Tuesday 10th January 2012 at 7:30pm
Emmanuel Church
Birkenhead
Wirral
CH41 6EY

Confirmation of Tuesday 10th January and not Thursday 10th as incorrectly suggested elsewhere.

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Please allow me to start by introducing myself; my name is Richard Dodd and I have the privilege of pioneering a new Primary School project which has been set up by Wirral YFC in partnership with Scripture Union. I wonder if I might take a few moments of your time to share the background of this exciting new venture and to encourage you with something of the heart and vision of our newest department.

The Background: In recent years the profile of Wirral YFC has grown considerably and this has lead to a huge increase in the number of enquiries from Primary schools. In lots of cases we have been able to put schools in touch with local churches who are passionate about their local school and have the capacity and resources to deliver some great school based work. However, in some areas there just aren’t the resources or people power available.

It’s not only primary schools who have been in touch; there have been calls from parents of Primary age children whose older siblings have been positively affected by YFC’s presence in Secondary schools and encouragement from many of our supporters who would like to see us make an impact at younger ages. Martin has also had a number of conversations with the leaders of various statutory organisations who would like to see us deliver our services at a Primary level.

After much thought and prayerful testing Martin and the Wirral YFC Trustees came to the conclusion that God was calling Wirral YFC to get involved in Primary Schools and that He was opening the doors to make this possible. They also felt that God was not calling Wirral YFC to be solely concerned with delivering Primary School work and that instead we should look to partner with others to train, resource, equip and encourage local Christians to invest in their local primary school. It was for this reason that we approached Scripture Union and asked if they would become our lead partner on this new venture. We would like to partner with you too! There are very nearly 100 Primary Schools in Wirral and so if we are genuine about making an impact then partnership with local churches is vital.

The Vision:  Our vision is to see highly motivated and well resourced local Christians investing relevantly and effectively in every Primary school in Wirral. In many schools this is already happening very well but it’s not the case everywhere. As such, we are looking to work with others to empower local Christians with everything they need to delivery high quality faith based lessons, assemblies and Extra-curricular activities within the schools in their area.

What Is Happening Right Now? We have no desire whatsoever to muscle in to schools where there is already a Christian presence and take over, indeed that would be a real faux pas strategically. As such our first move is to explore what is already happening and to learn from it and my aim over the next few months is to identify and meet with local Christians who are, or have been, involved in their local school in any capacity. If I should be chatting to you or somebody you know then please do get in touch with me.

Finally may I take this opportunity to thank you for your prayers and support; please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

Rich

Tickets on the door available – £5

The Band With No Name are set to say Farewell to Merseyside In June with an exclusive gig right here in Wirral. Just 200 people will be given the opportunity to attend this intimate farewell concert  that is taking place on the 25th June 2010 at the Wirral Christian Centre in Birkenhead. If you would like to be one of the special few please do get in touch with us.

Everyclick.com has launched a new way to donate which means you can search the web, shop on line from your favourite retailers, trade on eBay and raise money for Wirral Youth for Christ.

You get great search results from Yahoo!, content from leading shopping providers and access to all eBay auctions. Every search you make creates a donation for charity.

The special address is http://www.everyclick.com/wirral-youth-for-christ, all searches, shopping and eBay activity made from here will raise money for Wirral YFC.

Make sure you sign up so you can track your giving – it updates every 3 minutes, you’ll be amazed how quickly it adds up!

Everyclick has already raised over £1,184,558.16 for a wide range of charities around the UK, and Everyclick was voted website of the Year 2008 and has been recognised as a top 100 media tech company 2009.

Discover the new way to give to Wirral Youth for Christ.

For many years people have been under the impression that Christian churches are in competition with each other and with our society’s modern ways. The view presented is often that of an old, irrelevant, religious tradition that no longer has a significant role to play in life. We would like to ensure you that this is not the truth! The church in Wirral is working hard together and with others to make a positive impact on our communities. Pray for Wirral is just one expression of this and was born out of a desire to see our communities regenerated and revived socially, financially and spiritually.

Christians believe that prayer is powerful and that if we pray and ask God for His help he will heal our land. Pray for Wirral then is about Wirral Christians putting what they believe in to action for the good of the people and peninsular we love. Many different churches, Christian organisations and individuals are getting involved and each will bring their own distinct ‘flavour’ of prayer and worship.

Martin Dickson, the Director of Wirral Youth for Christ and the Pray for Wirral Co-ordinator writes,

“There is no agenda other than to inspire people to pray specifically for the Wirral… and all that could mean. My hope is that Pray for Wirral will play its own small part in reigniting our passion for prayer. I am also hoping that many people will be encouraged to spend more time with God. I am inspired by the stories of Moses’ encounters with God in Exodus. When Moses returned to the people after meeting with God in His glory the people noticed a tangible change in him both physically and spiritually. I am convinced that we too are noticeably changed when we spend time in God’s presence and that this must positively impact those around us. If Pray for Wirral inspires people to spend more time deliberately connecting with God, both individually and corporately, seeking His face and patiently waiting for His response I will be so pleased. The amazing thing is that we know God will respond; He says in 1 Chronicles 7.14 that if we humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our selfish ways, then He will hear from heaven and will forgive ours sin and He will heal our land. What an awesome promise!”

Although there are many aspects of the Pray for Wirral initiative the main focus is an ongoing series of well informed termly prayer updates with themes that are pertinent to the Wirral and its people. Each of these will be written by Christians with experience in the areas in questions and will include various related bible studies, prayer points and creative prayer ideas. The information will be sent to every church in the Wirral and made available to all via the pray for Wirral website; the impetus will then be with those who have received the information to use it in ways which best suit their context.

Pray for Wirral starts with a high profile launch week from the 17th – 23rd October 2010 which includes a launch event on the evening of Sunday 17th October 2010 at Woodchurch High School. For more details on the exciting plans for launch week and for a clearer picture of the people behind Pray for Wirral and the aims, objectives and plans for long term sustainability please do visit the Pray for Wirral website at http://prayforwirral.info, email admin@prayforwirral.info or call the Wirral Youth for Christ office on 0151 647 8400.

Here are the words of an insightful new song by Regina Spektor called Laughing With, it is the first single from her new album Far, due for release on the 26th June. I think we will be using in assemblies before long.

Laughing With: Regina Spektor

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
When they’re starving or freezing or so very poor…

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they’re ‘bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious