport.

We will meet until about 4.30pm. Tea and coffee will be available. The adjacent Inner Hall will be available for children to play in, with supervision for younger ones.

The subject of the forum is, naturally, youth leadership, and this has a double meaning: it is leadership for youth, and it is leadership by youth. The theme of the forum is about coming together, provisionally entitled Many Small Brooks, which is the first half of a Nordic proverb.

It is a forum - i.e. a conversation involving numerous parties, and therefore all who attend will do more than just listen and some will be asked to give a specific contribution. It will not, however, be an open ended, general discussion. There will be a programme for the afternoon, with guided discussions, prayer and other activities, and there will be a presentation of a united youth leadership plan for all to consider and discuss.

It comes just ten days or so before the Diocesan Youth Advisor visits St. Mary's to hold a Youth Work Drop-in Clinic, to which all are welcome.

Many thanks and all the very best,

Joel & Liz

Click on The Bridge Article below to read...

2008-09-08T14:27:00.001-07:00

2008-09-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

~~~
Churches Together in Bridport warmly welcomes you to a

Service of Celebration and Commissioning
for Joel & Liz Baker

3pm Sunday 21st September at St. Swithun’s Church, North Allington
~~~

Joel Baker has recently been appointed by CTiBD’s Youth Work Project to work full-time for the project. The vision of the Youth Work Project is to reach the young people of Bridport and their families with the hope offered by Jesus Christ. Amongst other things Joel, together with Liz, will be leading the development and promotion of the Youth Café as well as working at the Sir John Colfox School.
This service is to welcome them and to celebrate the work - past, present and future - of the Churches Together Youth Work Project.

If you would like to receive regular updates on the Project or to help out in any way please speak to Joel and Liz afterwards or add your name and email address to the sign-up form on your way out. You can also contact Joel or Liz by emailing: bridportyouth@live.co.uk
or by calling 07899 055178.
~~~

Vision Statement

2008-08-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

It is our vision to raise up a generation of passionate young people who will bring transformation, not only to Bridport, but everywhere they go. We believe that these young people are not called to fill pews in church buildings, but to become leaders themselves: that they are to be active in the work of ministry.

We believe that societal transformation must be a major part of our thinking as Christians. We believe that God loves our society and that Jesus died to save everyone in our society. If the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is to truly make an impact on our society then it will be transformed, and that transformation will encourage and persuade both the Church and the wider society. God is not interested in how many members each of our congregations has, but in how many members of our society have believed in Jesus and experienced his power.