Summer 2017taking good news relevantly to every young person in Wiltshire

Wiltshire

PartnersThis month, Partners is full of good news and we have much to be thankful for.

You will read about the mentoring work and in particular how it has impacted not only young people but Marco, trained at the beginning of the year and now working with young people, using his mentoring skills! In the same section you will read about the possibility of us having a permanent space within John of Gaunt School, Trowbridge from where we can work; in fact Dan is there as I write. You will also read of opportunities to develop our work in St Laurence School, Bradford-on-Avon. St Laurence has been a real source of encouragement and we have been made to feel welcome as we have met with the Head Teacher to discuss and plan our involvement from September. We are looking forward to seeing what God does in the next year as we embark on these new opportunities.

Other encouragements include the privilege I have of leading a mission trip with a team which includes a young person from Trowbridge. Steve continues to have lots of assembly opportunities and we are encouraged that he has the opportunity to lead a Pentecost Day in one of the schools in his patch. The youth club in Potterne continues to flourish and we are excited to be able to publicly recognise the support of one local volunteer.

You will also read about The Pulse and developments

that will result in this event ceasing after July. This may be a disappointment to some, particularly those who have been part of this important gathering place over the last few years. We do not underestimate the importance and impact of Jane and Chris Smith’s original vision – thank you Chris and Jane. The last Pulse event saw a good number of young people and we take that as encouragement that whilst The Pulse may be stopping God has good plans and we will be praying and thinking

about what happens next as we seek to support the discipleship of young people in the area. Watch this space!

I hope that as you read this newsletter and pray for us in the coming months you will be encouraged too! Thank you for your support and prayers, they too are a source of encouragement!

We are thankful to him who does immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. To him be the glory (Eph 3:20)

Opportunities and encouragements…

James Vaughton

On Thursday 25th May we held our Partners’ Evening. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it. This meeting was an opportunity to update people who

support our work on what has been

happening over the last year and give some insights into how things may develop. Steve, Dan and James all gave updates and it was great to have young people from Youth Stream present too. During the evening

people were able to ask questions of the team and there was an opportunity to pray together for the work. A big thank you to Bethesda Baptist Church for hosting the evening.

Wiltshire YFC Partners’ Evening

Schools Work – Bradford-on-Avon & Trowbridge

Some fantastic new developments have taken place in our schools work over the Spring of 2017. Firstly, Wiltshire YFC has had an offer of office space within John of Gaunt School – a base of operations in the middle of the 6th form area of the school. This generous blessing has come about through the connections built up over the years with staff, as well as student mentoring.

Connect Mentoring itself has seen some fantastic growth, with 2 new mentors

now meeting with students in local schools since our training day in February and another 2 are to begin soon.

Marco, who attended the training day, gave us this encouraging feedback:

“I personally want to thank Dan and Wiltshire YFC. The training day was fantastic, it was really practical and full of great tools to help engage with students. Before that day I hadn’t even contemplated the possibility of a complete change

in vocational direction. However, following your invitation and by you giving up your time to provide a training day that is completely free, I have accepted a full time job as a Student Support Worker in Frome. I consider this to be the perfect way to serve and to do what I now know I’m called to do. I can’t recommend the training day enough!

In addition to the work in John of Gaunt and Clarendon, we have also taken the first steps to working alongside students and staff at St Laurence, discussing how we can serve that school effectively in the new academic year.

02

Schools work in the Devizes areaSteve is currently delivering collective worship in 5 Primary Schools, several of which are C of E schools that have come together to form the ‘Emmanuel Collaboration’. On 15th June Steve and the Rev Andrew Sinclair are joining staff and students of Holy Trinity Academy in Great Cheverill, for a Holy Spirit Pilgrimage day. Along with a team of volunteers from the local church, they will be hosting stations focusing on the Experience of Pentecost. At the end of the morning there will be a time of collective worship and lunch together. This is another opportunity for Steve to share the Good News of Jesus to local young people.

