This week we reached a milestone in becoming established and sustainable – that’s not to say that being permanent is everything, but it’s important to us that our work here can continue when we do leave.

And this week, we became a registered charity, number and all.

So here it is: 1143052

You can even look us up on the Charity Commission website under StreetSpace WSM

As I say, it’s not the be all and end all – but it will certainly help both our credibility and our funding applications, as well as more stable for everyone involved.

J Wheatley

I’m a fan of Pete Rollins work the unorthodox heretic, it’s a book of short stories and parables that makes the reader reflect on faith and life. It’s a great and challenging read, and a brilliant resource. We’ve used it several times, with both ourselves and groups (of both adults and young people) in varying settings, as an inspiration to get participants writing their own stories about their own contexts.

This week I’ve been sorting our my room before I go on holiday, and I came across a parable I’d written about our struggle with money and possessions here as a Christian community. I’d thought I’d post it here for you. Why not reply with your own parable.

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Blessed are the poor?

There was once two brothers, both were fishermen in a small seaside town. When they were young they both committed to a strong Christian faith, interpreting Jesus’ words for their own lives.

Remembering Jesus’ message that ‘blessed are the poor’, the first brother took the command to sell your possessions and give to the poor as a literal one. Each morning he would go down to the ship yard to find work, set out to sea, and catch a host of fish. At dusk, he would sail home and donate his entire share to the local homeless shelter. He would then join the queue of the hungry, homeless vagrants.

The second brother took a more reasoned approach. He would set out at dawn like his brother – but each evening he would take his catch home. He was a generous man, and would often entertain large groups, taking in those without into his home. But he always made sure he had enough for himself to live. Over time he found a wife and they had children. He remained a generous and kind man, but he would always ensure his family were fed before sharing the remainder.

When the two brothers were reunited at the gates of heaven to give account of their lives, the second brother spoke first. He told great stories of how he had helped those in hardship and despair, and how he had seen lives changed through sacrificial kindness.

The other brother, however, told a different story. He told of great personal hardship, forsaking family and luxury. He looked into the eyes of his brother, and wept. You have seen great transformations at your own kindness – but I have lived it. I have shared and suffered with the least of God’s children. I have experienced radical generosity first hand. And I have been blessed.

J Wheatley

Life has become a bit manic recently – Dave has bought a new house, I’m trying to find a new house mate/youth worker, and there is a wedding fast approaching. But I thought I’d take five minutes to share a quick story with you.

Just a couple of weeks ago we were blessed with £400 funding from the local diocese to release Sarah (our young volunteer, 13) into mission on the estate. Her brief is a picnic/food project creating space for conversation. So, on Sarah’s instruction, we armed ourselves with a cool bag full of ice creams and hit the streets.

We walked, and walked, and walked… the weather was fine and the sun out, but no young people. We tried all the usual spots. And then went round again. but no one. A tenner of ice creams wasted.

The only solution was to sit down and enjoy a mini milk in the fading sun. We picked a bench that overlooked the empty park, and tucked in. We were beginning to wonder what God was doing – how were we going to eat a whole bag of ice creams between the three of us?

The patterns of life here are intriguing – sometimes I can’t leave the house without being bombarded by shouts from people we know. And yet on another week (at the same time) we can walk for hours meeting no one. It is the way of detached youth work, and can be a humbling experience.

So – eating our mini milks – chatting in the sun – and three young people join us!! Woop Woop!

It’s what we prayed for – this is it!

They stumble across the park in a lazy fashion. They are dressed in Pyjamas – 7pm in the park, and they are dressed for bed? We know one of them, a friendly face. The other two are sceptical, but we exchange pleasantries.

Time for ice creams – Sarah hands round a mars ice each – we’re in, young people love food. We continue chatting about school, life, the bournville, the weather…  But these young people (all girls, aged about 12) are very giggly tonight; and they’re rolling round on the floor a lot – in fact when they get up to go, they can hardly stand. We check they are all right, and wish them a good evening.

It was a chance/divine encounter – but it leaves us concerned. we pray. It reminds us of the easy access young people in this area have to unhelpful substances. We don’t know if it’s cannabis, alcohol, energy drinks, or something else. We just record it, and are glad we had a chance to meet with them.

Please keep them, and us, in your prayers this week.

J Wheatley

After eight months of research, and about a months worth of writing, here is our community profile.

Funded by the National Lottery through the BIG Lottery Fund, it’s a profile of the area and a review of all the youth work and interviews we’ve done since we moved on to the Bournville. It highlights some key themes that impact young people here and proposes some ideas for future work.

(It’s a long read, so if you don’t have much time, start at the back)

Download it here: Snapshots of the Bournville, 2011 (Low Res)

Now this is finished, we might get back to blogging…

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Vocational Opportunity in Missional Community and Innovative Youth Work Project with Young People at Risk

We are a small youth work project on the socially under-privileged Bournville Estate, Weston-Super-Mare. We live as a community on the estate, and serve the local young people through regular detached work. The project is part of the Streetspace Network, and we have good links with the local church and the Church Mission Society.

