Latest News

We would love to share with you the work that we are doing, and there are a few ways for you to stay updated.

One is to read our termly Newsletter. You can pick up a paper copy, or subscribe to the e-mailing list.

Alternatively, check out Beth’s ramblings on this page.

Thursday 26th April 2018
Summer Term
The start of this year has been so jam-packed with STUFF that I forgot to keep everyone updated on this page!

I have just published the Summer newsletter, which has all the information about last term that you could ever possibly want. Check it out: Prayer and News Summer 18

This term is off to a good start- the sun has finally come out which I am very happy about!
I am also very much enjoying CU so far. I love all the groups, but CU are looking at the story of Moses bringing the Israelites out of Egypt in the book of Exodus and it is a wild story! So many points and life lessons to draw out of it, the biggest one being, perhaps, that God still uses Moses despite his doubts and his mistakes.

Love it.

I shall leave you with a verse from a chapter that keeps coming up:

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
-Hebrews 11:1

Bring on the last term.

Friday 22nd December 2017
End of term
Well, what a term is has been! Full of laughter, silly games, and lots and lots of Jesus.

A summary:

  • Big Questions is going well! We are situated in the middle of the sixth form cafeteria which gets less and elss daunting for me as time goes on. The group are enthusiastic and I’m looking forward to some exciting debates in the new year.
  • Christian Union is still a bit quiet. Please pray for growth, growth, and more growth, especially as we prepare for a week of assemblies together at the end of next term!
  • Thanks to EVERYONE who attended our AGM last month, it was a wonderful occasion and you’re all brilliant.
  • I’ve had a lot of fun helping out with the Label of Love team at some RE:Action days. Please pray for strength and direction for them in the new year.
  • I did some South Hunsley assemblies on own for the first time; it was GREAT. It was a pleasure to witness a year 8 win an award for being courteous, too- Well done!!
  • My youth group are moving to a new venue in the new year, massive thanks to St Helen’s Church for allowing us to use the building.
  • Beer and Carols at The Red Hawk was a hit, regardless of the traffic!
  • The term ended with helping Santa hand out chocolates to students at South Hunsley during lunch time.

Phew! Time for a nap.

Thankyou for all your support this term, it is invaluable.

Merry Christmas!

Santa and Beth at South Hunsley

 

Wednesday 18th October 2017
The value of rest
Well, here we are almost at the half term holidays, and what a half term it has been! Things have been mad. Youth group is back in full swing; CU is picking up, and the ball is just beginning to roll with Big Questions. Doing this with basically two years of Gap Year work behind me, I am learning an awful lot! Perhaps the most valuable lesson so far, though, has been to rest.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up that nasty cold that’s going around. Gross. While it was rubbish and I had to cancel a lot of groups that week, it pretty much forced me to stay in bed for two days.

I’m generally a busy person. I’m always doing something to occupy my mind and honestly can’t handle doing “nothing” for any more than 5 minutes (but I’m certain my parents would tell you something different). When I do so much, though, it gets more difficult for me to see the bigger picture. I end up with tunnel vision, or a one-track-mind, only focusing on one session, rather the rest of the group and what we’re leading up to.

But, God likes to teach us things sometimes, and he used this cold to teach me the value of rest- something I am pretty bad at. While lying in bed staring at the ceiling, I realised that I had done so much that I hadn’t taken the time to step back and evaluate how things are actually going. I noticed I was a little stressed (which I am no longer!) and I did some valuable self-care once I felt a little better. It also allowed me to spend a lot of time with God, which is completely vital to everything we do!!

It wasn’t just about physical rest, though. This time with God allowed my head to clear and helped me to find peace (again, something I’m not very good at).

It doesn’t mean that I’ve been less busy since feeling better. In truth, I haven’t!  I have, however, made a conscious effort to rest and recharge in the midst of everything else.

I’ve discovered walking as a good way to recharge, so here’s a picture of an awesome sunset from my favourite walking destination the other night:

 

Sunday 1st October 2017
Well, what an interesting/exciting/exhausting few weeks. Here’s to the nap I have planned for this afternoon! What are Sunday afternoons for, eh?

A quick update:

  • The Newsletter has been printed and is safely being stored. This time we have gone for an adorable, pocket-sized newsletter, and have reduced the measurements so that it is more portable! In other words; I accidentally ordered the wrong size, so they are smaller than intended, but cute, all the same. These should be distributed to churches soon, so be sure to pick up a copy when you spot them! #tinynews
  • Christian Union is off to a flying start! Good to see some of our regulars again.
  • Big Questions had a quiet week this week. The two sessions that were planned as “icebreakers” ended up involving myself and a clergy member handing out free biscuits to the sixth formers in the common room. This wasn’t necessarily what I hoped for, but we had good conversations with many of the students, and some even ventured into the room to leave a question as per my request. Perhaps the ice has been broken? Pretty sure God knows what He’s doing! Please pray for fruit in the coming weeks.
  • Youth group is going swimmingly and our new members are settling in fabulously (hooray!)
  • It is good to be back doing assemblies with one of the local primary schools.

In short; I need a bit of sleep, but things are going well!

I always appreciate your support, bless you.

 

Wednesday 6th September 2017
The new year is certainly off to a busy start! I’ve only officially been working since Friday. but I feel like it has been much longer. Good thing or bad thing? Who knows, but I’m well-prepared for the new year and I got a two-hour nap on Sunday afternoon so that makes everything better.

A few things to mention today;
– Christian Union will definitely begin next Wednesday! This is exciting!!
– Prayer and News Autumn 2017 is in production as we speak! Watch out for that being introduced into churches over the next couple of weeks.

Here are the prayer requests from the newsletter in advance so if you do support us through prayer, you know what’s going on;
– Growth: That the Christian Union, in particular, would grow in numbers and be a welcoming space for more students.
– Big Questions: That the group would be launched successfully (and that my excitement is justified!) and students feel free to share their ideas in a safe space.
– Settling in: That any new young people we encounter settle in well and are interested in coming back for more of what we have to offer. Also that I find my footing in my new role as Schools Worker!
– Direction: The trustees in the upcoming meetings and AGM as they discuss the future direction for the trust.

Thankyou for your support, I am very excited for the year ahead! If anybody feels they could give me a hand at any point, that would be brilliant, just get in touch via the Contact page!

Here is a dog video that I discovered over the summer and loved a lot;