We constantly have to be flexible and be prepared to serve. Steve recently had an email asking if he could go into a Secondary School the following day to deliver an assembly to a year group. Steve regularly visits the school and leads assemblies throughout the term, but any opportunity to take the Good News and share it with others is a great joy and privilege. As well as supporting individuals and groups within the school setting, all our Wiltshire YFC team are passionate about engaging and supporting schools, staff and students to reflect and explore the grace, hope and faith in Jesus Christ.

POP UP caféWe are excited to be running our Pop UP Café in Trowbridge and Devizes again this year during the summer holidays. We want to ‘provide a safe and positive activity for teenagers, give opportunity to engage with and

encourage local young people, and build community links’. A similar event is scheduled for Calne later in the year. We are grateful for the support of local churches, youth networks and town councils.

Some comments from last year’s cafes show the impact of the initiative:

“Loved all of it”. “Definitely do it again- good for making friends and playing games with new people.” “This is Fantastic!” “The activities were fun”.

One local family even turned up with extra drinks to show their appreciation of this free event for young people!

03

JUNE>• Pray for new schools mentors, that they connect well with their mentees and

see God’s light change their lives.

• For The Pulse to end well in this season

• Pray for the trip to Cape Town for those we will serve and the young people who are part of the UK team

• Pray for those who work with young people in your church, whether paid or volunteering

JULY>• Thank God for his provision for the work of Wiltshire YFC; the people, the

funding and the opportunities to share and show the gospel

• For James, Annie, Grace and Zac Vaughton

• Thank God for the Wiltshire YFC Advisory Group - Alison Bennett, Keith Brindle, Catherine Haddow and Barry Blackford. Please pray for them to have wisdom in their role.

AUGUST>• Pray for Dan to make links with the right people for the formation of a

gathering event in the new academic year.

• For new opportunities arising in St. Laurence that they would come to fruition in the Autumn and bear fruit.

• For Steve, Rachel and Erin Dewar

• Pray for the pop-up café events happening in the county during the school holidays. Pray that the lives of young people would be impacted and that good connections will be made with them and the communities in which they live.

Prayer points for Wiltshire

04

05

SEPTEMBER>• Pray for the start-up of work in St Laurence School, Bradford-on-Avon –

establishing a Christian Union and Connect Mentoring.

• For Dan and Rachel Webb as they await the arrival of a second child (this month)

• Pray for the children who have been helped this year through the Accompanying Project, that they would be confident about starting at their new schools.

Prayer EventPrayer is the heartbeat of Youth for Christ.

In John chapter 15 Jesus tells His disciples that He is the Vine and they are the branches. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” John 15 v 4.

At Youth for Christ we have developed a culture of prayer because we acknowledge that, like the disciples, we need to stay connected to Jesus in everything that we do. As followers of Jesus we also pray because we have a relationship with Him and therefore need to speak to Him and listen for His voice each day.

We use our time, gifts, energy and efforts to reach young people in Britain with the Good News but we know that it is God who works through us. As we pray we express

our thanks and praise to God and humbly present our requests to Him.

This January we began #Pray365 – A whole year of prayer where we, as the British YFC family, commit to interceding before God for young people in this nation each day, whilst growing the discipline of prayer and fasting. It brings collaborative focus and unity of mind as we make an intentional choice to ‘Seek God’ with all we are and have. As YFC, we are intentionally going on a journey to grow a culture of prayer and deepen our relationship with Jesus.

As part of our commitment to personal and collective prayer and in addition to other events taking place around the county, Steve is organising an ecumenical

event in Devizes at St James Church on 16th June. The event will have a focus on children and young people in the community, local schools and detached youth work projects.

For more details contact Steve: steve@wiltshireyfc.org.uk

https://pray365.yfc.uk/resources/

Cape Town visit

Wiltshire YFC Advisory Group

In late June James Vaughton will be leading a team of seven to Elsiesriver, a community in Cape Town. Over the last ten years we at YFC have developed a link with and helped establish a youth work project in this socially and economically deprived part of Cape Town, called Pinnacle Youth Outreach. We now have a UK-based charity called PYO UK, which fundraises and organises trips to support the work.

