Youth update - October 2023

Hello Church,

God has been at work the past few weeks, and it’s a blessing to be able to update you on all that’s been happening in SBC Youth Ministry.

On Friday 6 October, we had a pizza and movie night here at SBC. Eleven young people attended, and it was wonderful to spend some social time with them all, sharing food together. They chose to watch the Lion King (the live action version!), and they all really enjoyed watching this, including singing along to some of the songs! We then played a couple of team games to end the evening, and it was so really great to see them all socializing with each other and enjoying their evening as a group.

Rooted has been going really well recently. It has been brilliant having the year 7 students join us, and numbers have been growing since September. We are currently running a series called ‘Discover’ which is all about answering questions they may have about faith, and encouraging them to grow in confidence, and in their relationship with Christ. Some of the topics we have looked at so far include Reading the Bible, The Holy Spirit and Prayer. We’ve been having some really engaging conversations and discussions. We make the sessions each week as interactive as we can, so that the young people have the opportunity to respond for themselves on that week’s topic.

I continue to go into Quest Academy on Thursdays for the mentoring programme. Since September, I have been working with two students, on a one-to-one basis. These sessions have been going really well. Each week looks different, as I base the session on the young person’s needs and where the conversation leads. This is such a wonderful opportunity of outreach, and I have really felt God’s presence with me when running these sessions. After October half term, I will be working with a new student, continuing on a one-to-one basis.

God has opened doors too! As I write this article, I have a meeting with a member of staff at Tennison’s this week, with the aim to provide support with the Chaplaincy work there, so this is a really exciting opportunity that we can already see God a part of! I look forward to updating you on this with more details soon!

After half term, hot chocolate on Selsdon high street will be returning! This is likely to be on Tuesdays after school. I will be looking for a couple of people to come alongside me for this really important outreach, so if you feel this is something you would like to be involved with, please do come and have a chat with me!

There is lots coming up in the next few months for all things youth including a special evening service on Sunday 26 November, and some other trips/events as we look ahead to Christmas!

Recently, a group of us went along to a Care for the Family training event in Croydon which was really insightful. It was all about supporting children and young people’s emotional well-being, where they provided all sorts of ideas, knowledge, and resources. As always, thank you all so much for your continued support and prayers.

It is amazing to see God at work amongst all that is going on. 

God bless you all. Katie