We are looking for a committed individual with a long-term mindset to join us. The role would include living on the estate (sharing with other community members), participating in the community life of prayer and hospitality, and volunteering in the local youth project in a variety of ways. We would expect to negotiate specifics with the successful applicant depending on skills, experience and circumstance.

It is an unpaid post and those involved would be encouraged and free to find 15-30 hours additional part-time work both role-modelling healthy living and becoming financially self-sustaining.

All applications considered, although professional training in an associated discipline such as Youth and Community Work would be welcome. Applicants would be expected to profess a broad Christian faith with a missional outlook.

Find us online at: www.streetpilgrims.org.uk (or our Youth work at www.streetspacewsm.org.uk)

For more details contact John: email on info@streetpilgrims.org.uk, or telephone 01934 415323
Application Deadline: June 12^th 2011

I’m Bored! Everyone has said it. Boredom plagues us all.

I once remember my friend and lecturer telling me, halfway through a very dull committee meeting, that there is no such thing as a boring meeting; it’s just a meeting with nothing that personally interests you. His implication was that boredom (like a lot of other things) is a result of our own outlook, a symptom of the way we see the world.

Just this week, nn my way to the station, I was casually walking through the park opposite our house when I met a large group of young people playing football. They were all on half-term, and it seemed to me that they were fully taking advantage of the wonderful weather we’ve been having. I stopped to chat – I heard about one girls trip to hospital, appreciated another lad’s new hairstyle, caught up with a young man I’d not spoken to for a while – it was a really good encounter… but the thing that stood out for me the most, was that they were bored!

These young people had been on school holidays for two weeks, and they were thoroughly bored – they all said it. Clearly they had the creativity and energy to amuse themselves with a game of football, but somehow it wasn’t cutting it; when asked to reflect on their experience of ‘time-off’ all they could see was a period of time with nothing to do. One young lady told me she was even looking forward to going back to school – though they constantly tell us school is boring too.

Again, about two weeks ago, I was out on detached with Heather and Sarah, when we came across three young people with their head in a bin… what were they doing you ask? They were setting it on fire – no doubt boredom was the cause.

Young people here, and probably elsewhere too, have lost (or never had) the capacity to relieve their own boredom and acknowledge it as such. I hear a lot of people tell me that children today can’t create their own fun like children used to – but that’s simply not true. In the past six months we’ve experienced so many new, creative games invented by the same young people who tell us everything is boring.

Creating fun isn’t the issue – seeing it is. And so the question is: how do we, as youth workers and neighbours, encourage and teach young people to recognise their own creativity (and the other things they’re involved in) as not-boring, as vibrant, as alive?

We’re already part of a project exploring how we best use the summer holidays – but our work can’t just be about filling time, it must also be about changing lens. Taking off the boredom glasses, and putting on something new. And so in the next few weeks, as we begin to look to future planning, we’re looking not just for our opportunities, but for opportunities to teach about opportunities.

Ideas on a postcard

J Wheatley

We started this project stating that we would listen to the myths and stories of the estate for a year and attempt to find God already at work on it.  Tuning into the estate has meant walking the streets whatever the weather, attending local meetings, working with local agencies and even taking the young people for meals.  I have learnt so much this year, met so many new people, yet wonder if I’ll ever be able to stand alongside people here.  Like one of Martin Luther King’s disciples saying: “My people are humiliated”  or Mother Teresa of Calcutta saying: “My people are hungry”

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” Eph 2:19

Conversely God reminds Israel that they were once foreigners in Egypt, “Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you” Gen 21:23.  The voice of a foreigner is on the margins of any community and therefore is allowed to be different and can take risks introducing a different world view.  Jesus knew he never belonged to the earth and invites us to also view the powers and worries of today through his eyes.  Peter reminds us to live as foreigners wherever we are.

“Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear“. 1 Peter 1:17

So which do we strive to be -  A local alien?

D. Wilkie

Around the Beginning of March I had my car broken into. Nothing was taken, but it was still sad + costly. It has, however, been a great resource – an opportunity to talk with young people about money, justice and the local reputation. They even had a go at helping to fix the door!

Two week ends ago we made the epic journey up to Hull to hang out with some friends we’d made at Greenbelt – They had been talking about living in marginalised places… so we went to see them, and to hear their story, and spend time with like minded people. It was a great weekend. And if you’re at Greenbelt this year, come and hear them in the Kitchen venue!

Youth work has been going well here too. We’ve been cracking on with the community profile – and one resource we’ve been using is the magic lamp. Aspirations are low here, so we’ve been finding out what young people wish for. And apart from the usual Cocaine, Weed + Babes, there are a lot of mundane wishes like ‘a new bike inner tube’ or a ‘visit to the local woods’… so great ideas for projects there!

