visits

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The last few days I have been feeling more my normal self and getting into the swing of things again. This Easter has been weird and so stretched out that it has been difficult to visit or contact people – hope schools can manage to get this together for next year.

Last night I had a great time with the trustees from Aylesbury Vale YFC – a group of people with clear maturity and strategic vision who are enabling Dave, their director, to get involved with some pretty exciting stuff. They are now running 6 youth cafe’s which is pretty amazing. Trustee meeting are not the most exciting of events, but I came away from this group excited and inspired, remembering again how exciting and what a privilege this role can be.

This morning I was able to cacth up with Lyndsay from Chislehurst YFC – another great person to be with. Lyndsay is looking for a youth worker to join her and the closing date is Tuesday – if you know anyone give them a shout as this will be a great opportunity. You can see the advert here.

I’m looking forward to the weekend now – the weather looks bad, and we have still not fully recovered health wise as a family, so it looks like London is on hold – but i’m sure we’ll find stuff to do .. maybe some visiting!

MBS time again …

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I had a long day in London yesterday which ended with me meeting up with a few people including Jonny and Ian to talk about the stall we are running at the Mind Body Spirit fair this year.

As Dekhomai we have been involved in this for the last 3 years now and we were sharing ideas and stories last night I found myself again getting excited by what we are able to do at these events. I love engaging with these people as many are genuinely searching for a real experience.

It’s also, for me, quite a nervy experience but one I wish to stay involved in. I’m always totally out of my comfort zone, totally out of my experience base, and totally reliant on God. Last night we did some low key training with the Jesus Deck and using this does really take me right out of comfortableness as this is the riskiest thing we do in terms of not being in control and needing to trust God.

The MBS fair is still a few weeks away yet I can feel myself getting exited again …

The Greatest Job in the world!

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People who are sad enough to read this regularly (you really need to get out more!) will know how regularly I comment on how much I love my current role with YFC. It really is the best job there is.

Well … I’ll be leaving in a few months so this could be your chance to grab this great role:


LOCAL MINISTRIES SENIOR MANAGER
We are looking for someone with good initiative, interpersonal and communication skills who have an active personal Christian faith with a heart for young people and the proclamation of the gospel. You should be a person of prayer who is in good standing with the local church and the wider community.

Experience in leading, managing and directing people, setting up new projects and maintaining existing ones, budget control and knowledge of the issues faced by people in ministry and youth ministry would be helpful. An ability to analyse reports and take appropriate action is essential.

Salary in the range of £20,842 to £26,200 depending on experience

Closing date: 01 June 2008

Interview date to be arranged

You can more details from the jobs section on the YFC website

Amnesty update on executions

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I’ve cut and paste below the latest update from Amnesty International – can someone please tell or remind me WHY ON EARTH we are holding the greatest inclusive sporting event there is in one of the most oppressive countries in the world!!?? The Amnesty statement here makes little mention of China, but the figures speak for themselves – at a very conservative estimate

At least of 1,252 people were executed (in 24 countries) last year we think it has executed 470 fathers, or mothers, or sons or daughters. This is horrible and yet we are surely condoning this behaviour by allowing these executers to make money out of this event.

The big five were: China (470+), Iran (317+), Saudi Arabia (143+), Pakistan (135+), USA (42) – the ‘plus’ symbol is a warning, though: because of secrecy, these are only minimum figures. China, for example, refuses to publish execution statistics.

At least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in over 50 countries

There are now up to 27,500 people on death row around the world

Read the full story – including about how a man was publicly stoned to death for adultery in Iran, another was beheaded for sorcery in Saudi Arabia, and how the United States released its 124th innocent prisoner from death row since 1973 while recently going a record six months without an execution. Our blog on the issue is here.

If you agree that the death penalty is cruel, unnecessary and about as relevant to modern justice as burning “witches” or heretics, then the “unofficial moratorium” in the US is encouraging news and Amnesty is now supporting a United Nations initiative to get a worldwide halt on all executions around the world. Read more about the moratorium here.

Birthdays

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It was my birthday earlier in the week – 43 yet for many of you I know this will be so hard to believe due to my youthful looks and playful attitude to life! But … alas ’tis true!

The day started poorly as I was ill th night before and went to bed at 6.30pm only to wake up in the morning still ill enough to feel the need to go to the doctor.

When I opened my cards and presents, though, I was given a great incentive to get better quickly as they had secretly bought tickets for all of us to go and see Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph in London that evening.

It was a fantastic show – a big thank you for my wonderful family and a massive RESPECT for being able to keep that so secret from me for so long – I never had a clue!

Prior to that on the Saturday before Tom had arranged for a birthday greeting to be given out over the tannoy at Gillingham’s home of football before the match started.

As well as Joseph tickets my wonderful brother and sister in law bought me tickets to see Lady of Burma in Maidstone – I’ll obviously be looking forward to that – what an amazing present!

And yesterday I was able to meet up with a good friend over a beer and opened still more cool presents!

As I look back I feel as amazed as Joseph must have when he received that coat – just hope and pray no one’s gonna pick me up and through me in a pit now!

Thank you

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I’ve not blogged in ages – a mixture of unexpected illness and then a SEITE training week away has kept me away from the laptop. I’m still not properly well today and so unsure when SHP will be back to normal – hopefully in not too long a time.

