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Hello, Messy friends
Is this bonkers? To help raise money for BRF's Messy Church ministry and the work we do from the centre to support the Messy Church network this year, I am 'haring around Hampshire'.
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On 15-16 August 2015, my mad Messy mission is to drive around the 107 registered Messy Churches in Hampshire, where I live and am the Regional Coordinator, to raise money for BRF's Messy Church ministry. They won't be there, of course, but I'll pray for each church, take a selfie in or outside their building, Tweet where I am on @messylucy, enjoy thinking about the wonderful work they're doing and leap back in the Messy Mobile (the most economic car on the market, fear not for the planet) to visit as many as I can over the weekend. Alas, I'll have to give the Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight a miss as the costs would start swallowing up the funds. But Messy mainland Hampshire, here I come!
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Please help me reach my target of £2724 - 1% of the BRF Messy Church budget for 2015/16 - by sponsoring me at MyDonate. And please share this on Facebook and Twitter. And pray I don't get lost in the wilds of the South Downs...
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In other news
May turned out to be an even more exotic month than we were expecting, as we enjoyed a trip to the Isle of Man, Sweden (and Solihull), and we had visitors not only from Holland BUT also from (wait for it, wait for it...) Iceland! Yes, Hildur and Johanna joined us at BRF for our monthly meeting and visited a splendid Messy Church in Portsmouth as well as squeezing in some Oxford sightseeing.
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We gain so much from these new friends from far-away places that we really want to share the fun. So, why not bring a team, and your minister, and join us for our international Messy Church Conference 16-18 May 2016. Think of the inspiration and ideas your team will get from it. And what an amazing opportunity to be able to listen to George Lings and speakers from around the globe. Yes, we want lots of overseas people to come, but there's plenty of room, of course, for UK Messy people too, so get plotting and planning now and asking your church for their support - I mean, ask them to pay for you to come!
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We're also very excited about our joint training days with the wonderful CPAS: days that are combining the best of Messy Church opportunities with the best of CPAS' wide experience in leadership training. We have pilot events planned in Leicester Diocese on 12 September and Winchester Diocese on 14 November 2015.
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Martyn writes...
I've got stuck into a lot of different craft activities on my many visits to Messy Churches - sometimes literally so! And I've seen so many creative ideas to help those who come along and explore the Bible story in a hands-on way. The best Messy Churches have a balanced variety that tap into the different learning styles each of us have. On this Messy Church blog, you will find a creative checklist that might help you to review your range of crafts and activities each month.
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Do be encouraged to offer a range of experiences to help people engage with the gospel through Messy Church - and I am always happy to come and sample the creativity. You can contact me at martyn.payne@brf.org.uk.
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Jane writes...
You are amazing in the way you respond to our newsletter, Facebook page, website, Twitter and more. Thank you so much for sharing and being part of our worldwide Messy Church family.
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I have been looking at maps of West Yorkshire, and Oxfordshire with Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. After dividing the West Yorkshire region, we would love to hear from anyone who could help us support the Huddersfield area, where we have 24 registered Messy Churches.
In Oxfordshire, Regional Coordinator Yvonne Morris will be offering some Messy Meet Ups from the autumn, so that you can help her think about the clustering of Messy Churches in this huge region. We want to make it work for YOU!
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Get in touch with any 'Dear Jane' queries or if you are interested in becoming a Regional Coordinator in any of these areas - Coventry, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Herts, East Sussex, East Devon and Exeter, Fife, Dundee - at jane.leadbetter@brf.org.uk, and please pray for this fast-growing all-age ministry.
If you haven't yet registered your Messy Church, you can do so here - we are very close to the 3000 milestone!
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James writes...
I am always on the lookout for visits and insights about teenagers in Messy Church, and I only have until August, when my term finishes! So, do contact me (james.pegg@brf.org.uk) and make sure your experiences with young people in Messy Church are included in the write-up of my findings.
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Sarah writes...
How are you finding the new-style Get Messy!? Let us know what you think so we can keep on improving - some like it old, some like it new. We know the background colours make it hard to photocopy so we will be lightening them. Anything else you love or loathe? Email me at sarah.brombley@brf.org.uk with this or any other queries, stories and comments.
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And finally...
We'll finish with another paraphrase from Philippians:
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And this is our prayer: we pray you won't compromise on knowledge, understanding or opportunities for learning - for your team as well as for the families who come. We pray you will all have a depth of insight to see what is really real, not what society presents as real. We pray that you will have God's spectacles to see what's best for family and community and church and kingdom in the place where you live. And we pray that you will live an exemplary life, that you'll be people of integrity living out the gospel and enjoying the good life God has prepared for you. And that Jesus Christ will shine through everything you do.
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From the BRF Messy Church team
Lucy, Jane, Martyn, James and Sarah
messychurch@brf.org.uk | www.messychurch.org.uk
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