a blog by howard jameson @ gatheringgrace.org

Here comes the summer...

I got my 2005 CYFA venture brochure in the post. We are Bredon 2 (venture no. 60) on page 16. If you want a shortcut in lieu of paper then here is a link. If you want to gate-crash the on-going life from last summer then visit here and say hello.

Lots to look forward to, and after last night the labyrinth may even get an airing on Alternative Worship night.

Planning things

Start of a bit of a planning phase of some new things. Driving up to Billericay later to meet to discuss Bredon 2005 CYFA Camp.

Also starting up in my head is putting on an Advent Labyrinth for the Parish in early December. The aim of this would be to try to use the experience we have been having with the teenagers at the Gathering, and expanding that for the next generation or two upwards...and just seeing where the grace lands next.

Reflections on ministry

I have been thinking back to the events of the last week or so, trying to recognise those areas in which God was stretching and challenging me most. I was certainly aware in the lead up to CYFA of the pressures on us as a leadership team due to various changes of personnel and the feeling that somehow we were a smaller and untested team.

Monkton Combe CYFA again

Its amazing what a deep bath followed by a decent sleep can do. Wasn't camp fantastic!!

The website is here, and its being added to all the time.

Back from CYFA

Well we are back home from CYFA. I am tired, irritable, feel smelly and totally fed up with chaos and teenagers. I therefore confidently predict that in about three days time I will be raving about how good a time we had.

Daily Monkton prayer request

Last day sob sob! Everybody packs the site up and goes home. This usually involves lots of promises to write and call, which never happens of course.

Please pray for safe journeys home. Please also give thanks for the school and the leaders who will have given an awful lot, and will need a holiday before they go back to home, work or Churches.

Monkton update #4 (I think)

Give thanks for a really cool celebration last night. There was a wonderful sense of God's presence, especially in making the room feel a safe and secure environment.

Lots of people touched by the singing and my talk. Its always really humbling to be used by God in touching other people's lives.

Daily Monkton prayer request

Our last full day – nearly there! We will be finishing our series of seminars. Themes this year are hot potatoes, leader training and following a book of the Bible through. After lunch we will be playing Hunt the Spy in Bath, based on the game of Monopoly. In the evening we will have our last night ball.

Please pray for the seminar series. We want the topics to be relevant to the teenagers. This often means we get some very honest and personal stories coming out.

A prayer for the Lord's day

A simple prayer for a Sunday, that the kingdom would be drawing closer and appearing around this beautiful world today; whether people are here on CYFA camp, or at home, in Church. Especially for people who woke this morning still hungry from yesterday, or if their sleep was short because of fighting or fear.

Forgive us Father when we look in on ourselves and think we are doing a fine job, and forget the people you sent us to.

Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy

Daily Monkton prayer request

Sunday kicks off with a quiet communion service, then later in the morning and into the afternoon we will be doing our charity event. This normally involves doing something to serve the local community in Bath. One year we washed cars, and another we gave away flowers.

Please pray for God’s presence as we share bread and wine together and for fun and safety as we are out and about, that what we do as service would actually be that to the people we meet.