We are taking young people from Bath and Wiltshire. Frances Bridgewater, a member of the Youth Stream discipleship group run by Dan Webb is on the team. Here she tells us about her feelings towards the trip. My name is Frances, I am 18 years old and attend St Thomas’ Church in Trowbridge. The trip was first mentioned to me by Dan Webb who runs a youth group, that I attend and works for Wiltshire YFC. I

was excited at the thought of visiting South Africa but also the opportunity to take part in a mission trip. I love learning about new cultures, so to be able to travel somewhere new and combine it with my faith, sounded like the perfect trip. From this trip I hope begin to understand a new culture, what their faith means to them, and how to better live out my faith and express it to others, from all walks of life.

At Wiltshire YFC we recognise the importance of wisdom to help us shape the work and respond to what it is God is calling us to. God used Jethro in such a way to help Moses better serve God’s people. To that end,

we have a small group of volunteers

who form part of what we are currently calling our Advisory Group. This group meets three times per year and helps shape our work by supporting our strategic thinking as the work grows. These are people from different parts of Wiltshire and different

church backgrounds who can act as a sounding board as Wiltshire YFC moves forward. The group currently includes Alison Bennett, Catherine Haddow, Rev. Keith Brindle and Rev. Barry Blackford.

06

Potterne Community WorkAt the recent Potterne Parish Council AGM, local community groups were showcased and Steve shared about his work at Potterne Youth Club. The contribution of individuals to the community was recognised. Fi Walker, a key organiser for many events including the lunch time group, holiday club, messy church and Panto, received the ‘Jubilee Cup’. Fi is also on the Local Support Group for Steve,

serving with enthusiasm and commitment. 16 year old Daisy Bewley received the ‘Alan Mead’ award for her willingness to get involved in activities, her smiley and chatty character and infectious positive attitude. Daisy and other young people have helped Steve run some activities to raise money for other local charities.

The Parish relies on volunteers and works with Wiltshire Council and

other community groups to enhance local facilities and help address local needs. We value our volunteers within Wiltshire YFC and the vital role they play in supporting us and local young people. 07

Pulse updateOver the year, we have been hugely encouraged by the opportunities The Pulse has given to young people from different backgrounds to connect with others and grow on their faith journey with Jesus. It has been exciting to see different youth groups from a wider area (places like Corsham, Warminster and Devizes) coming along regularly. At the beginning of May, David Ford from Bethesda Baptist church shared about the importance and significance of church and how our personal stories play a part in that. We were excited to see the passionate prayer response from the young people at the end.

We will be meeting again

in June and July, but from September, The Pulse, in its current form, will stop in order to develop the team of young leaders and adult volunteers and enable the creation of something that is sustainable for the future. We are committed to the discipleship of young people and recognise the need to offer places for

young Christians to gather with others their own age. However, after considerable prayer, listening and thought we believe it to be the right decision at this time. Please pray for wisdom as we discern the next steps.

WiltshireGift Aid declaration – for past, present & future donations Charity: Wiltshire YFC, a project of the charity Bath Youth for ChristPlease treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made today in the past 4 years in the future Please tick all boxes you wish to apply.

I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations it is my responsibility to pay any difference. I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give or have given.

Donor’s details

Title First name or initial(s)

Surname

Full home address

Signature Date

OR I am NOT a tax payer (tick)

Please notify us if you:

Want to cancel this declaration Change your name or home address No longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.

If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.

Please return to: Wiltshire YFC, c/o Holy Trinity Church, Stallard Street, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 9AA Our registered charity number is 1165745 and registered charity address is as above.

Please do not send me any more information about Wiltshire YFC

Name

Address

Tel Email

Please tick:

I enclose a donation of £ for the ongoing work of Wiltshire YFC among the young people of Wiltshire (cheques payable to Wiltshire Youth for Christ)

I would like to increase my giving by/start to give £ per month starting on 12th day of the next month to Wiltshire YFC by making a monthly standing order to: Wiltshire Youth for Christ, Barclays Bank, 4-5 Southgate, Bath, BA1 1AQ, account number: 20029580, sort code: 20-05-12

From my/our account (Account Name)

Bank Account number Sort code

Address

Signature Date

Could you help make a difference in the lives of young people in Wiltshire by giving to ?Wiltshire