Tikhtak

Trax16 goes live

Click on trax16 and download or stream the latest CMS youth podcast on mission and young people.

It could last more than 40 days...

I have uploaded the new youth eshort for March onto the youth eshort blog...

1807 slavery abolition bill

Had a very productive meeting with Richard Reddie and Kate Yates from churches together in England who are heading up the set all free campaign to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade bill in 2007. I shared with them about free for all and the various other projects and resources CMS are offering as well as learning about what else is going on around both the UK and the world. Set all free offers a very important window on all that is happening for 2007 and has already been a usefull resource to See what else is happening and possibilities of partnership. Set all free is also offering anyone to take up a local history project to research any connections to slavery or the slave trade your locality might have. You can find there a list of good websites to start your search.

Motiv8 in Folkstone

Mike North and I manned our CMS podcast booth Trax16 and roamed around the exhibition space getting interviews from youth and youth leaders about their take on mission. I think we were both satisfied  that we have enough audio to put together our second podcast in April from this event. The exhibitors were made up of mission agencies from Tearfund to Latin Link, which connect with and encourage young people in their mission. That is the aim of Motiv8. Mike and I ran a seminar on podcasts in the afternoon but there was only a sprinkling of young people and it was a shame this was scheduled at some time in the evening when the numbers arrived. Next to us Andy from the What4 youth team ran a seminar using a table with a difference. I am not sure of the content of it but I have a feeling resurrection was in there somewhere. In the evening a youth service was held, which had been oraganised by churches together in Folkstone, this meant a swell of young people came so we had our microtrack recorders at the ready to get yet more interviews. I was impressed by the focus and maturity of so many of the teenagers we interviewed who had a really clear view of mission being something relevant to their lives, where they live and not just an overseas trip.

24/7 Prayer at Holy Trinity Clapham

This morning at 10am we started a 24 hour prayer chain for the mission of Holy Trinity Clapham common with a prayer boiler room. We have been assisted in setting it up by 24/7 prayer. Irfana and myself took part for a couple of hours adding to a prayer chain and writing our thoughts into the 24 hour log book, among many other creative ideas. We will finish tomorrow morning at 10am and look forward to the impact it's going to have on our church. Watch this space!

Macbeth at Morley College

This term on a Friday we have been looking at scenes from Macbeth and as the 2nd term comes to a close we were able to perform our scenes to camera. Check out more images in the Morley college photo album. Sorry I am not in any of the shots because I was too busy taking them.

Chelsea ticket

A friend presented me with a ticket to the FA cup quartre final game between Chelskea and Newcastle. I was very tempted not to go, but I resisted and braved the cold London air. I used to be an avid Chelsea fan growing up in Shropshire of all places and I hadn't really followed the blues since the glory days of Kerry Dixon, Pat Nevin and David Speedie. In those days I used to stand in the shed end, but to my horror I was watching this time from what was the away end, now the Matthew Harding stand. Any way it was good to see the probable premiership champions in action and John Terry impressed the most with a sterling display. Newcastle had quite a bit of possesion and played the ball around well but hardly had a chance on goal to speak about.

Black voices for 2007

Today I attended a meeting of interested parties and organisations concerned with commemorating the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade bill in the Lambeth borough. I attended with my CMS hat on just to see what was going on and how we might be able to work together. One of the items on the agenda was the building of a possible memorial sculpture on Clapham common. However this quickly took second place to a heated and interesting debate about representing black voices and abolitionists in history. The point was very strongly made that many of the ideas buzzing around on a list we had been given were initiated and written by whites. Where were the black voices? The voices of the people who were the victims rather than hearing from the perpetrators. Where were the names of the black abolitionists and unsung heroes? The Jamaican revolt was cited that  shook the British and moved the working class in England to radically oppose the attitudes towards slaves by the ruling class. One Rastafarian man challenged the irony of Lambeth borough officials, who were evicting the Rastafarian society from their home of 40 years, which have served and contributed to the black community in the Lambeth borough, while they consider erecting this statue. The main theme coming through was that story of the abolition of the slave trade needed to be told not just from a white perspective but black as well. That is a challenge I hope we can rise to in the writing and delivery of our free for all project.

On Premier this week

If you tune into Premier Christian radio this week at 7 30am or 3 30pm you can hear my dulcet tones on "thought for the day".

3 Little Pigs

Yesterday I did a training day with Jonny   in the Staines Massive for the East 2 West youth network. Jonny kicked off looking at blocks to creativity. Perhaps the nugget for it all was his first point. Who are the creative people? Those who say "I am creative" will be and those who say "I am not creative" will be. It is like a self fulfilling prophecy. The basic truth is that God is creative and he has created us to be so too. I then put everybody into groups and got them to look at the story of the "3 Little Pigs" from different angles. One group had to dramatise it with their backs to the audience at all time. Another had to present a question time and involve the audience, while the other two groups shot a film and a live report on their mobiles. All the activities had blocks to limit creativity but the actual affect is they make us more creative. (another of Jonny's points) The presentations were great and showed just how creative everybody was.