Author Archives: angelweb

New Interns working with Youth Minister

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Vic has introduced two new interns this month.  Here is a summary:

“Hello, my name is Thomas, I’m turning 20 in September. I come from a small town in Norway, and I really looking forward to meeting you guys. I really enjoy playing music, I play piano, guitar and sing, and hopefully I can teach you some of it. I chose to travel to England because I wanted to share what I have gotten, in such as my journey with God, or my experience. And I love to be around new people, to talk with them and help them in anyway possible.”

 “Hi, my name is Henriette Marie Saga, but almost everybody just calls me Saga. I’m 21 years old and from a small town south in Norway. I love to have something to do and I really love sports, and my favourite is handball. I also like singing and dancing. I believe that this year will give me new experience and new friends.  

 I really looking forward to meet you all in England and to be able to spend this year with you all.”

Pray for Thomas and Saga.  Pray for youth.

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Stand in the gap and pray

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A week ago on Sunday, Pamela introduced the concept of praying for five people to come to Christ.  A helpful reminder was in the form of 5 key fobs that were passed out to everyone.  Here’s a picture of a bracelet that offers an additional opportunity to the one who is brave enough to wear it.  I think it might attract a few stares and questions and isn’t this a perfect time to share your faith story.

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I hope everyone is engaged in expectant prayer out there.  Having read the words of Ezekiel 22:30 yesterday, I read the faith story of Kathi Mills, who had a friend who stood in the gap and prayed for her in hospital.  Kathi actually heard her friend telling the doctor that she would not only survive but walk out and live for God one day.  Well five years later, she gave her life to Christ.  Don’t stop praying!  I am awed at the privilege and power of prayer.

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Join us in The Great Wave of Prayer

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Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has called on all churches across the land to participate in a week of prayer, from 8 to 15 May.  You are invited to join the following events taking place in Coniston. 

St. Andrew’s Church, Wednesday, 11 May 2016

Open Prayer Space, 11:00 to 12:00; 12:30 to 15:00

Time Out, Prayer & Praise, 12:00 to 12:30

Why pray?  Christians believe that ‘prayer changes things’, and we are all very aware of the need for peace and hope in our world which is trying to cope with so many issues of local, national and international concern.  Even the scientific and  medical communities have recognised that when people are prayed for, even if not believers themselves, their recovery record is consistently better than those who were not open to prayer.

The Prayer Space is in the body of the warm church and is there for anyone to pop in at any time.  You may wish to sit quietly and reflect in peace, write a prayer on a tag and attach it to the prayer tree, light a candle for someone you care for or just ‘be’. There is usually someone there to talk to or pray with if you wish to, but that choice will be yours.

Time Out is for those who want to come together with others to focus on a theme in an active spirit of worship with music and prayer.  Time to listen to God.

Often when crisis strikes we can feel helpless or even hopeless, not knowing what to do to help…when that happens…we can always pray!

‘Fear not for I am with you,

Be not dismayed for I am your God,

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my victorious right hand’

Isaiah 41:10

So let’s do something positive, and ‘pop-in and pray!’

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Prayer Diary March 2016

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If God is for us, who can be against us! Romans 8:31

Vic has put together the March diary to pray for the youth of Furness Deanery. 

Thought for the month from Tommy
Let’s be honest. Being a Christian isn’t always easy. Some would even say it is harder to be a Christian sometimes. We suffer, we experience hard times and pain. But is this God punishing us? No, I don’t believe it is. I believe it is God trying to wake us up! Trying to awaken us from this world and to acknowledge Him and seek to be with Him. In the book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren quotes C.S. Lewis and says “Pain is God’s megaphone. It is God’s way of arousing us from spiritual lethargy. Your problems are not punishment; they are wake-up calls from God.” He wants us to wake up! To be awake together with Him in an intimate friendship.

Prayer Diary March 2016

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The Journey, February 2016

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Vic Sekasi has put together the latest Youth Prayer Diary, February 2016 .

Her latest letter is full of news and some call for personal prayer.  Her Father is suffering from a personality changing dementia and Tommy’s Dad has a rare condition which has caused his aorta to expand to double the normal size with surgery required down the road.  Health issues are never easy so pray for healing and God’s hand to open doors in these difficult times.

Some highlights from January, with the remainder of this directly from Vic:

  •  Building a team to organise the annual youth weekend away. It was great to hear all the amazing feedback from the young people from last year and then to see how great and committed the leadership team is to enabling the young people to explore the Christian faith.
  • Being involved with Meeting Point (youth group in Broughton). We had a great leaders meeting this term followed by a great quiz. I loved seeing the leaders and young people having fun together and being competitive.
  • It was great to see Charlie again. We had a great time catching up and also we went to see Lexi (one of the young people in hospital with anorexia). Do pray for Lexi as she has had a difficult month and has had a blip and lost weight again.
  • We had some amazing testimonies at EMPOWER. It was great to hear how God had rescued 2 teenage girls from depression and suicide.
  • We had a great opportunity to go into John Ruskin school in Coniston and do an assembly on BIG Questions. We got the whole school to write down a question – If God did exist what would you ask? We then started a club the following Thursday and had 16 turn up from every age group. We are using their questions to theme the club.
  • Tommy led a great session on family at NJOY which was quite challenging for me never mind the young people. It’s exciting to see his gifts develop and grow.

In February we are looking forward to:

  •  Seeing some of the young people from the Youth alpha course we helped run at Low Furness get confirmed in Urswick. Do pray for Lily & Daniel
  • A relaxing break ;-).
  • Seeing the Big Questions at Coniston develop
  • Thwaites Youth as we haven’t met yet since Christmas!
  • Preparing ourselves spiritually as we go into the season of lent

Can you also pray for UVHS and Millom as they haven’t got back to me about the emails I’ve sent about lessons and prayer spaces.

Thanks again for all your prayers.

GB

Vic (& Tommy)

Victoria Sekasi

Furness Network Youth Minister

The Journey

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Time for Meditation, Dates for your Diary

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Christian Meditation Cumbria has compiled a list of dates for meditation.  Here are a few coming up.

We will be going ahead with Bob Morley’s day at Grasmere Tithe Barn on Saturday 30th January.  This will be a reflective day with meditation, lectio divina and time to talk. Bob writes,
A growing awareness of our one-ness with God as unconditional love, revealed in stillness and silence, where, in the no-thingness, we come to know who we are, as Being. We will look at the gradually reducing mantra, lectio divina, and also time for open sharing of our spiritual journeys in the spirit of acceptance and love.

Our retreat at Hyning Monastery on March 4th/6th 2016 will be led by Jeff Thomas. The flier describes the weekend, which I’m sure will be wonderful. I have opened my list, so please do get in touch if you would like to go.

CMC Programme events January to March are listed here

Please would you reserve the following dates in 2016: more details when I have them.
Saturday 7th May – Quiet day at St Mary’s, Dalton in Furness
Saturday 11th June – Community day/Day of Gathering Keswick
Saturday 1st October – Day retreat with Fr Laurence Freeman (location to be arranged)

Finally, should you be looking for something new for Lent, there is a new book Sensing God by Laurence Freeman OSB.

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