Autumn 2016taking good news relevantly to every young person in Bath

You will read some encouraging reports of our summer activities in this edition of Partners. You will read of young people encountering God in word and deed at camps and in Bath.We are praising God for His work in the lives of young people, for those ‘moments’ where we recognise something has happened because we see it expressed verbally or physically or emotionally, whilst remembering that God has been at work over time, unseen, hidden; like yeast.

We remember that these moments are both a culmination and a beginning.

A culmination of work by our youth work team, of praying, planning, partnership, giving by supporters and churches. We have, without forcing these moments, sought to work intentionally with God’s

spirit to play our part in His plan. As you have, in your prayers and support. Thank you.

This is a beginning too. For those who have responded afresh to God, perhaps the ‘moment’ is a new start, an encouragement to press on, a change of direction. For those who have responded to Christ’s song for the first time it is a turn to face a new direction, a new dawn, a new birth.

The intentionality does not stop now. It must continue. We must disciple with a quiet and humble intent. A commitment has to be made to enable those who have responded to God’s call

this summer whether at a small camp or large festival to continue the journey. Intentionally.

What about you? Your church? The young people in your community? How intentional are you towards working alongside God to see lives changed?

As we begin a new academic year, please pray that at Bath YFC we will have the wisdom and sensitivity to work out what intentional evangelism and discipleship looks like in practice and get on with it, intentionally!

How intentional are we?

Partners

James Vaughton

Bath YFC AGMThe 2015-16 AGM will be on Thursday 20th October, 7.30pm at . Please note this WILL NOT include the Showcase, it will be a much ‘smaller event’. Come and hear about what YFC has achieved this past year and our strategy for the future. An invitation is included with this edition of Partners, please let us know if you would like to come.

Roundhill Summer of Fun

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For one week in the school holidays, young people in Yr6 or above were invited to join in with activities in the Roundhill Centre, Southdown... ALL FOR FREE! St. John's Hospital very generously funded this project, enabling us to provide fun things to do and lunches each day for those who attended; some days the activity itself was the cooking!

From Monday to Thursday, Chris and Sam offered a variety of games, activities and workshops:

Monday - a Drama workshop, involving various props... wigs, hats, masks, glasses and even a feather boa!

Taco Tuesday - the young people were invited to join in with making lunch. It was a great time to share a meal, play board games and get to meet new faces from the

local area.

Wednesday - a chance to try out creative skills, making cars out of scrap!

Thursday – our final day - was the most fun. We had now got to know some of the young people and had lots of time to chat about family, school and friends, as well as make cheesecakes! We had some great efforts, some choosing a more vanilla based flavour and other going fully fruity with strawberry and cherry with lots of hundreds and thousands!

Just under 20 young people came through the doors during the week. We had hoped for more, but we had to compete with very

uncharacteristic sunny weather! Nevertheless those that came had a blast.

Dance School:As well as offering free activities and lunch earlier in the day, we held a Dance School from 3pm - 5pm in St. Barnabas church. The idea for this dance initiative came from Freja, a young person who had grown up through Motus Dance Academy and is now at university. She wanted to give something back to the community and ran this workshop giving young people the opportunity to try out different pieces of choreography. This was Freja’s show - all the music, the moves and the instruction – Sam & Chris were there just to help. It showed that working with one young person in a project can have an impact on that individual and encourage them to impart their passion to others. Dance is a really powerful art form, an amazing workout, and also there can be a sense of connecting on a spiritual level. It was a great week of sessions, with the summer sun shining through the amazing backdrop of St. Barnabas' stain glass window.

In August, we were privileged to take 6 young people from Motus to Soul Survivor, partnering with St. Michael's Twerton Life365 youth group. We had considered that this may be a possibility for next year, but God had other plans!

A significant donation to St Barnabas Church allowed us to purchase the tickets, so that we did not have to wait to raise funds for next year.

4 out of the 6 young people had little contact with church or other Christian work, other than their experience at Motus, so Sam and Chris were very excited to have this opportunity! It was great to work with Richard & Tori

Wilson from St. Michael's, Laura Porter and Rob Popejoy – Life 365. We also welcomed a few visitors during the week, including Sam and Catherine from St Barnabas.

