Community Living



Me in the Big Top



I’ve just got back from spending 5 days in Shepton Mallet at Momentum. Momentum is a Christian festival for those in their 20’s and 30’s and run by Soul Survivor. Thousands of 20 and 30 somethings gathered for worship, teaching, ministry, seminars, and social activities, and God met with us incredibly.

I’ve attended the Soul Survivor events before as a youth leader, but this was my first time at Momentum. It was fantastic to go and be able to soak in God at the end of what has been a great 13 months in role.

The theme that kept rising to the surface during the week was about doing life as a community. For many years, the culture we live in has focussed on individualistic needs.

Life is all about what I want. What I need. What others can do for me.

And the more we engage with social networking sites, plug in our headphones, and play on our phones, we are becoming more and more disengaged from the depth and benefits of good friendships and communities.

More and more people feel lonely, while according to their facebook they have hundreds of friends!

I’ve experienced this loneliness. Moving away to a new city where I knew no one left me feeling lonely for a long time.

My main support and community was still up north.

Fortunately, I have since found a good group of friends (who I went to Momentum with).

But life gets hard when you don’t have that community around you. And our corps/churches are the first place we should find this community. God’s plan is for us to be in community. God himself is even in community! If its good enough for God, it’s good enough for us! And it’s a command of Jesus:

34 “I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.”John 13:34-35 (NCV)

The Bible is full of verses about how we can love one another and the importance of building community. Just type ‘Bible verse’ and ‘community’ into google and see the results!
But how do we build community? What if our churches aren’t places we feel supported, but a place where no one truly knows us and we feel lonely?

Start by getting to know people in the congregation! Do you go out of your way to ask people in the corps how they are, and truly want to know? Do you know what their concerns are? What good things have happened recently? By starting conversations and taking genuine interest in each others lives we begin to build community. To all the young people that read this blog, if you don’t feel comfortable speaking to the adults just yet, start with each other! You may be surprised how much you discover about each other! Why not start by spending a few minutes at the start of your group by asking what you can pray for in each others lives, or what the best thing of their week has been?

As well as community in our churches, it’s good to develop support and community outside those places. The groups and clubs we attend are often crying out for a greater sense of community. Everyone can come and meet each week, but all we do and talk about is the activity we’re engaged in. We can attend for months, years even, without knowing what is happening in the person’s life who sits next to you. And they can know just as little about us! We can’t expect community to develop on its own.

Someone has to start.

By taking the first steps, engaging people in conversation that goes beyond the mundane, we can develop community. Or how about organising some time with the group outside the normal time?

And remember to pray. Through praying for our corps and other groups we are a part of, for the people within them, for the things they share with us when we engage them in conversation, we will start to develop community.

Submerge: Go Deeper (EMASS 2013)

Another EMASS (East Midlands & Anglia Summer School) has come and passed! And once again the week was packed full of fun, fellowship, and worship. Our theme this year was ‘Submerge: Go Deeper’, so there was a lot of water games, water bombs, and water-y teaching. Want to know more? Well keep on reading for the highlights!

Sunday – The sun shone once again over registration as students arrived, unpacked, auditioned and said hello to old friends. Once everyone was registered, the school gathered for the welcome meeting.

In the evening, we were privileged to welcome the new Territorial Youth Secretary, Mike Lloyd-Jones, to the school who set us up for the week and shared something or his hopes for his time as TYS.

The teaching focus for Monday was on Jesus inviting us to share in the life-giving water he offers, and how once we accept this invitation, we will have a more vibrant life. Students were given the opportunity to accept this invitation by filling in some party invites and returning them to the front of the hall as their ‘rsvp’.

Monday evening was Games Night! All the games took on a water-y theme, and had bonus points available for completing extra tasks, such as ‘sing a song about fishing while completing the game’, or ‘sing the theme from the dambusters’. Games included; breath holding; water bomb throwing (without breaking), and flappy fish.

Tuesday saw the return of the Sports Day. Five teams ran, threw, and jumped their way through a number of races to compete for the title of ‘EMASS Champions 2013’.

Tuesday also saw a new addition to the EMASS timetable – Water fight! Students and staff were kitted out with water pistols, sponges, and water bombs for an intense, 30 minute battle! Fighting was fierce and no one was safe! Within a few minutes, everyone was soaked to the bone, but that didn’t stop them! Chaos erupted, and eventually even big, black bins were filled with water and tipped over staff. Although dripping wet by the end, everyone helped clear up quickly and all were soon on their way back to their houses to shower and warm up.

On Wednesday evening, parents and friends were invited to join us for an evening with Steve Price, illusionist. The crowd ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘awh-ed’ in wonder at his tricks, and Steve shared about his faith. More information on Steve Price can be found on his website at www.stevepriceillusions.co.uk/

The morning teaching focussed on why, as Christians, we should serve others, and what our motivation should be. Students were encouraged to think what small actions they could take to serve others when they were at home in their ordinary lives.

Thursday featured the annual EMASS talent night. While a fewer number of performances than in previous years took part, the quality was just as spectacular! Acts included; a vocal quartet, a duet, pea shooting, a Busted tribute act, worship band, and a special staff item. Plus a rousing rendition of ‘Lean forward, lean backward’ by the crowd between acts.

The teaching focused on how Jesus can bring healing to our lives and gave students the opportunity to receive prayer for this.

Friday – Students were encouraged to think about finding time to ‘Soak’ in God outside of events like summer school so they could keep their enthusiasm high and spiritual needs in check. The teaching showed how taking this time is necessary, otherwise they can not share with others what they don’t have themselves.

The Big Night In theme was ‘Titanic’, and at least four ships turned up! There were also scuba divers, a number of Jack Dawsons’, a string ensemble, a penguin, plus many more fantastic costumes!

All too soon, Saturday came around. The worship offered a chance for students and staff to share testimonies about the week; what God had been saying and doing in their lives. It was a huge encouragement to see their responses.

The final celebration went off with a bang! The school started with a flash mob, and the rest of the evening showcased the amazing week we had shared together.

Did you come to EMASS? What were your highlights?