Why does the average Christian youthwork post only last 18 months?

Are you paid to work with young people aged 11 -19?

Are you a Christian?

Then Cafe Leadership desperately want to hear from you… Did you know that research suggests that the average youthwork job lasts for between 18months and 3 years? That’s terrible news for young people, and terrible news for the church. There are 101 given reasons for why retention is so terrible in youthwork, and Cafe Leadership want to try and find out the definitive reasons for why it’s so bad… and work out what can be done to stem the flow…

So – please could you have a little look at their research page and commit a short amount of time to completing the questionnaire?

Thanks!

5 Movies to Watch and Talk About with your Youth Group

Watching a movie with your youth group is always a good activity – all the better if you can choose a film that will trigger some great discussion. These are all films with plenty of scope for theological reflection.

1. Finding Nemo – a story about a father who travel round the world to rescue his disobedient son… um… the discussion’s made really!

 

2. The Matrix – still looks great 15 years later… a choice between living with your eyes closed or discovering what’s really going on in the world around you… a saviour who has to die in order to rescue humanity… (plus it’s a brilliant movie).

 

3. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe – Disney do a stunning job with CS Lewis’ 1950s classic. Christ’s death and resurrection as portrayed by Aslan’s sacrifice is bound to get some conversations started.

 

4. The Hunger Games – the portrayal of rich and poor in this movie is desperately uncomfortable for any of us living in the west – ask your group whether they relate to the capital or to one of the subject districts.

 

5.  The Lord of the Rings – the complete trilogy. Bit of a marathon, but a great way to spend a day with a group of movie loving young people, and loads of scope for theological reflection.

5 Questions to ask your Youth Group about… Media

Asking young people questions – getting conversation started, is at the heart of youth ministry.  In this series of 5 Questions to ask your Youth Group we will provide conversation starting questions for you to explore with your youth group.

Media…

1. What do you think Jesus’ favourite TV show would be ?

2. How would you describe your church in 140 characters or less?

3. List together all of the different forms of media that you interact with – are there any you could do without? Is there one which you would keep above all others?

4. People often say that you shouldn’t trust anything you read in the papers – why do you think that is?

5. Should the way we interact with media be different because we are Christians? If so, how?

Safeguarding and Inclusion news

The April 2014 Safeguarding and Inclusion newsletter is available now. Click here for news and dates of training events.

Messy Church celebrates its 10th Birthday!

Slightly self indulgent this – but thought you’d like to know that tomorrow afternoon I’ll be celebrating 10 years of Messy Church at my home Church; St Wilfrid’s in Cowplain.

There’s a great write up here.

Hacking What Youth Ministry Does | Being Ministry

Hacking What Youth Ministry Does | Being Ministry.

A brilliant reflection on a stunning TEDx talk… well worth watching

WINCANDY Stats – Evangelical Alliance Discipleship Survey

Fascinating statistics from the Evangelical Alliance about the Discipleship habits of Evangelical Christians (other traditions are available…) – see the headline figures above or download the full document here

Surprised by any of these?

Crimestoppers Conference on Child Exploitation 24th June, Sparsholt

Hampshire & IOW Crimestoppers are holding a conference on Child Exploitation on Tuesday 24th June at the Wessex Conference Centre, Sparsholt.  The conference will run from 2pm to 6pm.  The cost to all delegates will be £35.  To register please send an e-mail to hantscsconference@youthoptions.co.uk giving details of who will be attending.  Spaces are limited so please respond ASAP.

The conference will focus on online safety in the wake of the recent report by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee and the exploitation of girls as highlighted by the Centre for Social Justice in their report Girls and Gangs on 22nd March.  See flyer for further details.

Like us! We’ve got a new Facebook page…

If you like Wincandy why not like Facebook.com/wincandy1!

All very new at the mo… but plenty more to come!

5 tasty treats to cook with your youth group

Cooking with your youth group is great fun, and a good way to get discussion going. Here are five simple things for you to cook together.

1. Rocky Road. Really simple, and totally adaptable, mix together melted chocolate with biscuit, marshmallows, cherries, sweets, chocolates… whatever you fancy! Spoon into cupcake cases and leave to set.

2. Teal Light S’mores. This american classic can easily be adapted for any situation; stick marshmallows onto sticks and toast over tea lights. When they’re toasted sandwich them between two biscuits and a chunk of chocolate. The ultimate campfire delicacy. (Keep a bowl of water to hand for any accidentally combusting marshmallows).

3. Pizzas. Either buy ready made pizza bases or if you’re feeling adventurous make bread dough with your group from scratch. Have a jar of tomato sauce (tomato pasta sauce works great) a big bowl of grated cheese and a selection of toppings.

4. Chocolate Dipping. use up any unwanted(?) Easter Eggs… break the chocolate up into a bowl and melt it in the microwave or over a bain marie. Prepare stuff to stick on skewers: strawberries, grapes, marshmallows, cake chunks… include a few crazier options: salted pretzels, crispy bacon and ritz crackers are all good, and then get dipping…

5. Pasta. Making your own pasta is great fun, really simple, and something just a little bit different… Mix together 600g of pasta flour and 6 large eggs. Use your fingers and keep mixing and kneading until you have a good smooth dough (either do this in one big bowl and give everyone a chance to have a go at kneading – or make 6 bowls each with 100g flour and 1 egg). Knead and knead (and chat and chat!) Once your dough is smooth and springy you’ll need to roll it out into a thin sheet. If you’re using a pasta machine you’ll have lots of fun, make sure everyone has a go! Otherwise, dust a surface with more flour, get out a rolling pin, and get rolling. You’ll need to roll it really thin (tagliatelle thin) and then carefully cut into strips with a sharp knife. Dump in boiling water for a couple of minutes and serve with a choice of sauces, or just butter and grated cheese…

What recipes would you add to our list?