Worcester suburban mission seeks co-workers

Tolladine is an area in Worcester of acute multiple deprivation. Parts of it are ranked amongst the 2% most deprived in the latest government index of multiple deprivation. Around 10,000 people live there.

The Tolladine Mission in Worcester has been chosen as one of an initial group of 10 pathfinder projects funded by the Church Commissioners and Archbishops Council to ‘Develop Church Growth in Deprived Areas’. The mission hopes to do so in innovative ways which are capable of replication elsewhere.

One of the key concepts underpinning the Tolladine Mission is that it should include a group of people living closely together in the mission area, bound together by a common purpose and sharing a simple ‘rule of life’.

The mission is now inviting people to join this group. 

The mission began as church initiative engaging especially with the young people of the area. (35 % of the populations are children or teenagers.) It ran a breakdancing session in place of evensong on Sundays, ran ‘Open the Book’ sessions in all the local primary schools and prayed with open church doors on Monday evenings; and the young people came and joined in – sometimes chaotically. A young congregation and a number of baptisms and confirmations followed. In the second phase it has been able to employ a Church Army missioner. Together with his family he lives in the heart of the area and is building relationships with the community through his presence there and through projects such as building a community garden. (This has provided an ‘out-of-school’ opportunity for youth in the area with learning and behavioural difficulties, giving them - perhaps for the first time - a real sense of achievement and hope.) In much that the mission does, it works closely with the local authority who has designated Tolladine an ‘Area of Highest Need’.

At the same time, the practical responses to the needs of the community have gone hand in hand with developing more accessible forms of worship and the strengthening of the spiritual growth of the existing church. The next phase of the mission involves growing the residential aspect. At present the missioner and a candidate for pioneer ministry live and work in the area. From this September, however, the mission has secured another three bedroomed house.

The mission is now looking for people to live in the house who are willing to be points of Christian witness within Tolladine, demonstrating in their lives and by their openness and hospitality the value and challenge of the Christian way of life. They will form and observe a simple ‘rule of life’, and eat and pray together.

• They should be people who are seeking to spend some time in urban mission – at least 9 months, but ideally from two to five years, so that there will be a balance of time spans. 
• They may be men or women of any age from about 20 upwards who are prepared to live in a ‘house of sharing’. 
• They should be able to relate to young people. They should probably have, or be willing to seek, at least part-time employment, but we are able to offer rent-free living in exchange for a willingness to dedicate some of their spare time to the mission. 

The mission is supported by the Diocese of Worcester, the Church Mission Society, and the Church Army. It is managed by a support group which includes the incumbents of the three local parishes, Bishop Chris Mayfield and three lay members with relevant experience. It is financially secure for at least the next four years. It has links with Mucknell Abbey.

Malvern and Worcester Youth workshop

As a local voluntary, community and faith sector organisation working in Malvern Hills and Worcester, are you interested in getting more involved in providing services as part of Worcestershire’s Early Help Strategy?

4Children is funded by the Department for Education to work with 15 local authorities over two years to explore and remove barriers experienced by local voluntary, community and faith sector organisations in this sector. It also explores how the local authority commissioning processes and perceptions contribute to this experience.

 In Malvern the free workshop will be held on 3rd July 2012.

Registration is at 8.45am for a start at 9am to 1pm. (Venue to be confirmed)

 In Worcester the free workshop will be held on 4th July 2012.
Registration is at 8.45am for a start at 9am to 1pm. (Venue to be confirmed)

The workshop will be participatory through a mix of activities, discussions and speakers. These events and their findings will help shape the methods of future events run by Worcestershire County Council and help local voluntary, community and faith sector organisations assess their capacity for future commissioning opportunities.

If you are interested then please book by emailing rjanes@worcestershire.gov.uk with your name, full contact details, the name of your organisation and the support it offers. (Stating which event you wish to attend). John Alwyine-Mosely is the 4Children National Programme Lead - john.alwyine-mosely@4children.org.uk

Research request: Church of England Chaplains

Shane Waddle, a colleague from the Church Commissioners, is doing some research to support his studies at the University of Derby and is looking at assumptions and values together with changes to terms of service for clergy who happen to be employed following the introduction of Common Tenure.

He would be keen to hear from Church of England chaplains. His web based survey is available here:

Want to be part of theRoyal visit?

NOMINATIONS are still open for our search for unsung heroes to attend a special date with the Queen.

Last week newspapers across Worcestershire set out to find the unsung heroes of our local communities who could join the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee tour of the county.

They have secured agreement with the organisers to reserve about 300 places at Worcester Cathedral to join an invitation-only audience for the visit of Her Majesty on July 11.

