Last month I mentioned that there had been a meeting to examine the impact of the clash between young people’s sporting activities and church activities. The meeting was open and honest throughout and came to the conclusion that a new provision might be good for families and other affected parties. If you have not seen the notes from the meeting and would like to find out what we spoke about then do please let me know. In addition, we decided to set up a small team to organise the first 2 or 3 monthly sessions. I am still looking for a couple of people to join this group. If you are interested, or would like to know more as we seek to start this exciting ‘fresh expression’ of church then do please let me know – anyone is welcome!
Monday Night Club have been making the most of the nice weather that we have been having. After the leaders had enjoyed a restful Bank Holiday, we played a treasure hunt-themed game on the Wheatsheaf, with teams hiding coloured straws and then finding those of the other teams. This was followed by an evening on nature led by Andrea. The children planted sunflowers in their own homemade pots. They also were challenged to sit outside in silence for five minutes, whilst making a ‘sound map’ – a diagram of all that they could hear, with each sound represented by a picture.
Friday Night Club are never bored. Their month started with a challenge to bake their own chocolate chip cookies without any help from the leaders. They did very well, producing tasty results and a tidy hall! The highlight was the mega-cookie created by the group who’d made the dough but considered splitting it into small balls too much like hard work… The next week saw a treasure hunt on the Wheatsheaf. The week before half term saw a trip to the ever-popular Laserquest in Woking. The leaders were even nice enough to let some of the young people win! Half term didn’t even see a break this term as a number of the group joined the trip to Thorpe Park for a day of sunburn, rain and scary rides.
The Max started their term with a graffiti-style painting session, updating their Kabin decorations. After complaints that week about missing out on FNC’s cookies, which they’d smelled, they too baked cookies the following week, with varying results. The next two weeks saw games and activities, both in the church and the park. A new game, signs, is taking on cult-status. In addition, a new initiative to mix The Max with Youth Club during their overlap time appears to be going well. This is taking place on some evenings in anticipation of the two groups joining together in September.
Youth Club continues to provide a haven from revision for a number of stressed teens. We are enjoying chilled out evenings of XBox, table tennis, bar billiards and a new favourite: non-stop cricket.
Maths Group has now finished for the year as the young people concerned are taking their final maths exams of the season this week. It’s been great to spend time helping the young people, as well as getting to know them better. I wish them all luck with all their exams and want to particularly thank my helpers with this group: Nicola McLean, Lisa Barrott, Sue Tozer and Naomi Nelson.
Sunday Night Group continued to think about their chosen charity for the year as they watched a DVD about the work of Chernobyl Children’s LifeLine, showing a facility that the charity sends a number of children to for recuperative care in a part of Belarus unaffected by the Chernobyl disaster. The next week saw a trip to the park for relaxation in the midst of a stressful exam period. Fun and games were followed by conversations about exams. We also bid farewell to one of our members, John, as he moved to Preston with his family.
YPF summed up the long-running Fruits of the Spirit topic by creating posters for the Kabin wall and thinking about which Fruit they would like to have more of. This was followed with a study of the story which will be central to the Junior Church Celebration service on June 22nd, which they will be preparing for in the coming weeks.
This month should not be too busy, but does involve preparation for two important dates. The whole of the Junior Church will be practicing for the Junior Church Celebration service on June 22nd at 10.30am. This service is a favourite of the children and will feature them in roles including acting, playing musical instruments and leading the service.
The other service that we will be preparing this month will be the Youth Service to be led by the members of Sunday Night Group on the evening of July 13th. I’d love to see as many as possible at the service to support the young people who will be developing the whole service themselves.
Some will know of the recent tragedy to affect Woking High. A year 9 (age 13) girl, named Lorna, died suddenly of Cystic Fibrosis a few weeks ago. Her funeral was on the last Friday of last half term, for which the school closed allowing anyone who chose to go to the service. She was a prominent member of the wind band, a group that contains many of the members of FNC and The Max. We continue to pray for her family and friends in the groups and invite you to join us. Please also pray for those who talk to those affected: teachers, school counsellors and youth workers.
Please continue to pray for the young people of our church and youth clubs facing GCSEs, AS and A-Levels and other important exams.
A few valued helpers have mentioned to me that they are planning to step aside from the youth work after the summer. If you think that you would be able to offer to help in any way with all that goes on at Trinity then do please let me know and I will find the best place for you to join in. There are places for those who would like to help on a monthly or half-termly basis, those who’d like to help more regularly and for those who’d like to offer to share a skill or interest with a group on a one-off basis. Many thanks.
That’s the lot for this month. If you have any questions, queries, suggestions or feedback then do please reply to this message. I’d be glad to hear from you.