The blog world is great – and I’d like to thank those of you who have emailed to see if I am ok resulting from a lack of words here. I’m touched and feel quite privileged to be part of such a community.

One problem with a forced and unexpected blog fast is that I now have far too many thoughts, reflections and words in my head which I need to get out. When these are in some logical order you will be the first to know!

Burma Torch Protest

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I can’t get to this as I will be only 24 hours into my SEITE 8 day residential school in Canterbury. If I wasn’t I would be at this event.

I was both appalled and disappointed with the words of one of my childhood Heroes, Seb Coe, last week when he was asked in interview why we were going to the Olympics held in a country that has some of the worse human rights violations occuring today. He said something along the lines of ‘we must remember that the only people who lose out if we were to boycott or not support are the athletes themselves who have been training year after year for this event.’

Seb – I think you need to realise that the millions that the Chinese government make from this event will not going to help people, or even Chinese athletes – it will be going to recruiting more soldiers, more arms, and be used to continue to oppress innocent people both within the without the borders of China.

It’s totally shocking that the world and the Olympic Committee said it expected to see an improvement in how China deals with people before the Olympics started to see that no such improvement has occured and that we are happy to turn a blind eye to it.

anyway … please read the following Burma update:

Dear friend

This Sunday protest against China’s support for the Burmese regime as the Olympic Torch comes to London:

Date: This Sunday – 6th April
Time: 12:30-1:30
Location: Opposite Downing Street, at junction of Whitehall and Richmond Terrace,
Map here
Nearest Tube: Westminster
See the location here

On Sunday the Burma Campaign UK and the Burmese community will be highlighting China’s continued support for Burma’s brutal regime by holding
a peaceful protest as the Olympic Torch comes to London.

Why China?
China arms the regime, supplying weapons, bullets and military vehicles to the brutal army.
China finances the regime , by signing deals in the oil, gas, hydro-electric and mining sectors china provides the regime with an economic lifeline.
China protects the regime by blocking UN Security Council action on Burma

By providing economic, political and logistical support China is helping to keep the brutal generals in power in Burma.

Join us this Sunday at 12:30. The torch only passes once so make sure you get there on time!
See the location here

All the best and thanks for your support.

Anna Roberts
The Burma Campaign UK

cofE excitement

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It’s an exciting day in the Church of England today as BMO’s become church law. Jonny has blogged superbley here so there is no need to repeat stuff.

This excites me though as in just a few years the Church of England has made a massive change all in the name of mission – the people behind the scenes that have been doing the hard work need our thanks and ongoing prayers.

The people in the spotlight, such as Archbishop Rowan, need our prayers as well as a lot of this could not have happened without his encouragement and enablement. It seems to me in a few years he has enabled structures to change with will allow us to reach people with not just a relevant gospel, but allow us to develop relevant way to live it out as well.

ASsI said – an exciting day – and who would have guessed an ‘old dinosaue’ like the Church of England would be the group taking the lead here!

God’s full of surprises!

Amnesty update on counter terrorism bill

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Tuesday 1 April sees the second reading of the Counter-Terrorism Bill. The government wants to allow police to lock people up for six weeks without even charging them with an offence – a proposal that would undermine civil liberties, damage community relations and have a seriously damaging effect on any individuals who were affected.

We’re asking people to sign the “Not a day longer” e-petition calling on the government to abandon plans to extend the time for which police can hold terrorism suspects without charge.

The petition is on the No.10 website

The Independent is running a story on this today and Sunny Hurndal’s Liberal Conspiracy site has spearheaded the campaign against 42 days. We’ve got a press release out on the issue too – you can find it here.

The list of people standing up against these plans is growing longer every day. Please sign up, write to your MP and do all you can to spread the word.

And look out for our new report on China and the Olympics, which comes out on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning!

Until next time,

Steve
Amnesty’s Project Blog Team

waking up

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Monday is usually an admin day for me, but today I was looking forward to catching up with Ian – but that plan failed as all 3 of my children have had some stomach bug over the weekend which has meant no school today for any of them and so needing to stay home as Sarah had a presentation she needed to do throughout the day.

This has meant as well as working I have been able to sue the time for some long needed reflection. I always plan to have quiet in the day and week but, to be honest, I love my job so much that when I get my teeth into something hours seem to fly past and the empty quiet house is packed full and noisy again.

Today the children have been quiet and so I have been able to re-connect with God in quiet which I have failed to do fopr some time. This afternoon I particularly found the words of Gregory of Nazianzus that are said over the Easter Season in Common Worships Prayer during the day (what a very good Anglican I am becoming!):

Yesterday I was crucified with Christ;
today I am glorified with him.
Yesterday I was dead with Christ;
today I am sharing in his resurrection.
Yesterrday I was buried with him;
today I am waking with him from the sleep of death.

As I said the last line of that liturgy I felt the words to be describing my feelings. I reflected on how I have become embroiled in stuff, particularly in study stuff, or post ordination stuff, as its quite prominent at the moment. Today i felt God remind me what it is all about.

It’s all about a risen kingdom life with Jesus: all equal no matter what they achieve, all accepted no matter what their brand of Christian theology, all valued no matter where they stand in society, all created by the one true God.

It’s all about life with Jesus!