Inspire Autumn 12

INSPIREAUTUMN 2012

AN AMAZING SEASON OF MISSION IN COVENTRY...

“I’ve never seen so many young people in

the park...”

www.covyfc.org 02476 550257

The school summer break is always a great opportunity to engage with young people o u t s i d e o f t h e s c h o o l environment and this year was no exception. The CYFC team worked a longs ide several churches to take Good News to young people in parks and playing fields across the city. A s p a r t o f t h i s y e a r ’ s ‘Outworked’ init iat ive and inspired by the Olympic Games coming to Coventry, early in the summer we were able to utilise a new CYFC resource called ‘The Vil lage Games’. This helped churches run a two hour sports tournament for local young people in their nearest park.

The Village Games is made up of 8 different (loosely themed) Olympic sports. Each played in teams on a rotation basis which allows up to 200 young people to engage with the activities at any one time.It was great to see so many young people connect with members of the local church, having fun th rough pos i t i ve , engag ing activities. It was also great to work more closely with Coventry KidzKlub as we ran the tournament in Tile Hill. Parents and carers were also really keen to get involved, commenting that they had “never seen so many young people in the park” and throwing themselves into the activities, having fun with their

children and building connections with people from the local church.Since the ‘outworked’ project, several groups have asked if they can hire the ‘Village Games’ as a resource to use with local people at other times. The answer is a resounding YES!!It’s great to be able to support churches in mission to young people by providing credible resources that can have a lasting impact on communities.See later in this newsletter for more info on how the ‘ V i l l a g e G a m e s ’ resource could be used with your church.

The Coventry YFC NewsletterA small glimpse into the vast ministry & current activities of CYFC...

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It’s always an awesome privilege to work alongside young people i n l o c a l s c h o o l s , a n d occasionally this privilege is heightened by the opportunity to work alongside other agencies in taking good news to students. In September we had such an opportunity. We were able to

partner with the Heart of England Baptist Association (HEBA), the ‘Nomad’ missional football team with their sports cage and Saltmine Theatre Company. Through this we engaged with 5 local schools over one week of mission. The week ended with young people from all over the West Midlands focusing on outreach in the city centre.Entitled ‘#lovcov’, the week of mission was a huge success and gave ample opportunities to share faith in a range of styles that were appropriate to the young people involved.Throughout the week, it was great to see so many young people

engag ing w i t h t he gospe l message through sport & theatre. It gave the CYFC team the c h a n c e t o s t re n g t h e n o u r relationship with local schools.Our prayer is that this style of mission - working together with schools, churches & outside agences will become a regular part of CYFC’s ministry in coming years.

The C2C team at the start of their journey in Whitehaven

The Result...Through the commitment of the cycling team, and the many g e n e ro u s d o n a t i o n s f ro m supporters, we were able to raise well over £3,000 towards the work of CYFC. This has enabled us to employ a new projects co-ordinator for 6 months, which in turn, has meant that over the summer we successfully ran several city-w i d e i n i t i a t i v e s . T h e s e culminated in a large Youth Alpha course which is currently running in the city centre.A huge THANK YOU to all who gave so generously to this ride. Your support means so much to us.

SEA TO SEA FOR CYFC - THE REPORTThe Big Idea...Back in the Autumn of 2011, Jon (CYFC Director) sat with a group of friends discussing potential challenges that c o u l d b e s e t t o r a i s e awareness and funds for C Y F C . I t w a s q u i c k l y established that a long distance bike ride would be a great way to raise some funds (and maybe even get a bit fitter in the process).So the challenge was set - a bike ride across the UK. Routes were explored, a team was put together, and the journey started to take form.Now came the hard part - regular practice and LOTS of fundraising - the keys to a successful journey...

The Adventure...The C2C (sea to sea) ride was an amazing experience for all 10 riders. We began by dipping our wheels in the Irish sea at W h i t e h a v e n o n M o n d a y morning and then we were off. The ride took 3 days, covering a distance of just over 140 miles (although it felt like a lot more with all the hills). Evening stops were in Penrith & Allenheads, and we finished on Wednesday evening with our wheels (and in some cases our whole body) in the north sea in Sunderland.The whole team would admit that we’d never seen hills like the ones we faced along the route. However, the people we met were so hospitable, the

food we ate (& lots of it) tasted better than any food we’d ever eaten before, and knowing that we we’re doing something that would have a significant impact across the whole of a city made each pedal revolution just a little easier.And yes, we may have been a little late for the minibus to take us back to Whitehaven, but we did it - we cycled right across the UK in 3 days!! And that was just the start...