Those chosen will join the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and other dignitaries to watch a special presentation about Worcestershire and will have a grandstand view of her unveiling a plaque to mark the momentous occasion.

Since launching the search, they have received nominations from across the county. They include all sorts of people whose actions have helped the lives of those around them. From charity fundraisers, to volunteers, teachers, carers, neighbours, youth workers, and those who have battled illness, you have been nominating your local heroes for our very special reward.

Buckingham Palace has been keen to ensure that those attending the jubilee celebrations should reflect the whole community, and the best in the community.

There’s still time to nominate your local hero. Just send in their name, address, any contact details you have on the special coupon (which you can download here), along with a ‘citation’ of four or five sentences explaining why you think they are local heroes deserving of royal recognition. You can write your ‘citation’ on a separate piece of plain paper, or email your application to roni.skye@worcesternews.co.uk.

Get your nomination to them at the address printed on the voucher by May 25 in time for us to choose the lucky 300, contact them and make the necessary arrangements.

 You can post it, or e-mail it to roni.skye@worcesternews.co.uk

Let’s honour the unsung heroes of our county. Get nominating now.

Funding Opportunity

Do you work with young people who have innovative, creative and exciting ideas for projects that will make their area a better place?

At Live UnLtd we provide the money and one-to-one support to make their ideas a reality... We are launching our Live UnLtd Summer of Great Ideas Campaign and are keen to receive applications from any young people who want to set up their own community impact project. The deadline for applications is 31st May 2012.

We back people aged 11-21 with cash & support to launch projects that can change their world for the better. Projects can be around any topic/issues that young people are interested in from the arts and sport to the environment or bullying. We have helped support inter-generational projects, start sports clubs, assist art and community projects and helped people start their own sustainable social enterprises.

All projects and enterprises are run by the young people themselves.

Support is available in the form of cash awards starting at around £500 which is used to start projects and pay for equipment etc.

You’ll also be given a dedicated Development Manager to help you with your project planning and budgeting. All of our support is free of charge.

Who can apply?
11+ yrs of age, Living in the UK

Applying as an individual or informal group, with your own idea.
This means that you cannot apply on behalf of an organisation. For example your school, youth club or youth centre.

Applications to UnLtd must meet the following criteria:

• Have a positive social impact on your community 
• Demonstrate that you have identified a problem and can explain how your project would tackle the problem 

Tell us what specific activities your project/enterprise includes and what you hope to achieve Provide a learning experience or opportunity for you the applicant

How do people apply?
Applicants between 11-21 years old need to fill in an enquiry form.
This can be found here.

Applicants over the age of 21 years old can request an application form by calling our regional office on 0121 766 4570.

More information can also be found here .

CONTACT US:
If you’d like more information on what we do or would like us to come and talk to colleagues/young people you work with please get in touch. Midlands: Sarah Brent (sarahbrent@unltd.org.uk) 0121 766 4570 or 07540 413 909 UnLtd is a registered charity, number 1090393 and our company registration number is 4180639.

Revive! Campaign from the Church of England Youth Council

For more info see their website

So You've Been Confirmed...What Next?

Book review of Living Your Confirmation by Pete Maidment and Bishop Paul Butler

This confirmation gift book is a wonderful conversation style text bringing together the voices of a Bishop and an experienced youth worker. these two voices bring different perspectives for the intended readers who have recently been confirmed.

Echoing words used in the Anglican Confirmation service, it offers the newly confirmed some great ideas for living out their newly confirmed  faith in private devotion and in public witness. They discuss meeting with other Christians for support and community with encouraging personal stories of being part of a running club and struggling with prayer - even when you're a bishop!

The format of the book is really appealing as it is easily portable and fits nicely in the hand with vibrant purple patterns that add interest but are not so overwhelming as to distract from the text. It was reviewed by teenagers before publication and I think it will certainly appeal to teen readers as do many of the cultural references to recent movies and online prayer resources. Although coming from a predominantly evangelical stance, it also draws from the rich heritage Christian tradition throughout the centuries from Biblical texts to St Patrick's Breastplate or ancient hymns like Come Holy Ghost Our Souls Inspire and Ignatian practices from the Jesuit tradition.

This is not just a comforting text but one which also challenges readers to act  on their faith in serving others, praying for people in different areas of life and talking to others about your faith.

It also offers further resources on an attractive partner website also called Living Your Confirmation.

I would certainly recommend this to churches and families to give to teenagers who have recently been confirmed and if I were preparing a group of teenagers at my church right now I would have bought more copies already !