We had a brilliant time! For many of the young people it was eye-opening, curious and sometimes surprising... especially in the ministry times! This led to so many questions and chats about faith, relationship with Jesus and what being a Christian is all about. Our hope was that the young people would get a real sense of who we believe Jesus is, and what we live for, so that this may develop fruit later on... but our expectations were blown out of the water when

through the week, 5 of the dancers responded to the call to become Christians!!! It's such a joy to welcome young people into the family, but we recognise that we now need to disciple and journey with them in their new found faith. We'll be looking to partner with Life365 and other churches to do this. We would value prayer for the way forward, for the 5 young people as they return to school, and for those around them who notice something different about them. Thank you for all your support and prayers so far, keep it coming!

Soul Survivor

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For a youth work pioneer in a new terrain the summer holidays invoked a challenge to look at the movement of the families in the churches and the opportunities that my first summer in Bath would grant. The months since my appointment were very exciting, providing numerous opportunities to simply get to know the young people and lay the foundations for something more fruitful next year. We

met several times

on a Sunday, looking at the Bible together and studying what Jesus says about Christianity. This helped to gauge the dynamics of the group, seeing where their heart lies and what they need most.

The quieter month of August provided time for relational work - coffees, meals, film nights etc. and gave me space to look ahead to September, pioneering new ways for this group to connect with Jesus,

each other and their local community. I was also able to meet with more leaders and youth work services to find out what is already happening in the city and what more can be done for young people. We have some teaching and discussion sessions planned for the Autumn, with opportunities between for the young people to ‘act out’ what they have learnt.

Rich

City Centre Update

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‘Motus’ pulled off yet another exciting dance show on 2nd July,

the highlight of the year for the dancers with a buzz of anticipation! A whole day of rehearsals gave time to work together, learning from and encouraging one another which builds relationship. This year the young people had a huge input on the choreography,

which, combined with a new dynamic of dancers, resulted in the academy’s most diverse dance show yet. Not only did we have the regular street dance, hip hop and break dance, but also cheer leading, stick dancing, gymnastics and back flips.

We have built a great relationship with the young people in Motus this year, especially through the Life Academy sessions. Beyond great choreography and performances, bringing young people together and helping them believe in themselves is what Motus is all about. An example of this is how we have seen

one shy girl becoming increasingly involved in the few weeks leading up to the show.

On the day of the show she joined in with all the small group work and socialised with the others. During the performances she had a couple of solo sections and the rest of the group cheered her on!

For some of the dancers this was their last show, as they move away or move on to college or university, so as always it was a very emotional end to another year of Motus.

Motus Dance Show

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On 8th July, 15 students from St Mark’s School, Chaplain Jerry Parr, TA Fran Carpenter, YFC Trustee Paul Little and Sam Packer, left for Tijuana in Mexico on the Build Hope project. In San Diego we joined students from Parmiter’s & Watford Boys School and Grace Academy, Coventry to travel to Tijuana.

The ‘Build Hope’ Project liaises with local church leaders to identify families in need of a home. One such family were the Lopez Perez who had lost their home to a fire. On the first day of the build, Mum came out with a big grin on her face and helped move the building materials. She & her four children lived in very cramped accommodation nearby. Building was carried out for five days, 8.30am-3pm, in soaring heat and little shade. It was hard work, but so much fun working with an excellent team. Many learned how to use a hammer & nails, saw and mix & apply stucco. The

76 strong team were able to build 3 houses, all without the aid of machines!

In exchange for handing over a set of keys to each family,

we were all given a necklace with a key as a reminder of our time in Mexico.

Camping in Tijuana allowed us to ‘enjoy’ long drop Banos (toilets) & solar showers. Although basic, many families do not have access to such facilities. It helped us appreciate what we often take for granted in the UK.

The trip finished with a few days sightseeing in San Diego, including a visit to a shopping mall just five minutes from the border. The contrast between the poverty we had left behind and great wealth was stark.

