So we come to the end of another week of Prayer for Youth meetings, each evening in each of the four parishes I cover. Been a great week getting to grips with some of the issues we're facing, from illness to spiritual apathy, and standing beside younger brothers and sisters to seeing exciting developments with Engage, our new Bible reading club. It's also been a useful week to catch up on some news I've been out of touch with around the parishes, such as one or two groups struggling to find leaders, or getting low in numbers, to desperate situations with individuals facing life's toughness.
A few primary assemblies to pad the days out, and managed to get quite a bit done for the SU Staff Conference which I'm part of the planning team for, and leading a couple of sessions at. But having every evening out this week, my employers will also be very pleased to hear that on a couple of afternoons this week I have found time to make the most of the good weather and go and spend time in my heavily overgrown garden!
Our secound Engage club met yesterday lunch time, with a couple of new faces, and everyone, although not finding it easy, still enjoying and committing to the next six week of Bible meditation together. Great to see so many young people wanting to go deeper and it's a mutual benefit. Lunch today also saw our second planing meeting for Alltnacriche with 3 out of the 4 young people on the planning group turning up. Allowed us to make some progress thinking about the teaching program and a few ideas that were thrown up for the next meeting...
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Very Engaging
After a few days holiday (no email, no planning, no worries!) getting back into things can sometimes be a little slow. Good trip to Applecross for their monthly assembly on Monday, and whilst we take whatever is given us, it is so relieving to have a good bit of dry and clear weather. So, good to catch up with 10 kids in the school and crack on with the series from Jesus Kids Club; one more to go.
Tuesday was one of theose days when focusing the mind was hard going all day. Sometimes when I have fifteen diffetrent things to going on to think about, attending to one is really hard without the other fourteen distracting me. Deep breath and get on with the task in had, which yesterday was SoundWaves. Perhaps as a result of that, and technical issues with the PowerPoints, it lead to completely manic hour and a half, but lots of fun and we were still smiling at the end. Just one of those nights when I was glad to make it to the ened, though the 20 or so lively kids seemed to have a good time.
Back into the 60 Second Club yesterday with plenty of kids to split into two groups for our time of prayer. Then the relaunch of Engage, this time at lunch time for about half and hour. We thank God for His provision of Selwyn Hughes notes on mediation, which last for six weeks. Fell into my hands at just the right moment to relaunch the club, with exactly six weeks left of term. An answer to prayer. Good times to, as 10 of us have committed to helping one another through the daily readings and meditations between now and Christmas.
As well as some time spent preparing some notes for Engage, a visit to our Headteacher with his freshly broken leg, and quite a bit of time praying and thinking through some of those other events crowding for my attention, I know I'm back at work, but glad to be here.
Tuesday was one of theose days when focusing the mind was hard going all day. Sometimes when I have fifteen diffetrent things to going on to think about, attending to one is really hard without the other fourteen distracting me. Deep breath and get on with the task in had, which yesterday was SoundWaves. Perhaps as a result of that, and technical issues with the PowerPoints, it lead to completely manic hour and a half, but lots of fun and we were still smiling at the end. Just one of those nights when I was glad to make it to the ened, though the 20 or so lively kids seemed to have a good time.
Back into the 60 Second Club yesterday with plenty of kids to split into two groups for our time of prayer. Then the relaunch of Engage, this time at lunch time for about half and hour. We thank God for His provision of Selwyn Hughes notes on mediation, which last for six weeks. Fell into my hands at just the right moment to relaunch the club, with exactly six weeks left of term. An answer to prayer. Good times to, as 10 of us have committed to helping one another through the daily readings and meditations between now and Christmas.
As well as some time spent preparing some notes for Engage, a visit to our Headteacher with his freshly broken leg, and quite a bit of time praying and thinking through some of those other events crowding for my attention, I know I'm back at work, but glad to be here.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Rome to Kyleakin
Ocotber seems to have been a busier onth than usual. I'm used to having time off during the October break which didn't happen this year, but was good to be on top of the prep for this year's S6 Conference ahead of time, especially as no one else was available to plan it this year.
So, another successful trip to Rome with 20 Plockton students. Always good to have a bit oif good weather at this time of year, and after six weeks of rain at home, a welcome relief. Every year is different, and although I think this was the first year we didn't discover anything new, it's the differences in the groups that make each trip unique. We just about know what we're doing now and our way around the city, and everything went very smoothly. Perhaps it's a little too easy to forget what we're caled for sometimes, but this was another year of exciting opportunity to demonstrate something of Jesus to the kids, and we pray that doors will open for the year ahead now, as we minister into people's lives.
Two weeks back in the office gave me a much needed break,, and time to get to grips with some papers on morality, in prepapration for the S6 conference. Lots of reading, which I find struggle with, but thanks to the BBC for their recent program on the Science of Good and Evil, which gave us a really helpful basis for discussions.. So once schools went back, and 60 Second Club restarted, Thursday last week brought us the conference. Great to welcome to the team this year the new priest from Portree, Fr. William MacLean, as well as Colin from SU and Tom, his year out student. Most exciting for me was to share the work, not only with the usual team of local ministers, but also with Graham Patey, a friend from years back when I was teenager. Graham had a significant input into my spiritual development and has the gift of being able to ask just the right questions to get people thinking. I knew he would be ideal for the day and his objective perspective, coming cold into the school, gave me an added insight into one or two of the students which I am praying for as a consequence.
So a really good year group, well up for discussing and sharing their point of view, which made the day really successful. I also had the chance of furthering one or two oncversations as a result on the Friday in Rab's room, as I left Graham to visit the maths department (his daytime job!). Dave's Club gave us the chance to discuss the future of Engage, and it looks like folk are happy to take the Bible reading into Wednesday lunch times, freeing up break times for the usual weekly time of prayer. Still looking for wisdom on how best to run that, but that's for next week now.
Friday Nights had a great turn out, including a new face and two or three who rarely come. Phew. And a fitting conclusion to the month was the excellent joint communion, with about 200 people attending Kyleakin Village Hall as most local churches deferred their evening service to this joint event. A day in Inverness with SU colleagues yesterdaqy, then straight on to a SoundWaves team Bible study... meetngs today and tomorrow is holiday. Be nice to breathe a moment.
So, another successful trip to Rome with 20 Plockton students. Always good to have a bit oif good weather at this time of year, and after six weeks of rain at home, a welcome relief. Every year is different, and although I think this was the first year we didn't discover anything new, it's the differences in the groups that make each trip unique. We just about know what we're doing now and our way around the city, and everything went very smoothly. Perhaps it's a little too easy to forget what we're caled for sometimes, but this was another year of exciting opportunity to demonstrate something of Jesus to the kids, and we pray that doors will open for the year ahead now, as we minister into people's lives.
Two weeks back in the office gave me a much needed break,, and time to get to grips with some papers on morality, in prepapration for the S6 conference. Lots of reading, which I find struggle with, but thanks to the BBC for their recent program on the Science of Good and Evil, which gave us a really helpful basis for discussions.. So once schools went back, and 60 Second Club restarted, Thursday last week brought us the conference. Great to welcome to the team this year the new priest from Portree, Fr. William MacLean, as well as Colin from SU and Tom, his year out student. Most exciting for me was to share the work, not only with the usual team of local ministers, but also with Graham Patey, a friend from years back when I was teenager. Graham had a significant input into my spiritual development and has the gift of being able to ask just the right questions to get people thinking. I knew he would be ideal for the day and his objective perspective, coming cold into the school, gave me an added insight into one or two of the students which I am praying for as a consequence.
So a really good year group, well up for discussing and sharing their point of view, which made the day really successful. I also had the chance of furthering one or two oncversations as a result on the Friday in Rab's room, as I left Graham to visit the maths department (his daytime job!). Dave's Club gave us the chance to discuss the future of Engage, and it looks like folk are happy to take the Bible reading into Wednesday lunch times, freeing up break times for the usual weekly time of prayer. Still looking for wisdom on how best to run that, but that's for next week now.
Friday Nights had a great turn out, including a new face and two or three who rarely come. Phew. And a fitting conclusion to the month was the excellent joint communion, with about 200 people attending Kyleakin Village Hall as most local churches deferred their evening service to this joint event. A day in Inverness with SU colleagues yesterdaqy, then straight on to a SoundWaves team Bible study... meetngs today and tomorrow is holiday. Be nice to breathe a moment.
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