School holidays are always strange times at Oxygen; many projects shift gear and end up working with young people in different ways and through different events. This spring break is no different; the team are running film, football and evening projects that engage with the same young people but in different contexts.  As they do they are seeking ways to continue to reveal God’s serving, relational love to young people through both their words and actions. Please pray for them this week as they do this.

Whilst the team are involved in frontline youthwork, much of my time has been spent on an area of work that is important, but far less enjoyable. I have just spent the last 7 days taking time out of the office completing grant applications in support of our work. I have blogged about this before, but this is work that I feel that I can only do if I put my heart and soul into it, telling potential funders that the young people we work with really need their support. How depressing it is then to get a simply standard letter of rejection, or even worse no answer at all.

• Please do pray for the grant applications that were submitted last week in support of Rm1, Urban Nites and Oxygen’s work experience programme.
• Pray for the ongoing work in putting in place the finances needed to keep Oxygen going into the future as we continue to give young people the opportunity to discover and follow Jesus

Whilst we are looking for the funding to carry on our work, things are developing at pace on the ground. So below you will see prayer requests for a new St Peters Youthworker, who will work for the church in partnership Oxygen, you will also read about the impact of family time at Rm1 as well as some forthcoming events you may be interested in.

Thanks

Richard

VACANCY: Working alongside Oxygen

St Peter’s Norbiton in partnership with Oxygen, Kingston YFC are looking for a  Mission Shaped “External Youthworker”. In an exciting new pioneering partnership with Oxygen, St Peters Norbiton are looking for an external youthworker (or youthwork trainee) to establish an emerging church community amongst non churched urban young people that have been contacted by the church & Oxygen’s Rock Solid Club.  

• Please pray for the right person to be found and appointed
• Pray for the young people who will be reached through this work and the lives that will be changed

For more information including job description and application pack visit

http://stpetersnorbiton.typepad.com/stpetersnorbiton/2008/04/vancancy-extern.html
 

Tea and Cakes @ Rm1

Old fashioned family time has become one of the highlights of Oxygen's all new Rm1 project at Coombe Boys School in recent months. Each week those young people who are coming gather in the room straight after school and takes their first 1/2 hour to run off their energy, as they play pool, computer games or simply RELAX on the Rm1 sofa.

• Please pray for the work of Rm1 and its leader Kate Davies
• Pray for the expansion of Rm1 into Hollyfield and other potential schools in years to come

Read the rest of this story

http://wantachurch.typepad.com/oxygennews/2008/04/tea-and-cakes-r.html

Facebook Oxygen

Oxygen is now on Facebook. Here we have posted the pictures from thevent as well as news of forthcoming events. Become our friend by clicking here:  

http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1212395613&k=Z3F532V4T3YM511EU1YUVU&r&v=2

Powerhouse of Prayer Returns

Last year prayer was at the centre of all that took place as right in the middle of the year, during the month of May a non stop prayer room, called POWERHOUSE was opened at the prayer chapel in the YMCA in Victoria Road, Surbiton. The results of that week or prayer were obvious for all who took part, with lots of brilliant stories, times of blessing and some wonderful unity. This year the room opens at 6pm on the 18th May and finishes at 6pm on Sunday 25th May. The Green Fair is on 26th May during which people will be invited to come and join the prayer team.

You can find out more about Powerhouse here :
http://wantachurch.typepad.com/infusenews/2008/03/the-powerhouse.html

The Artists Way

Sacred Space recommend The Artists Way workshops, more at

http://wantachurch.typepad.com/churches/2008/04/artistic-worksh.html

Living as an ordinary radical: A dialogue with Shane Claiborne

Faithworks, Livability Community Mission and Tearfund are hosting a free discussion evening with Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution and founder of The Simple Way community in Philadelphia. Find out more

http://wantachurch.typepad.com/infusenews/2008/04/living-as-an-or.html

The London Institute of Contemporary Christianity website writes about the situation in Pakistan, and refers to the fact that the country’s lawyers have accused president Musharraf of tearing up the constitution, and have called on the people to revolt. The article concludes: …

Next time you are sipping a cup of coffee, think about those who grew the beans. This piece from the LICC is perhaps more stimulating than the caffeine in the coffee - or should be!

Coffee Stains

On Pentecost we were talking about what we thought the Holy Spirit was like.

Issie later in the day said-

`that's easy mummy, the Holy Spirit is very helpful and helps us not to be cruel.  It loves everybody, even people that have been bad'

since we changed the front page of our web site it seems that fewer people are making contributions.Is that true? If so why is it?- could be people are busy with work or exams at this season or is it that the front page no longer moves us to write.

Yesterday I went to an even in Trafalgar Square called 'Love Music, hate Racism' and it was organised by such organistaions as rock against racism, and Unite against Facism, plus a lot of other unions. It was a music and dance event involving such acts as the Paddingtons, Trafalgar, Boy Kill Boy, Lethal Bizzle, Belle and Sebastian and other rap and rock acts. Baby Shambles were meant to appear but peter was arrested again, on trumped up charges from the Sun.However Drew (the bassist) performed a solo acoustic performance instead. In between the acts you had guest speakers from unions and charities, warning people about the BNP threat and how people should vote against them, and fight against racism and facism. Even Anthony Walkers (the boy who was murdered) sisters were there talking about how racist murders would increases with BNP increased populairty. Everyone put across a message of multi-ethnicity and about joining togather. It was a good event. However the one thing that concerns me, is that people were trying to say that we shouldn't allow the BNp as a poltical party but still harping on about democracry. Democracy means eveyrone should have a view no matter how far right or how wrong it is, and to be a democracy you have to allow everyoen to have a view, otherwise your as bad as a Dictatorship.

Many people missed an excellent presentation and discussion last evening 15 March. Lesley presented a Power Point display which has been put together by the Southern Synod Moderator.

There may be a simple reason why a) more people are not contributing to this web site and b) it is not making a big impact on the church as a whole right now. The reason is this: The web site is not literally visible in the church (it is not displayed anywhere), unlike Church News, a physically printed publication. Because it is not visible, people feel they don't need to engage in it. But, I have tested the Plasma screen in the foyer and proved that it is possible to display the web site. It can also be set to automatically refresh itself every 5 minutes. That means any new content uploaded from the comfort of our homes would appear on the site, and thus on the screen in the foyer, and thus published to any passing visitor.

Dear All,

There is a danger in thinking that you can say whatever you like about a person and that it will remain in the air and not get passed back or around. The truth is, whatever you say about someone, they will eventually get to hear it - or worse hear about it. We need to be very careful in the words we say about another person.

The first of our six Church Meetings in 2006 was well supported with 54 members attending. It was generally agreed that a meeting from noon to 1 pm with concurrent church services running from 10.30 am is the best solution, and we shall now continue with this pattern. The next five meetings will be on 26 March, 28 May, 30 July, 24 September and 26 November. Are these dates already in your diary?