We believe the experience will be significant in the lives of the St Mark’s students, that they will have a greater appreciation of all they have and will be proud of their achievements. We very much appreciate the prayers and financial support of our partners.

Mexico – July 2016

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September: >1st-7th Please pray for a smooth transition for Year 7 children as they move to

Secondary school, and that the Accompanying Project will help a number of them to adjust to the changes. For new teachers and other staff in schools as they start the academic year. Thank God for our new intern Naomi Peachey and ask that God would help her settle into her new role smoothly.

8th-14th Pray for Richard McDade, our City Centre Youth Worker, who gets married this month. Thank God for the impact of the events held over the summer school holidays and pray that this will be lasting in the lives of the young people involved.

15th–21st Thank God for the Motus dancers who became Christians at Soul Survivor and pray that they would develop their faith over the coming months.Please pray for our Trustees – Dan Jones, John Lawton, Jerry Parr, Kathy Beadle, Louise Cripps, Jeremy Steeds, David Chambers, Rachel Ringham-Allen – for wisdom in their role. Also, for the Council of Reference.

22nd-30th Pray for thriving relationships between Bath YFC and local churches as we seek to work together to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the young people of this city. For staff members – James, Dave, Kat, Sam, Sam, James R, Chris, Naomi, Lisa – that they continue to find favour in all they do, and experience success.

October: Youth Work >1st-7th Pray for the work in the 3 city centre churches with which Bath YFC has

partnered and for the programme that Richard has put together for the young people of these congregations.

8th-15th Please pray for Motus as Sam takes maternity leave. Pray for Chris as he takes over the leadership of the project for the year, for the ‘guest’ teachers and for the continuing growth of the dancers including any new members.

16th–22nd Pray for the Youth Homelessness Project – for the Night Stop project and a clear way forward for establishing a home. Pray especially for Kat in her role leading this project.

23rd-31st Thank God for the work in Southdown, how it has grown over the last year and pray for increased impact in this community.

Prayer Focus

Over the last four months we have focussed on sharing the vision of ‘Plant House’ to a wide audience. I’ve met lots of great people, and conversations have resulted in some exciting opportunities. We have identified potential partnerships with organisations such as Focus Counselling and Mentoring Plus, who could provide

support for young people living at Plant House; as well as a potential means of securing a property! A steering group has been established, including members of the Council’s housing team and CURO housing association. In addition, our work with YMCA to set up a Night Stop in Bath, providing temporary accommodation in the host homes across the county, continues. We are awaiting news on a funding bid that will enable us to employ a full time lead worker to launch the project from January 2017. We are grateful for the support

received so far and we will be writing in the near future with details of how you can back this initiative.

Kat Lazenby

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Youth Homelessness Update

November: Schools >1st-7th For Accompanying in St Philip’s, Roundhill Primary, St Saviour’s and

Batheaston. Pray for the discussion group at St Gregory’s that this would be a place where the young people can develop their faith.

8th-14th Bath Community Academy – for the after school football club, mentoring and assemblies. Thank God for the opportunity to take Life Academy into Hayesfield School again and pray that the girls would find the course helpful in their relationships.

15th–21st For ‘Prayer Space’ in Hayesfield & Ralph Allen – that Katie would have a clear vision for the role of this initiative and how it can best meet the needs of students. For continued favour and more opportunities to work in schools.

22nd-30th For work in the East side of Bath – Breakfast club & mentoring in St Mark’s, Accompanying in primary schools and the Bathford Youth Group.

Here, Naomi shares her testimony of joining Bath YFC as an intern for the coming year:

I am 20 years old and live in Westfield near Radstock. I attend church at St Philips and St James in Odd Down. I have been working as a support worker at Cleeve Court in Twerton, but have always wanted to work with young people. This opportunity to join

Bath YFC as an intern and to train as a level 3 Youth Worker has been made possible through grant funding. I am really passionate about helping young people and helping them be the best they can be. I know there will be some challenges along the way, but with God I’m sure to get through them and come out the other side stronger. I am very excited about this new adventure.

