Currently trying to develop a policy for using Social networking as a youth work tool, thinking about issues of the balance between meeting young people where they are and endorsing the use of particular networks, how much time? Can you measure the impact? I tend to work to a personal policy of I don’t add young people, I let them know I am there and will accept friendship invites from them but I don’t invite them myself. Do you have a policy? If so can I see a copy please, if you don’t but are working on similar things can we share ideas? If you weren’t even thinking about it but you’ve suddenly thought “if I were to produce some sort of policy I would include this” please share your ideas.
Many thanks
Simo

written by Simo

One of the churches in the Vale is going to be running a training session on running Family Worship, the evening will be Wednesday 2nd July, if you would like further details please contact me.

written by Simo

Vcashpiont are offering grants of up to £2500 for people aged between 16 & 25 to start a volunteer project in their local communities. The projects need to be run by young people and for young people, applications are from individuals but for projects that will involve both that person and at least three other young volunteers in helping their community, interested or no anybody that might be?
Check out www.vinspired.com to find out more.

written by Simo

Just received this video on Facebook (thanks to Carol), it is something that is encouraging the church to get back to the heart of Worship, reminding us that worship is for God and not for us, thought you might find it interesting/useful.
Enjoy.

written by Simo

If your visiting having read ground level, the profile page in Youthwork Magazine then a very big welcome to you.
Regular readers may remember that a while ago I talked about putting up a video tour of the bus, well I have finally done it, as part of the preparations to put it on the market, so if you want to see it inside and out please click below.

written by Simo

well almost… I have been asked to write a case study on the bus project for Youthwork Magazine and submitted my article at the beginning of this week. I think it should be in the next issue (which I guess is due out in three weeks or so guessing from when I got my last issue). Although mostly focused on the bus and only short I have tried to relate it to rural youth ministry as much as I can as well. I am looking forward to having a copy in my hands and I’m sure I’ll put a note up here when I finally see it in print.

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Last week we had the APCM at church, I had been waiting for this before I felt I could say too much about my thinking on the blog, but now the info is out with that annual report it all become a little easer as it is out there in the public domain anyway.

When I first arrived in Faringdon I was on a three year contract which was then extended for a further two years, this takes my contract until end of July 2009 but for the last year or so I have started thinking about what is next for me. Come that date next year I will have been in full time Church based Youth Ministry for 10 years (all bar a month) and I feel that perhaps I should be heading in a slightly different direction. As many of you probably know I feel passionately about Youth Work in rural churches, I have been frustrated by the focus on Urban Priority areas, not because I begrudge a focus on them but because I have been aware of a need in rural areas that seams to have been overlooked. (There is also a slight sense of irony here as the rural population of Britain is growing faster that any other!)

So I have had this vision for several years to set up a charity (called Not Ashamed, based on Romans 1:16 (I love that verse!) hence my owning the domain notashamed.co.uk) to ‘encourage, enable and equip good quality Youth Work in and through rural Churches’.

At Soul Survivor last year I went to a seminar by Bishop Graham & Jackie Cray called Getting Collard, obviously about ordination, this is again an idea that has been with me for quite some time, and something that had been suggested when thinking and talking about my vision as well. This has started much thinking and praying and as a result I feel I am being called to ordained ministry and that somehow this fits with the Vision, I don’t know how it all fits together, but I truly believe this is where God is calling me at the moment. As a part of this process I have an appointment with the DDO (Diocesan Director of Ordinands) on the 23^rd May to help start the process of exploring this calling.

At the same time as all this I am also looking around at what other jobs are around, I don’t know about you but it seams to me there is no one place to look for jobs in youth ministry, there seam to be several and not one that has all

I thought it might be helpful to have a list of places to look for ministry jobs and so at the bottom of this post is what I have got so far and I am sure there are several I have missed, especially any outside of the Anglican church, if you know of others please let me know and I’ll add them.

In the mean time I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers as I look to what the future holds for me and my family.

job search monitor

church of England newspaper

churchtimes

cross rhythms

written by Simo

Had a couple of days away on retreat this week, depth was organised by our Diocesan youth & Children’s advisers. We were just 4 miles down the road from home which made it convenient, just 13 of us there (plus the two leaders) but this was really good as we had a chance to chat to everyone and felt you got to know everyone a bit, as well as having the opportunity to catch up with good friends. The two days were a good mix of input (which was optional) and space to think, reflect, chat, read & pray. It was fantastic and very thought provoking and challenging but in a really good helpful way. The time was spent reflecting upon how things around us, our culture, is changing and looking at how we as youth and children’s work practitioners respond to that in our lives and ministry. Of course there were some really deep questions that were raised like were there fish on the ark? And as for the prayer shack, we established that it is 15 miles down the road from a faded sign!

Thank you to Ian and Yvonne and doing all the work in putting the event on, the team at windmill Farm for their hospitality and fantastic food, the belt is now one hole looser!  And to everyone else who was there and part of it for being just that!

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Thanks to those of you that made the call, I have just heard that Project Inspire won it’s bid , although the info I gave before was not quite correct, they have won a grant of £90,000 and this will enable them to get going with the project and will make a huge difference to both the village community and those around the area, well done to Fernaham and Project Inspire, I look forward to visiting St John’s and seeing what it’s like after the work has been done.

written by Simo

Project inspire (click to find out more) is a project in a local Village of Fernham to help convert the church into a dual purpose building, both church and community centre, it is a village with very few facilities and a church that needed much work doing on it and it was felt that it would be good to make it a building that could be used for the whole community, it will be a place of Christian worship but also a place where young can have a youth club, the elderly can do what they do? This is a very important project and is really about putting the church back at the centre of the community, it being a place that can be used as it would have been when it was first built hundreds of years ago. Of course a project like this costs thousands of pounds, but you can help make a significant difference for just 10p! Today on the Peoples Millions Project Inspire is up for a grant of around £80,000 but they only get it if people vote for it. The phone lines are open this evening although specific times won’t be announced until the 6 o’clock local ITV news. Please, please, please would you call 08702 433 202 to vote for this project, it is one of the villages that I cover (although I don’t actually run anything there at the moment) and it would make a huge difference to this church and the great work which it’s already doing in the community. Calls cost a maximum of 10p and you can call up to 10 times from any one number, so please call as many times as possible, from as many lines as possible, and get your friends and family on it too!

Many thanks,

written by Simo