National Mission Teams Help To #LOVCOV

PRAYER DIARY NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY

Youth AlphaContinue to pray for the city-wide Youth Alpha course.Especially pray for continued attendance and that young people will take significant steps towards a personal relationship with Jesus

FinanceChristmas is always a very busy time for the CYFC team. Please pray that our work would have a huge impact as we engage with pupils and teach the Christian message through festive activities.

SchoolsAs we continue to strengthen our partnership with local youth leaders, please pray that we would be effective in supporting Christians engaged with mission to young people in their local schools.

It’s been a crazy summer of mission activities for CYFC, with the team being involved with various nationwide camps and retreats, alongside the various projects in Coventry. We are delighted by the enthusiasm of young people to be a part of our Youth Alpha programme, but in all of this, I’ve been re-reminded how vital prayer is to every part of our ministry. I was blessed over the summer to hear J. John speak at a conference, and a phrase that stood out was that “when we pray, coincidences happen, and when we don’t, they don’t”. I’m convinced that the success of our recent mission projects hasn’t been any coincidence. We have seen an outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit as faith-filled people from across our city have cried out in prayer for young people and for the specific projects that we have been involved with. I am convinced that prayer works, and want to say a HUGE THANK YOU for standing with CYFC in prayer as we move forward in reaching young people with Good News. Let’s pray for even more ‘coincidences to happen’.

Following the various mission activities that the CYFC team have been involved with over the last few months, we are delighted to be running a city-wide Youth Alpha course. This follow up programme helps to answer some of the questions that young people have about faith and Christianity. The first 3 sessions have been a huge success with over 35 young people from different areas of the city in attendance. Based at Esquires Coffee House by the Transport museum, the course runs on Monday evenings from 6.30 to 8pm throughout October and November. Each session explores a different aspect of the Christian faith, so if you know a young person who may benefit from an opportunity to discover more, why not encourage them to come along with their friends.

Jon Mills

Hi I’m Roxy. Back in June I joined the CYFC team to help with some really exciting mission projects. This role is literally a God-send for me. Earlier this year I decided to take a step of faith and quit my part time job in a pub without any job to go on to. The week after my last shift, I was committing the next step to God in Church one Sunday when I felt like he said to go and speak to Jon about CYFC. At this point my husband and I were already signed up to do the C2C bike ride, but I hadn’t fully realised what that was for. So I asked Jon how many people work for CYFC and whether they would be looking to employ anyone anytime soon. It was only then that I realised the objective of the bike ride was to raise funds so CYFC could employ someone new.

Fast forward through a very challenging and very rewarding bike ride (see article on page2), and because of the immense generosity of the sponsors, there was now a chance for a new employee to be on the cards. From there it felt right that this might be for me, and now here I am!

So far it’s been amazing to be involved in helping mission to happen around the city and I’m excited about the future of this role. Thank you to all those who gave so generously to enable my role to even exist. You’re all amazing!!

A Huge ‘HELLO’ from Roxy Knight...

Director’s Note...

Youth Alpha 4 the CITY

Village GamesThe Village Games is a new mission resource produced by CYFC to help local churches engage with young people through relevant sports based activity.

Could YOU run the Games in your area?

Inspired by the Olympics & comprising 8 different ‘loosely themed’ sporting events, the ‘Village Games’ are designed to ‘play big & pack small’. The resource provides

churches with all the equipment needed to run a two hour sports tournament in their local park that is accessible, fun-filled, and provides a great opportunity to build ‘first

contact’ relationships with local young people and their families.

If so, get in touch. We’d love to see this resource being used throughout the city.

WHATARE WE HERE FOR?

FINALLY, A CHANCE TO ASKSOME QUESTIONSBIG

MONDAYS, THROUGHOUT OCT & NOVwww.covyfc.org#covyouthalpha

£1 ENTRYBRING YOUR FRIENDS

6.30 - 8PMESQUIRES COFFEE HOUSE(by the Transport Museum)

the Now Available from CYFC

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cov:netthe Coventry Christian Youth Leader’s network

Are you involved in ministry to young people? Do you work as part of a youth ministry team in your church or in local schools?

If so, you are warmly invited to join us for our REGULAR cov:net youth leaders’ gatherings.

Calling all youth leaders...

Prayer&NETWORKING: Every Wednesday, 9.30-11.30 (school term time)

NETWORK LUNCH: 2nd Monday of each month PLUS REgular Evening Gatherings with Guest Speakers www.covnet.org.uk

for more details check

A great chance to Meet other youth leadersin your area, be inspired, equipped & challenged to dream BIG dreams!!