In the busy schedule of the last couple of weeks of the school year, staff took a couple of days out in a remote corner of Herefordshire, surrounded by beautiful countryside. This time away gave space to reflect on the past year, look ahead to the next and

just spend time together. We gathered wood for a bonfire, went for walks, relaxed in the house and ATE lots! All agreed that this ‘down time’ was very helpful

in refocussing our minds

on what our work is all

about as well as having fun

together outside of the

work environment.

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New Intern – Naomi Peachey

Staff Retreat

Katie Duncan was privileged to be invited to join the Youth Group of St Andrew’s church for their summer camp in Cornwall, held at Ashbury Hotel. The site offered a wide range of great activities, including tennis, basketball, volleyball, a swimming pool and hydro-pool. The young people took full advantage of the use of the pool on the first day and still had enough energy for a 6-aside football match!

Day 2 started off with a 7:15am alarm for breakfast, which the young people found a little challenging. A trip to Polzeath beach gave the opportunity for a quick surf lesson from Rob, one of the leaders, and then an opportunity to put some of the learnt ‘skills’ to the test. Everyone really enjoyed this

time and all were pretty tired on the way back to the hotel.

Day 3 started with some time on site followed by a visit to the twinned hotel to see what they had to offer. A swim and a few rounds of crazy golf did the job! All the activity left many of the young people in need of some relaxing time.

On Day 4, after breakfast, the group headed back to Bath. Katie says ‘it was great to be able to spend time with these young people and to be able to enjoy doing so many different sporting activities with them. I’ve discovered a new love for Badminton!’

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St Andrews’ Church Youth Camp

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In the middle of August, Dan and James took 4 lads - Alex, Ben, Dan and David - on an adventure to the Brecon Beacons. They spent 3 days and 2 nights walking, camping, eating and exploring their walk with God. ‘The Quest’ – a youth camp with a difference - intentionally has no real “programme”, but aims to

create space in

the usual busyness of life to allow God to speak to us in what

may be different ways. The lads are linked with Dan’s Youth Stream discipleship group and the Pulse monthly worship event, so good relationships were already in place and they were really open to talk about their faith, and encounter God.

For Ben, it was a powerful time of connecting with God and growing in his friendships with the others: “The Quest was not only about growing stronger in our friendships but also exploring a kind of worship that is not often talked about. For this adventure, our way of worshipping was about experiencing more of God's creation while going deeper into His word (Psalm 23) and experiencing things that differ from our usual day to day grind. This time away allowed me to take time to experience more of

what God offers us while also developing intimacy with Him. The Quest opened up a “new” way of worship to me which turned out to be something strangely natural, yet almost alien to what I see in my current culture of Christian worship and praise.”

The campsite we used had a stream running through it and we were able to use this as a sacred place for prayer, thought and biblical reflection during the three days. After the first night one boy, talking to another in the group was overheard to say “That was amazing, I have never done anything like that!”

If you are interested in the Quest you can find out more at www.bathyfc.co.uk/thequest/

During the summer term, YFC ran the Life Academy course for the first time in Hayesfield School. At the start, the girls each signed a pledge to be honest and to value the opinion of others even when different than their own.

Each week focused on a different aspect/theme of healthy relationships. We talked about things that can make them unhealthy, for example drugs and alcohol, and they were very aware of the effects that such things can have on people and the choices they make. It was so great to be able to journey with these girls and have the safety to be able to talk about topics that may be seen as taboo.

The girls were all given

a copy of ‘Cherished’, by Rachel Gardener (author of Romance Academy), a resource to help teenage girls grapple with some of the pressures they face. It places emphasis on the fact that they are loved by God, using the bible as a reference point. In the final session we used the ‘cardboard confessions’ activity to help the girls to reflect on their personal journeys and the changes that had happened as a result of Life Academy. We are very excited to be running this course 3 times

in Hayesfield in the coming academic year.

As well as our commitment in Hayesfield this year, we will be running the Life Academy course at All Saints Church, Weston after Christmas. If you know of a young person who may be interested in the programme, please ask them to contact Dave Joyce on 07977 266024, or email him – dave@bathyfc.co.uk

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Life Academy

Life Academy course at All Saints Church

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