Highlight
During walkup for Friday Hangs, I met a small group of youth near our cathedral and to be honest I was quite intimidated that they could easily bash me up (lol). One of the youth named Nick came along and stayed for the Bible story telling time and it was awesome to get to know him over the coming weeks which he attended. Hearing his story was really tough with the probably one of the hardest family upbringings I have ever heard. I ended up inviting him to our youth group on Sunday and he mentioned that he’d come if he won his rugby match the following day, and so obviously we prayed that God would let him win! God gave him the win and he came that Sunday and heard me preach on The Prodigal Son which was personally really encouraging for me and he ended up staying for the Bible Study too! This was a great encouragement to our team to keep reaching out to those who are very different to us and trust that God would work in His ways. Please be praying that God would continue to bring him to Friday Hangs and our youth group in that He might find saving life in Christ!
Challenge/Learning
The past month has felt particularly hard regarding challenges with the Winter Study Hall. With different attempts of reaching out to students through schools, social media, the church family and walkups, it has felt quite discouraging and emotional at times with the minimal number of registrations. As the one given the responsibility of leading this initiative, this has been quite a forming experience particularly with leading the team through an uncertain period whilst also ensuring that I am clear with the Study Hall’s direction. I have been particularly thankful for the support of the staff team who have been a great encouragement throughout this time and the assurance of not feeling like a ‘failure’ whether or not this Study Hall goes through. I’ve been reminded that my identity is not found in ministry ‘achievements’ but in Christ and that I can fully rest in this. Please pray that God would help me to trust Him with this and that He would be glorified whether or not this Study Hall goes through!
The Marsden Fund 