YOUTH NET REMAINS A NETWORK FOR BLACK COUNTRY YOUTH WORKERS BUT HAS NOW EXPANDED TO INCORPORATE A WHOLE GENERATION OF KIDS/STUDENT/GENX AND YOUNGER LEADERS – welcome to GEN NET!!!
Hi Guys,
Hope to see you all at the next Call 2 Arms which is MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th at the Village Hotel, Dudley - 7.30pm – 9.30pm The last one was great where we had an inspiring word from our own Ruth Rodgers and an awesome time in the presence of God!!
Hope to see you there,
Also----PLEASE DON’T FORGET THE WEEKEND, AWAY PLACES ARE GOING FAST!!!!!
The next Weekend Away is December 1st – 3rd at Pioneer Centre in Cleobury Mortimer, Kidderminster!!I am still waiting on exact figures but it looks like we have got a great deal as it should only cost about £70 a person for the whole weekend!! ---Under 4's are free---4-12yrs old-£34---13-16yrs old-£50---17+-£70---
I will need a £20 deposit per person for 17+ and £10 deposit per person for 4-16 year olds by 4th Sept to definitely confirm your place!!
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Hello to all our 020 contacts.
I'm so sorry that we haven't been in touch for a while. We haven't disappeared, we've just been seeking God and finding out how He wants 020 to move forward. And we think we have an answer. Or at least part of one.... please read on to find out what it is, in the words of Linsey.....
Recently, after many long debates, the Youth Net Team identified that a generation goes beyond just the "young people" and includes the "older" young people too!! (Note how I didn't say middle aged there!) So, they changed their name to Generation Net (GenNet) and 020 has decided to join forces so that the work we do incorporates and appeals to an entire generation.
GenNet has been running weekends away for 2 years now and gradually more and more 020 aged people have joined in. The fifth one is taking place on December 1st - 3rd at the Pioneer Centre at Cleobury Mortimer and we are making a conscious effort to gether a larger representative of the 020 age group to be there. The aim of the weekends is simple. To gather generational leaders (that's you by the way - whether you have an official leadership title or not) from as many Churches as we know of from around The Black Country. By "generational leaders" we mean this: anyone who considers themselves a Christian, who believes God is doing something in our area and who believes that God will do this something THROUGH HIS PEOPLE. And more specifically, through THIS GENERATION of people. Children, Kids workers, youth workers, young people and Generation X-ers (my particular passion) - those in their 20s-30s. That is a generation.
What makes you a leader of it? Well, there are 1.3 million people in the Black Country and, by our estimates, at least 1.2 million of them haven't got a clue about Jesus, God, the Kingdom or Church. A LOT of them are part of this generational age group. However, you.....well you're different. You're in "the club"! You know Him. Okay, some days you may feel closer to Him than others. Some days you could worship Him for hours. Other Sunday mornings are a struggle just to make it to the morning service! But still, you know Him and deep down, you love Him and at some point in your life you decided to follow Him and as far as I can see, you're doing just that, whether you're on your knees crawling though dirt at the moment or skipping happily on the mountain tops. It makes no difference - you're a Follower. And that, my friends, makes you a generational leader. Because, when the stats are that dramatically stacked against us, every soldier needs to lead.
Where am I going with this? Well, it's simple really. We need to gather. To meet with the other Followers in our generation because they are spread out all over the area. And yet, we have been called to be an army. A body. ONE CHURCH. (Read John 17 if you don't believe me and see for yourself Jesus' final prayer for His Followers).
The aim of the weekend is simple. To envision. To build relationships. To begin placing blocks of community into position because we believe community - a firm relational unity - will be the foundation of the move God is planning. To learn from each other. To laugh. To seek more of God's heart for this generation in the area.
The prophetic words spoken over this generation in our area are dramatic and scarily consistent. We are in the middle of a huge move of God. Sometimes though, you have to get out of the kitchen to smell the cooking. Sometimes we need to leave our clans (local Churches), just for a few days, so that we can learn, smell and see the bigger picture so that we can take it back to our localities.
And that's why I'm writing to you. Firstly, because I know you, respect you and love you. But secondly, because I see you as a comrade. I want to grow with you. I want you to see what God is doing NOW. We each want you to see that you're part of it.
So I'm inviting you to come to weekend. There are NO BIG NAME SPEAKERS. There is NO HUGE WORSHIP BAND. There is NOTHING COMMERCIAL to draw you there. And no, I'm not on commission! We are a down to earth bunch coming from many backgrounds. Our heart is simple and pure. We don't have an agenda. We just know that God wants to, IS, doing some thing in our area to reach our generation - the lost generation - and we all have a part to play in that plan, in our Churches, homes and workplaces. We just want to learn what we have to do to to obey Him.
So, will you join us? Kids are welcome. It's not stuffy or formal. We hope to have some of the kids workers do some activities with the kids that come anyway. It's not even that expensive. £70pp, FULL BOARD and obviously less for kids (please see full price details below). And it's only 45 minutes drive away. All that aside, it's worth it. It's important and I really think you need to be there. It's not all about "serious" stuff either. It's a lot of fun. We always have loads of time for socialising. It's one of the main reasons for doing the whole weekend thing in the first place. We need to build a family.
Even if you can only make it over for the Saturday, please think about it. It isn't just another conference. They bore me stupid too. I've sat in enough conferences to last me a lifetime! This is different. It's about building some thing personal for the sake of the people that we know and love and live with and work with. And you have a part to play. You have something to give and something to receive. So please, think about it and book in soon by emailing CookieAmblecote@aol.com or anna@thenet.org.uk and by sending a £20 deposit to the address below ASAP. Places are running out SO FAST as there are only 88 spots available at the centre.
Thanks for reading my ramblings - please see exact financial details below.
