About a month ago, we gave the congregation at St Paul’s an update on how The Lab is going, and - for those who didn’t know - introduced them to who we are and what we do.
This is my preach from that service (the text is Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus from Luke 19:1-10), which you might find interesting if you’d like to know a bit more of what we get up to. Sarah - one of our current youth work apprentices - also shares a bit from her perspective having spent a year with us in Alway.
Video of Hope Newport 2011 in Alway.
Thanks Sarah, as always, for your amazing editing skillz.
Photos from Hope Newport 2011 which happened last Thursday - Friday. The Alway team cleaned up and repainted some basketball courts in the centre of the Alway estate, and hosted a family fun day and BBQ on the Saturday. A pretty exhausting, slightly dramatic, but altogether great three days.
Around 250 volunteers from about 10 (possibly more) churches took part in Hope 2011, doing projects in 6 different areas of the city, in support with Newport City Council, Newport City Homes, Communities First Teams, local Community Associations, Newport Youth Service and others.
The Alway Project - Annual Report 2011
A few weeks ago, we threw together our annual report for the project in Alway over the past year. You can view it here to see the different work we’ve been involved in.
Also, in the last few days we have properly formalised a partnership with the Streetspace Network - a network of innovative youth and community work projects run by Frontier Youth Trust in partnership with the Church Missionary Society.
We’re very excited about the incredible support and training that partnering with Streetspace will bring to the work in Alway.
Some think of Jesus as a great Jewish teacher without much of a revolution. Others see him as so revolutionary that he left Judaism behind altogether and established something quite new.
This passage shows how Jesus himself held the two together. He was indeed offering something utterly revolutionary, to which he would remain faithful; but it was, in fact, the reality towards which Israel’s whole life and tradition had pointed.
Carol Service!
For this year carol service at St Paul’s, we assembled a creative team from The Lab to plan the service with a bit of an arty, creative edge. They came up with these amazing video readings which we used in the service, with voice overs from St Paul’s members and video shot around Newport.
Thanks to Stef especially, as well as Dan, who put lots of work into filming, recording and editing them. Check them out as a way of walking through and reflecting on the story of the first Christmas.
Thanks to Sarah, we now have an ‘about the Lab’ video for the website - you can see it in context on our about page or just watch it above.
Shared Leadership
One of the big things on my mind at the start of a new year for The Lab is the idea of sharing out leadership responsibilities and creating a sense of shared ownership.
I’ve spent three years leading The Lab, and have felt what it’s like to try and do everything - it’s time to give some other people the chance to do some!
This is a great piece by Jonathan Dodson on sharing out leadership responsibilities.