We’ve also led a CYM development day on community living – it was great to be back! And they were a great bunch of students (although I’m biased because Cathy was there!).

And finally, last weekend we went up to Birmingham for the Streetspace Gathering. It was great to spend time with teams from across the country. We met some old friends, made some new one, and came away inspired!

As you can see, it’s been busy – and there is loads more happening besides. For one, I’ve started a new job as Network and Research Activist for streetspace nationally… but above all, we’re getting our teeth into community life here. We’ve got a great team of volunteers, and we’re meeting some wonderful young people. Please keep us in your prayers. And we’d love to hear from…

John

Yesterday we had our first proper training event. Richard Passmore (Streetspace Director, from FYT) came down to deliver a great session on the process we use to identify groups of young people, and work with them towards becoming Church in their own culture (or Church-on-the-Edge as we call it). And one of the key discussions we had was on Donovan’s quote:

“In working with young people do not try to call them back to where they were, and do not call them to where you are as beautiful as that place may seem to you. You must have the courage to go with them to a new place neither you nor they have been before.”

We began to reflect on where we were as individuals, as volunteers and as a project; and then where or how we might be going WITH the young people we’re meeting. And, in part, it is these deep but practical questions of our own theology that we are struggling with as we discern how to move forward. Let me offer an example:

Recently we asked some young people to make a symbol using tea lights that was important to them; one young person made a cross and told us Jesus died for him. But he’d never been to church, and he didn’t really know the story. The question that faces us, is how can we re-imagine that old story for the current culture instead of just doing what we’ve always done, because that wouldn’t be a new place.

As we set-up our community here on the Bournville, we struggled with these notions of faith statements, creeds and theological stances – and we were ultimately unable to easily locate ourselves into the pre-defined boxes. Instead we identified three commitments that describe how we are choosing to live as authentic Christians.

My previous two posts(1 + 2) explored the first two, and today I am looking at the third, as the way in which we discern our questions and answers:

“A reliance on theological reflection, embracing scripture, culture and tradition, as the foundation of discerning missional practice.”

In searching for that new place , we are choosing to continually reflect, converse and discuss about what we believe God is asking us to do; drawing on the bible (Scripture), how Christians have traditionally understood their faith (Tradition (found in books + history)), and through what we see in the world around us (Culture) to inform and help us.

Some tell us this is a dangerous or risky commitment, because we might do something in a way that is different from how it’s always been done, or we might come to a conclusion that has been traditionally thought of as wrong – but we believe God is part of this journey too, and that he will guide our discussions and actions as we need him to.

This can often be taken up with the questions of which ideas to support, and which ideas to reject. But perhaps, in practice, it can be more worthwhile to decide which ideas you will implement – which ideas will change your life?

Our project here on the Bournville is about changing life – it’s not really about abstract thoughts, but about a practical, lived-out faith (or way-of-life). It’s about changing our own lives, and supporting those around us change theirs. We believe in the Kingdom of God, in a healing Shalom, and ultimately a different way of life – and really, that’s the new place we hope for.

So in the process of finding belief, finding a new place in your context, I urge you not to totally lose yourself in the abstract notions of an academic faith (as important as those endeavours are), but to live an idea. Whether it’s the Kingdom of God, a Utopian Dream, the goodness of humanity, or The Big Society… commit yourself to making it a lived reality, only then can believing change the world.

Here is Brene Brown on her fascinating idea to change the world: Vulnerability

J Wheatley

“The road is full of surprise and a place, if we are open to it, of learning” (Adams I., Cave, Refectory, Road, p36)

Detached youth work literally takes us onto the road in the afternoon and evenings.  Sometimes on a dark evening, it is an intimidating experience to enter a space when you don’t recognise the young people, they are suspicious of us, us of them, worried if we’ll be rejected… the list goes on.

Yet if you can overcome these fears there is a surprise waiting.  In my 6 years of doing youth detached work I have only met young people who are surprisingly ok with you being there.  Sometimes it’s merely a hello, other times a conversation or even an invite to enter into a game.  I have therefore had to relearn what much of our media and society think of young people.

“Every place is holy; every place can be an encounter with the divine.” (Adams, p37)

It takes faith to believe that every place on the Bournville is holy; every place on the Bournville can be an encounter with the divine.  (Try inserting your neighbourhood)

God is asking for a change to our world view.  To see the whole of our area, even its weak points, as sacred space, otherwise we might miss out on an encounter with the divine.

The experience of the road has the opportunity to change us.  This Christmas, John returned from his time with family stating, “Reading high street has changed!  I was looking at everyone, seeking eye contact, a hello, anything and it has changed my view of the place”.  The experience of walking many hours in our local neighbourhood, often meeting no one, has meant that we have become trainined to seek encounter.  Maybe that was why Jesus trained his disciples by sending them out in pairs (Mt. 10:9-15), to live and breathe the message by travelling.

D Wilkie