October 26, 2009 youth From Dusk 'Til Dawn – Youth Evangelism in Action It was a good night – 17 young people came together to watch movies, eat massive amounts of food, play on the big screen Wii and share a good time. Most couldn’t last the whole night, although some managed. Thanks to the support of Steven and Chris, Emma and Lou we watched 5 films in all: Finding Nemo The Matrix Groundhog Day Chocolat Slumdog Millionaire We were grateful for the contributions from Basil, Dave, Alison & Tony and Julie who provided a vast quantity of delicious food. It was not outright or outrageous evangelism. We did not seek to thrust Jesus down their throats, and it was very much the desire of the Sundays group to provide an engagement without that sickly kind of forced-evangelism that makes most youthwork look a bit silly, really. It was, perhaps, a little more subtle than that. It was interesting to note that although the YEF was conceived as evangelism by young people for young people, they did not have the time (A Levels and GCSEs loom) to really organise it, and they looked to adults to make their vision happen. It can’t really work in the organic way the YEF envision it when young people have to do the leg work themselves. Did they leave with souls saved? Probably not. I apologise to those who only expect these things to be spun as outrageous success, but this was not intended to make little Christians. It was aimed at pointing towards something greater, to share stories and to begin a journey of faith which might well take these young people a lifetime to complete. God is the missioner, we are his tools. A thoroughly good time was had by all. God be praised! It was worth going without sleep. Pray that it will spark something in the hearts of these young people. (no pictures because of consent issues, sorry – you’ll just have to imagine beanbags, big screen and a thick coating of popcorn on the Nave floor!) By spr
6 Comments teachermum Posted on 9:36 am - October 27, 2009 It is so nuice to see someone understand the long termnature of this. I have done loads of youth work, few obvious conversions, many lives better led and yes, people going to church now twenty and thirty years later as a result of a number of us interested in them. At the church of my youth (Wimborne Monster if any know it) we didn’t go in for the spectacular conversions of other local churches, but many lives well lived and few who found a way to Christ have drifted. We shoulod never hunt souls like they are a fox. I now teach at a sixth form college where I work with teens. Some would say as nobody is converted that this is not Kingdom work or whatever the current phrase is. However when up in Cambridge at a debating final a previoud debater told me all about his drug use and previously chaotic life and now his happy life at Cambridge (off poor GCSEs for obvious reasons) and said “You literally change the world”. I had read in a Lent book about Vincent de paul and his little red dots and I realised they are my little red dots. All the teenagers I have worked with over the years faithfully as teacher or youth leader, from when I was little older than them. I have not been “rewarded” with obvious expressions of turning to Christ or whatever but lives can be subtelly changed when I let God work as you did and seeds of something longlasting and worthwhile rather than a rapidly made and rapidly forgotten converstion are laid. We may never see the results fo course. Bless you in what you do. It is so important. Reply teachermum Posted on 9:36 am - October 27, 2009 It is so nuice to see someone understand the long termnature of this. I have done loads of youth work, few obvious conversions, many lives better led and yes, people going to church now twenty and thirty years later as a result of a number of us interested in them. At the church of my youth (Wimborne Monster if any know it) we didn’t go in for the spectacular conversions of other local churches, but many lives well lived and few who found a way to Christ have drifted. We shoulod never hunt souls like they are a fox. I now teach at a sixth form college where I work with teens. Some would say as nobody is converted that this is not Kingdom work or whatever the current phrase is. However when up in Cambridge at a debating final a previoud debater told me all about his drug use and previously chaotic life and now his happy life at Cambridge (off poor GCSEs for obvious reasons) and said “You literally change the world”. I had read in a Lent book about Vincent de paul and his little red dots and I realised they are my little red dots. All the teenagers I have worked with over the years faithfully as teacher or youth leader, from when I was little older than them. I have not been “rewarded” with obvious expressions of turning to Christ or whatever but lives can be subtelly changed when I let God work as you did and seeds of something longlasting and worthwhile rather than a rapidly made and rapidly forgotten converstion are laid. We may never see the results fo course. Bless you in what you do. It is so important. Reply teachermum Posted on 9:40 am - October 27, 2009 It is so nice to see someone understand the long term nature of this. I have done loads of youth work, few obvious conversions, many lives better led and yes, people going to church now twenty and thirty years later as a result of a number of us interested in them. At the church of my youth (Wimborne Monster if any know it) we didn’t go in for the spectacular conversions of other local churches, but many lives well lived and few who found a way to Christ have drifted. We should never hunt souls like they are a fox. I now teach at a sixth form college where I work with teens. Some would say as nobody is converted that this is not Kingdom work or whatever the current phrase is. However when up in Cambridge at a debating final a previous debater told me all about his drug use and previously chaotic life and now his happy life at Cambridge (off poor GCSEs for obvious reasons) and said “You literally change the world”. I had read in a Lent book about Vincent de paul and his little red dots and I realised they are my little red dots. All the teenagers I have worked with over the years faithfully as teacher or youth leader, from when I was little older than them. I have not been “rewarded” with obvious expressions of turning to Christ or whatever but lives can be subtelly changed when I let God work as you did and seeds of something longlasting and worthwhile rather than a rapidly made and rapidly forgotten converstion are laid. We may never see the results fo course. Bless you in what you do. It is so important. Reply teachermum Posted on 9:40 am - October 27, 2009 It is so nice to see someone understand the long term nature of this. I have done loads of youth work, few obvious conversions, many lives better led and yes, people going to church now twenty and thirty years later as a result of a number of us interested in them. At the church of my youth (Wimborne Monster if any know it) we didn’t go in for the spectacular conversions of other local churches, but many lives well lived and few who found a way to Christ have drifted. We should never hunt souls like they are a fox. I now teach at a sixth form college where I work with teens. Some would say as nobody is converted that this is not Kingdom work or whatever the current phrase is. However when up in Cambridge at a debating final a previous debater told me all about his drug use and previously chaotic life and now his happy life at Cambridge (off poor GCSEs for obvious reasons) and said “You literally change the world”. I had read in a Lent book about Vincent de paul and his little red dots and I realised they are my little red dots. All the teenagers I have worked with over the years faithfully as teacher or youth leader, from when I was little older than them. I have not been “rewarded” with obvious expressions of turning to Christ or whatever but lives can be subtelly changed when I let God work as you did and seeds of something longlasting and worthwhile rather than a rapidly made and rapidly forgotten converstion are laid. We may never see the results fo course. Bless you in what you do. It is so important. Reply teachermum Posted on 3:04 pm - October 27, 2009 Sorry about the duplication – it told me it was rejected…….. Feel free to delete Reply teachermum Posted on 3:04 pm - October 27, 2009 Sorry about the duplication – it told me it was rejected…….. Feel free to delete Reply
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