Home Page

A place where all the churches from the deanery can add the latest up to date youth news!

Changes are occuring within the Deanery and a big priority for me at the moment is what does each church and benefice want to do for young people? I have been to 7 benefice consultations and Stockbridge, with Longstock and Leckford now want to concentrate their efforts on their new youth club fortnightly Saturdays at the rennovated Scout Hut. Kings Somborne have the next Element service there on Saturday April the 28th, so they are planning, organising and preparing for that. Romsey with Crampmoor and Rownhams with Nursling want to involve older youth as leaders, and see leadership come from the 20's and 30's, as well as tightening the focus of some community groups into holding a more Christian outlook. Lockerley with East Dean and East and West Tytherley have big Scouts and Guide groups where we can assist and build relationships before using GodSquad to plan for the next Element event - the prayer zone. North Baddesley, with Chilworth and Ampfield really want to involve me and themselves as supporters in befreiending young people on the True Life Youth Bus. Broughton, with Mottisfont, Bossington and Houghton want to encourage the existing youth leadership within the church and work closely with the Baptists to increase youth provision. This is particularly with an existing film club, and hopefully to hold the Element 5 service there in the Autumn term of 2012.

East and West Wellow with Sherfield English welcomed their new incumbent, the Reverend Charles Pettet. This was in February, and they are wanting him to look at attracting young people to their services and into their communities. The final consultation was with Braishfield, Awbridge, Farley Chamberlayne, Michelmersh and Timsbury. The deanery lay chair and Steve Pittis, their new rector, will I am sure be full of good ideas. They wanted to focus on the Timsbury youth club provision, then invite people from their youth contacts list to a discussion type Alpha group in Awbridge. Braishfield want to focus on kids coming to their Young Saints group, but then hold a youth discussion/open group with the social club for teenagers. The questions asked at each consultation have sounded simple and easy to ask, but harder to answer in any depth. Basically I have asked what youth work exists (secular and Christian) within each church and benefice? This is followed by dreaming - what do they want to see exist? and grounding this in the reality of How do we get there then? I have recorded these results in a grid, which need tweaking - but these will then be available, like the youth directory which is already available on this web site. There is a youth contact list for every church, so people can see more of what is happening. Watch this space! :)