Urban Saints North East Update- August 2010

Summer is an incredibly busy time for so many of us, completely destroying the myth of a relaxing summer! Soul Survivor, New Wine, Grapevine, Harvest, ReAct, Whithaugh....the list goes on and on. But it's great to know that every evening this month, countless young people will be committing their lives to Christ on fields, in parks, in chalets and in tents. Let's pray that the harvest is bountiful this year!

This month, instead of telling you about all of the events that are coming up, I thought it would be more helpful to simply supply you with a few links for resources and things for you to check out at the start of the new term. Hopefully these will give you new ideas to help those young people that have made commitments this summer move on in discipleship, and to help those who are still on the edge to know that they are cherished by a loving God.

But before we go into resources, there is some news about staff changes and new groups. Our Regional Support Worker, Linda Sharp has moved to a position with CareNet in Leeds. We're sad to see her go, and know that she'll be an asset in her new role. We shall be recruiting for a replacement soon. But on the positive side, we have four new groups in and around the Leeds area - Leeds Dayspring, Leeds Roundhay, Harrogate Evangelical and Bradford Sunbridge Road. We now have 46 groups meeting across the region, and it's great to welcome those churches to Energize. Linda's work in building up our profile in the Leeds area has now doubt contributed to this growth.

Urban Saints have been developing our own resources of late, and now provide a 30-minute Leaders TV programme each month. In the August edition, there will be video footage from SPREE. If you are quite new to Energize, or have never quite got to grips with how it works and what if offers, Energize leader Chris Vale has put together an  Energize tutorial video - well worth a look. And in the Autumn, a brand new resource is launched exclusively for Energize groups. MIMIC is a generational discipleship course. This digital generation will love the state-of-the-art web site which will be packed full of tools, resources, video clips and activities which aim to develop their character and skills, working alongside an adult mentor (their youth and children’s leader).

If you are interested in getting Urban Saints hoodies, T-shirts or any of the other merchandise we offer, then you can get them from our online shop.

It has been a pleasure this summer to work with some top bands and evangelists. We are more than happy to endorse these guys to you if you are planning a youth or leaders event. So, click on the links if you'd like to get in touch with Mark Roques or Lee Jackson who are speakers in the North East region. If you'd like to book Stephen Riley, who was our speaker at SPREE and XLS, his email address is info@m10.org.uk . As for bands, Philippa Hanna and GoldDigger, both from Sheffield, are offering discounted gigs for Urban Saints at the moment. Let me know if you are interested.

As for other resources that may be of interest to you, we are loving the Big Fat Toothbrush website at the moment, packed full of ideas for developing your ministry. The site is put together by Energize leader Andy Guilder in Beverley. If you are in need of relationships resources, why not take a look at the stuff provided by Lovewise, an Urban Saints partner? They are based in Newcastle but have bases in Sheffield and Hull too. Don't forget to mention Urban Saints if you book as you'll get an exclusive discount. And looking ahead to the Autumn term, we have some training taking place in Tees Valley on Saturday 2nd October on mentoring for leaders.

Also worth checking out, there is a youth pastor job going, and loads of fantastic events for leaders taking place at New Life Church in Hull; there is a volunteer scheme looking for new recruits with our friends at Label of Love; and there is a new website for X:Site North East in Newcastle.

Finally, you can become a bigger part in the Urban Saints family by becoming one of our fans on Facebook, or following us on Twitter. If you are looking for the official photos and videos from SPREE North, they'll be on the Facebook fan site first! Also to encourage a bit more interactivity, we'd like to invite you to set up a team in the Urban Saints Fantasy League. But you need to get your skates on as it starts this coming Saturday! The code for our league is 381507-96658. And if you want to help us financially, you can do so every time you shop online, or by recycling mobile phones and ink cartridges. Check the links for more.

And just one last thing - A BIG congratulations to Pam and Norman Taylor for an incredible 20 years of service in leading the Whithaugh Camp. Popular as ever, this year's camp takes place between 23rd and 27th August. Thank you to Norman and Pam, and to all holiday leaders for investing their own time in reaching out to young people.

Enjoy the rest of the summer. Until next time...