Transitions
This summer was an absolute rollercoaster ride headline-wise. National upheaval through riots (further listening and comment later on this from here - with conversation), Libya and their continued challenges. Famine, earthquakes and hurricanes. There's much to be thankful for and much to continue to offer in our prayers and intercessions. Where has the Summer gone?
As I write, many of the young people who we are connected with or serve are coming to the end of their summer with the backdrops mentioned. Festivals, pilgrimages and missions have come and gone. It was great that I was able to attend as a day visitor the youth pilgrimage at Walsingham and also spend a day at Week B of Soul Survivor in Shepton Mallet. I hope that a great time was had by all and that there was a deepening of faith and relationships as a result of these spaces of pilgrimage. Can I commend September's Youthwork Magazine, focussing on festivals and spaces of pilgrimage. It would be great to hear your stories also from within the diocese.
A summer that brought to an end a part of life especially in education - either moving up a year which may also involve a change of school, or having recently completed exams; young people progressing towards their desired destinations or maybe a temporary diversion due to the outcomes of grades. Some young people are preparing for freshers week or returning to their universities and all that the term's learnings have in store. However, not all young people are going on to tertiary education but are going on to some form of employment, whether voluntary or paid, and let's not forget those who might be in the process of trying to find work also which is challenging in current circumstances.
We give thanks for those employed and pray and look to support those unemployed or underemployed at this time.
In a way, there is a point of no return in all these things - that is what makes things exciting, but also brings about its challenges in this season of transition.
For those who work with young people, this season can sometimes be the frantic finalizing of well laid plans for the autumn sessions and all the expectations and hopes that one might have are at the forefront, with the thought that maybe the young people might turn up, and if they do - maybe something that has been offered might go deep and be part of that young person's spiritual DNA.
The end of this week takes me to a conference put on by our colleagues in the Diocese, schoolswork.co.uk, who are asking us to re-imagine our work with young people in schools. This has been very much part of the Diocesan Youth Service's planning in how we connect with schools in mission and pastoral support. I am grateful to be able to spend time and re-imagine what our work with schools and 'Living God's Love' might look like. At this point, can I commend to you our Diocesan Board of Education colleagues, School and University Chaplains and other partnership ministries that engage with our diocese's schools - for prayer and also if they are in your locality, making a connection that will enable you to re-connect or strengthen your existing service to the student world. Please pray for STEP in St Albans and Harpenden and PHASE in Hitchin as well as schoolswork.co.uk that resource not only Luton, but beyond. Check out their websites for further information.
Finally, The Diocesan Youth Service will be working through our own transitions and as a beginning, we are looking at furthering our on-line presence as a resource to you and others through not only our website, but our new twitter (@stalbansdyo) and facebook (stalbansdys) feeds which are now on-line.
We look forward to our on-going journeys together in the transitions that we might be going through.
Dean
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Short links
http://www.albandys.org.uk/go/transitions
http://www.albandys.org.uk/go/908