The walkers started up ‘the Ben’ at 5pm as planned and were in good spirits making good time. However the expected rain began about 15 minutes later and quickly turned very heavy. It was at this point both tracking devices failed with water damage as the team’s water proof jackets and bags gave in under the force of the wind driven torrent. Apologies for any disappointment caused by this!

While other teams where being pulled off the mountain by the RAF Search and Rescue Helicopter (only feet in front of our guys at one point) our guys soldiered on and completed Stage 1 in around 7 hours finishing saturated and cold in the dark mist.

The overnight drive through the highlands was perilous and unavoidably slow particularly at Glen Coe which had begun to flood and so our hope to complete in under 24hrs was already looking out of our reach. Despite this disappointment, the walkers felt it was right to honour all those who had so kindly sponsored us and so we headed down the M6 for Scafell Pike in the Lake District.

On arrival at the foot of Scafell at 7:30am we were greeted by worse conditions than those at Ben Nevis. Aborting the challenge as this stage was discussed but as members of other teams began to drop out every member of the 6 person strong Wirral YFC walking team pulled on their drenched gear, stocked up on Mars Bars and set off in to the gale-force winds and horizontal rain.

Just over three hours later the walkers reached the summit of Scafell and after a brief rest at the top they returned back down for the journey to Snowdon in North Wales. Although 24hrs was now impossible we headed to Snowdonia feeling proud that the walkers had managed to complete 2 of the 3 peaks in conditions were most other would have simply given up.

As we drove along the A55 and in to Snowdonia the foreboding peak of Snowdon became clear and we all breathed a sigh of relief on discovering that the top was clear of cloud and rain. Taking the Pyg path the walkers set off up their last peak. Sam and Richard Williams reached the top in a stunningly fast time and still had the energy to run the last mile of the Miner’s path back to the minibus hurdling the car park gate to finish in a total time of just over 29 hours. Given the conditions this was simply incredible!

Sarah Hockley and Christine Rushworth arrived around an hour later after a mammoth effort and finally Brendan Gillooliy and Joel Hockley arrived to great applause with heads held high as darkness set in.

The whole team worked so hard and while we would have liked to have completed the challenge in under 24hrs we are all still very pleased. It is a huge achievement to climb one of the peaks individually; to climb all three in 30 hours in horrendous conditions is amazing.

A huge thank you to all who sponsored to walkers and helped us raise nearly £3000 to take good news relevantly to more young people in Wirral. If you have not yet sponsored the team and would like to please do get in touch.

Pictures to follow shortly!

On the 9th July 2010 Sarah, two young people, our Chair of Trustees and two of our supporters will be setting heading for Fort William to take part in the National Three Peaks Challenge, a mountain-endurance challenge in which participants attempt to climb the highest peaks of each of the island’s three countries.

Whilst the challenge has no official rules or time restrictions, many participants, our team included, will try  complete the challenge within 24 hours using motorised transport to travel between the mountains.

The mountains climbed, in order of elevation, are Ben Nevis in Western Scotland, 1,344 metres (4,409 ft), Snowdon in North Wales, 1,085 metres (3,560 ft), and Scafell Pike in North-Western England, 978 metres (3,209 ft). In all the challenge involves some 42 kilometres (26 mi) of ascent and descent, and a round trip of nearly 900 miles.

We will be leaving on Friday the 9th July and spending the night in Fort William before starting the clock at 5pm as the team leaves for the summit of Ben Nevis.  24 hours, and some 900 miles of driving later, the team hopes to be standing on the top of Snowdon in North Wales having climbed to the peak of Scafell pike on the way.

• Sponsor the team online here: http://dld.bz/3peaks-sponsor-us
• Track the team live here: http://3peaks.wirralyfc.org.uk/track/
• Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=136340556382189&v=wall&ref=ts
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wyfc_3peaks
• Get 3 Peaks updates via SMS by texting follow WYFC_3Peaks to 86444 in the UK – charges apply

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.

The next Catalyst will be taking place on the 21st February at St Michael and All Angels in Newton, West Kirby.

