Hello church
At the beginning of this new year, we’ve been thinking and praying lots about the year ahead, so I look forward to filling you in on all the plans for all things youth ministry at SBC!
We have just started a new series in Rooted, entitled ‘The Tough Stuff’. After we have spent some time talking with the young people, finding out what it is they want to discuss and explore together, we feel there is a need to talk about some of the big topics which include life and death, looking at the book of Revelation, Christian ethics and values and current world issues such as war and conflict. Please do pray for the young people as they attend on Sundays, and throughout the week – that having these conversations will encourage them to keep growing in their journey of faith.
We have also started something new, where on a Sunday, once a month (on communion Sundays) it will be ‘Youth Serve Sunday’. This is where there will be no Rooted session, and instead we will encourage the young people to get involved with serving in some way – whether that be helping on tech team, doing the reading or prayers, serving tea and coffee after church… lots of different opportunities! The aim for this is to encourage the young people with their confidence, and by learning new skills. We also pray that it will help them know how much of a vital role they play in the church family.
We also have our LIFE Youth group which takes place every other Thursday night at SBC, and we will be exploring a new seven-session course, called ‘Difference’. This course looks at the injustices we see in the world around us, and it aims to equip, encourage and help young people to think about these issues, and how they can respond to them from a Christian perspective. These sessions have been created in a really interactive and engaging way, which includes videos, games, activities and personal reflections.
We also have some exciting events coming up in the next few months. In February half term, Kathryn and I will be running a trip to The British Museum in London. We will also be running an SBC Youth pancake event in February half term, here at SBC. In the past, we’ve always had a really great time as a group baking/cooking together, so this is something we’d like to implement more into the social aspects of the youth programme.
In this new year, I am continuing to go into schools. Thursday mornings I am continuing with mentoring at Quest Academy, and every other Friday morning, I lead the year 9 assembly at Tenison’s. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to serve these local schools. Thank you all so much for your continued support, whether that be through volunteering or through prayer, it never goes unnoticed. God bless you all. Katie