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.

Visit http://www.be1percent.org.uk/ to play the game and find out how to be 1%

Wirral Romance Academy is a unique 12 week intervention project which addresses the underlying causes of risky youth behaviour by promoting the value of stable relationships. The course is delivered from a Christian perspective and helps young people grow in confidence, wisdom and maturity. The work is rooted in a genuine love for young people, a radical commitment to helping them think through their choices, and a whole hearted passion that they would live fulfilled lives.

If you would like to vote please visit http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/2414

Many thanks,

Martin

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

As you may have heard, the start of September saw the launch of Wirral YFC’s new health and social education department DARA (Drugs, Alcohol and Relationship Advice). I am very excited to be leading the development of this much needed project on Wirral. The project aims to help young people make good, wise and mature choices around the issues they struggle with in relation to their physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. This will be done by:

• Offering all Wirral schools drug, alcohol and relationship education,
• Pioneering a mentoring scheme
• Further development of the Romance Academy in and out of schools.

If you would like to see some more information on DARA and Romance Academy, and the vision and heart behind it, then please visit our new website at www.wirraldara.org.uk.

I really believe that as Christians we are called to respond to the world’s needs and drug misuse and relationships breakdown is one need I feel God has called me to do something about! National and local statistics show that Wirral has some of the highest rates of unplanned teenage pregnancy in Europe and so the need for this project is clear. However, it is the stories of the individuals we meet that most compels me. I have met many young women who have had multiple sexual partners and many failed relationships simply because they just want to find ‘anybody’ to tell them they are loved or to make them feel special. I have also met many young men who feel they need to ‘conquer’ as many young women as they can in order to be respected by their peers.

Statistics also show that we have some of the highest rates of cannabis use and binge drinking amongst young people in Europe, and that in the UK alone around 13,000 young people are admitted to hospital each year with alcohol related injuries (HM Government Drug Strategy 2010). One of the ways the government plans to reduce the demand for drugs is through the provision of good quality education. This is what DARA will seek to do on Wirral. Be a part of the solution!

Through this God given project we believe that we will see real change and I would very much value your prayers!

• Please pray for Godly wisdom in all the decisions I make.
• Please pray that we will easily make good contacts with schools on Wirral (Secondary and now Primary too!).
• Pray for the young people who will hear our message of hope
• Please prayerfully consider supporting us financially, we have really stepped out in faith on this project

Thank you so much for all your support and prayers. They really do make a difference in the lives of the young people we work with. We really couldn’t do it without you. Please continue to pray for me and the new DARA project.

Zoe Abernethy

What are you and your church doing for Youth Sunday 2011? We would love to hear your plans.

http://youthsunday.prayforyoungpeople.info/

From Youth Sunday on the 11th September 2011 to Sunday 18th September 2011 churches from across the Mersey Region will be praying specifically for young people.

As well as large prayer events happening all over the region, smaller groups and individuals will all be spending time interceding on behalf of young people, their youth leaders, their teachers and those who make the key decisions that effect them.

Nearer the time we will make a number of resources available to you so you can be part of this very special week and we will be publicising information about the various events in the weeks and months to come.

So what will you and your Church be doing for the Mersey Region Week of Prayer For Young People, 11th-17th September 2011? And for Youth Sunday – 11th September 2011? We would love to hear your plans.

For more information please visit http://prayforyoungpeople.info/