• Start: 8:00pm – Finish: 9:00pm,
• Worship led by Jonny Brennan from YP2,
• Creative Prayers led by Aimee Farlam from Chester College
• Martin Dickson speaking.

For more details about Catalyst go here.

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

We are currently looking for as many people as possible to join us on the sponsored Wirral Coastal Walk which is being held on the 23rd May 2010. This annual event run by the Rotary Club of North Wirral gathered 4,500 walkers last year and raised an estimated £330,000 for numerous charities and good causes.

This year we would like to raise somewhere in the region of £5,000 for our work with young people in Wirral and we would like you to help us make it happen. Please do consider walking with us.

As well as having the satisfaction of completing the walk in the knowledge that you have helped WYFC in their mission to take good news relevantly to every young person in Wirral, you will also get:

• A map of the course (your choice of 5,10, 13 or 15 miles)
• An official sponsorship form
• Free refreshment stops along the way
• A Wirral YFC 2010 Coastal Walk team hoodie (or T-shirt if you would prefer)
• A Wirral YFC commemorative mug
• £10 gift voucher
• A certificate/thank you from the Wirral YFC Director, Martin Dickson

Should you wish to take part please do get in touch. We need to have final numbers by the end of April.

One of the best things about the YFC Staff Conference is the opportunity to network with a huge variety of people who bring vastly different perspectives, experiences and methodologies to a united mission – the declaration and demonstration of the gospel to the young people of the Great Britain.

This year Martin met Nick Shepherd who is the Leader of the Centre for Youth Ministry and he provided some very interesting food for thought with a simple question,”Does the mission look like Superman or Robin Hood?” – The answer has some huge implications! As Martin continues:

Superman is a super hero whose mission is to save people from a corrupt world. He steps in and rescues people from their problems.

Robin Hood is a heroic rebel whose mission is to fight on behalf of justice, peace, freedom and truth. He provides for those in need and seeks to uphold the values of the kingdom against oppression until the king returns. He sets people free from the clutches of their corrupt masters in the process.

Jesus was, and is, both and the implied nature of Nick’s challenge was ‘are you sure Wirral YFC are both too?’

Wirral YFC are primarily Proclamational Evangelists, to put it simply we tell as many young people as possible the truth about themselves as people who were created by a loving God (Jesus and Paul often told people who and what they were in God’s eyes before they told them how to behave), the nature of sin, the relevance of Jesus and particularly the Atonement. As such we affirm, or engage, in something of a ‘Superman’ mission. We present Jesus a future, almost eschatological, means of salvation from a corrupt and sinful world and I think Paul did something  similar – Paul’s gospel message was ‘I was a sinner who needed to be saved and because of my trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection I have been saved, I am saved and I will be saved’. I had always thought this was the gospel but now I need to reconsider – is the gospel more Robin Hood than this? Future salvation when the physical body dies is certainly gospel truth, but what of the ‘Kingdom Come’ now, is that part of the gospel too?

What would it mean if our thinking shifted to a Robin Hood style of mission; there are many who would suggest that this is more like the mission Jesus defined for the church? A Robin Hood style of mission would certainly see us sharing the gospel with less young people each year, of that I am certain. Proclamational Evangelism would still figure but it would also see us looking for ways to provide for young people who are from deprived families, or no families for that matter. It would mean more time spent fighting for youth justice perhaps by advocating or lobbying at local government level on young people’s behalf. It might also mean providing more drop in centers, diversionary activities, ASDAN support and one-to-one counseling.

But then the specific call God gave to the founders of Wirral YFC comes to mind. The call is not to be Superman, or Robin Hood, or any other analogy, metaphor or typology for describing mission. The call is obedience! Jesus I am sure does call the Church to a mission of massive scope, its paradigm not any task or calling but Christ himself… But Wirral YFC were never called to be the/a church, nor are we Parachurch I hasten to add; instead Wirral YFC are one part of the body of Christ – part of the Ecclesia. An evangelism focused, ‘superman mission’ styled part of a much bigger body that God has used mighty over the past 20 years to share the good news of the atonement with many many 1,000′s of Wirral’s young people.

I would love to hear what you think?