I don't know that I've ever been more excited about something than this. We seem to have stumbled into the path of God and I find myself watching this beautiful part of creation unfold with more beauty than a blossiming flower or newborn baby. I don't think my words can even begin to capture the excitement so I am posting a message from my friend who is deeper in the heart of this than I am.
From: Lucy Fishenden
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 2:18 PM
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 2:18 PM
Subject: Another trip!
Dear All,
From some amazing conversations at and after Focus we are launching something that will be an expression of church with the young people. They say they want to start something different and come together to explore what church is for them. Church is boring and dull and they really do not want to go - but they do want to know this Jesus we keep speaking about! This is really exciting but pretty nerve wracking too, I feel I can't see a step further than I am taking right now! We would all love your prayers!
This is not just a another small group or mid-week gathering of youth and us to lead it, it's about being church with them all through the week. All through the years. The early Christians met daily, they shared their lives with one another and practiced what it really meant to be followers of Christ together. We want to practice with them. Doing life together praying about where we all put our tithe - our sacrifice, in the pot and pray where were it should go. What's in my fridge belongs to you. When one of them wants to talk till 4pm, you do it. Eating together and sharing ideas, stories, pain and laughter. Wrestling with God's word together and sharing it bravely with others at whatever cost to us.
I feel this is something precious and fragile and have seen what happens when you get it wrong. I have spent three years trying to do something like this and all groups have never really had any life in them. These young people are now saying they want to do something different, try church their style whatever that looks like - figuring it out together. Not us planting or superimposing what we know onto a new group or leading them to where we are or where we want or think they should be. And we are not their culture, we can try and get in it as much as possible and join in the journey but fundamentally we are participating in a glorious thing God is and will do. Our role is not to lead - we don't know where it is going! But to walk with them whilst they discover their expression of church within their culture and praying praying praying. Praying God would release his gifts wildly among them, praying for the leaders of the group to emerge, praying Jesus would dwell among us and teach us how to follow him together, praying we would see his kingdom come in our lives and in the lives of those around us, praying God would do the unimaginable within us - that he would set our hearts on fire for his cause and that love would flow crazily between us like the most incredible family ever seen. Praying this estate would catch that flame and be changed dramatically, radically and permanently. Sound familiar?!
This is life with these young people, we want them to know they fit into a body, that they are becoming part of that body - our disciples look pretty unusual too! They don't naturally fit into what we know of as church but they do fit into Church. Somewhere somehow there will be a connection - we are all the body. But for these rough, unique teenagers church is not appealing so we need to figure something out - Jesus did it. They will challenge what we think we know and they can take this somewhere we don't and can't.
I am hanging to God like nothing else right now - I don't know where this is or will go but I see where it could go and that is the vision - an army of young people passionately pursuing Jesus and transforming their own community. Please do pray for wisdom, bucket loads of it!
We launch this new idea with a holiday with 12 of them - funny that! We are going camping and doing all sorts of fun things. Do pray that it is a blessing and that God uses this to start us all off on the right track giving each of us a chance to explore our gifts and talents.
Any ideas, points, wisdom any of you may have I would LOVE to hear!
THANKYOU! Big blessings to you all x
Love Lucy xxx
Dear All,
From some amazing conversations at and after Focus we are launching something that will be an expression of church with the young people. They say they want to start something different and come together to explore what church is for them. Church is boring and dull and they really do not want to go - but they do want to know this Jesus we keep speaking about! This is really exciting but pretty nerve wracking too, I feel I can't see a step further than I am taking right now! We would all love your prayers!
This is not just a another small group or mid-week gathering of youth and us to lead it, it's about being church with them all through the week. All through the years. The early Christians met daily, they shared their lives with one another and practiced what it really meant to be followers of Christ together. We want to practice with them. Doing life together praying about where we all put our tithe - our sacrifice, in the pot and pray where were it should go. What's in my fridge belongs to you. When one of them wants to talk till 4pm, you do it. Eating together and sharing ideas, stories, pain and laughter. Wrestling with God's word together and sharing it bravely with others at whatever cost to us.
I feel this is something precious and fragile and have seen what happens when you get it wrong. I have spent three years trying to do something like this and all groups have never really had any life in them. These young people are now saying they want to do something different, try church their style whatever that looks like - figuring it out together. Not us planting or superimposing what we know onto a new group or leading them to where we are or where we want or think they should be. And we are not their culture, we can try and get in it as much as possible and join in the journey but fundamentally we are participating in a glorious thing God is and will do. Our role is not to lead - we don't know where it is going! But to walk with them whilst they discover their expression of church within their culture and praying praying praying. Praying God would release his gifts wildly among them, praying for the leaders of the group to emerge, praying Jesus would dwell among us and teach us how to follow him together, praying we would see his kingdom come in our lives and in the lives of those around us, praying God would do the unimaginable within us - that he would set our hearts on fire for his cause and that love would flow crazily between us like the most incredible family ever seen. Praying this estate would catch that flame and be changed dramatically, radically and permanently. Sound familiar?!
This is life with these young people, we want them to know they fit into a body, that they are becoming part of that body - our disciples look pretty unusual too! They don't naturally fit into what we know of as church but they do fit into Church. Somewhere somehow there will be a connection - we are all the body. But for these rough, unique teenagers church is not appealing so we need to figure something out - Jesus did it. They will challenge what we think we know and they can take this somewhere we don't and can't.
I am hanging to God like nothing else right now - I don't know where this is or will go but I see where it could go and that is the vision - an army of young people passionately pursuing Jesus and transforming their own community. Please do pray for wisdom, bucket loads of it!
We launch this new idea with a holiday with 12 of them - funny that! We are going camping and doing all sorts of fun things. Do pray that it is a blessing and that God uses this to start us all off on the right track giving each of us a chance to explore our gifts and talents.
Any ideas, points, wisdom any of you may have I would LOVE to hear!
THANKYOU! Big blessings to you all x
Love Lucy xxx
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