Hi,

There's a tale of an ancient village that relies on a river running through the valley to sustain life. One year the river dries up and panic breaks out in the village.

Some argue that they should move on to find a new source of water; others counsel that if everyone stays put, the river will surely return.

What would you do? How long would you wait before you decided to move? For me, this story resonates with the experience of the church and young people. Decades ago the 'river' of teenagers flowed through the church and most young people had some connection with faith. Now the river has dried up - three quarters of churches don't have any youth work at all!

So back to the village. Do we sit tight and hope things will change? Or is it time to change? I know what I think. Half the villagers in the story ended up leaving and travelling out the valley. Once they got to a high point they could see that the river hadn't dried up at all - it had started flowing through the neighbouring valley. But they had to move to find this out.

How does the church need to change to reconnect with young people in the UK? That's the issue we address at Youthscape, and the work we do reconnects churches with the young people in their communities.

calendar

1st (Thu)

The penultimate session of 'Fearless' is on today, led by Jemimah, Gemma & Natasha. Please pray for the girls taking part, that it will have a long lasting positive impact on their lives.

2nd (Fri)

Today's the final Luton Unite event of this academic year. Pray that the young people really enjoy themselves, after what has been a really tough year for them.

3rd (Sat)

Dave's running a project on how climate justice & faith overlap. Pray the young people engage well with this subject & are inspired, & for the teachers & schools to facilitate discussion & give young people a voice.

4th (Sun)

Pray for drop-in, that young people will continue to view it as a safe space, & for new young people to attend. (Open - Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays in term time.)

5th (Mon)

Please pray that our special podcast series - featuring interviews with youth workers around the world - will be a real blessing to many.

6th (Tue)

Pray for the Research team; as they interview teenagers from around the UK this month for two of their projects - 'Translating God', & 'The Relational Hub Project'.

7th (Wed)

The Research team need groups of 14-18 year olds to come forward to be part of focus groups. Please pray for good numbers of interested participants.

8th (Thu)

Pray for Sarah, Alex, Esther & Mulkina, as they oversee the finances, fundraising & admin for Youthscape. And for Nicki, managing our resource sales & the online store.

9th (Fri)

Many young people are making decisions about further education, jobs etc. Please pray for wisdom & support for them as they look to the future.

10th (Sat)

Digital poverty means the most vulnerable young people aren’t able to use the technology that’s so often required for schoolwork. Pray that opportunities to access equipment would be made available to them.

11th (Sun)

Pray for the leadership team as they trust and listen to God. Seeking how best to lead Youthscape as we continue to support & encourage young people, volunteers, youth workers & other professionals.

12th (Mon)

Young people are struggling with self-harm, both in Luton & across the UK. Please pray they will continue to find support through the Alumina groups.

13th (Tue)

Please pray for our new research project 'Translating God: Making Sense of Christianity with Generation Z'. https://www.youthscape.co.uk/research/translating-god

14th (Wed)

Pray for Christian young people, that they would know God’s presence with them. That they’d find support from friends, youth workers & churches, & that they would encourage each other in their faith.

15th (Thu)

The Fearless graduation & Bute Mills graduation are taking place today. Pray for the Fearless girls, as they are doing a presentation to families & teachers. And pray for those graduating from Youthscape this year as they are now 18.

16th (Fri)

Pray for Chris, (Youthscape’s CEO), for God’s guidance & wisdom, as he leads the charity & supports the team in their work with young people, youth workers & church leaders.

17th (Sat)

Pray for children & young people living with special educational needs, for the challenges they & their families face. (There are about 1 million, of whom 1 in 10 have complex & life-limiting conditions).

18th (Sun)

Please pray for Martin, as he preaches at a church in Surrey, & shares the vision of Youthscape’s Satellites event.

19th (Mon)

Alumina groups are running on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, (until Wednesday 4th August). Please pray for the team working with the young people online.

20th (Tue)

The 'super-saver' booking deadline, for Satellites 2022, is 31st July. Pray that we'll have an encouraging amount of youth groups booked on by then.

21st (Wed)

For today’s launch of the Fundraising Forum; supporting those fundraising for Christian organisations. That those attending find it helpful & encouraging & want to join us each month for it.

22nd (Thu)

Thank God that we've been able to work with so many amazing young people from Luton & around the UK this year. Pray that this work will continue to have a positive impact in their lives.

23rd (Fri)

Church leaders & youth workers are supporting their congregations, young people & those in their communities. Pray that they'd know God's wisdom, inspiration & peace as they serve.

24th (Sat)

Pray for the many families across the UK who are affected by job uncertainty & loss of employment, for whom holiday times are especially difficult both financially & emotionally.

25th (Sun)

Pray for families who are living in poverty, that they'll be able to find support, & be able to access services that can help them in really practical ways.

26th (Mon)

Please pray for more volunteers to come forward in our local churches, to help with youth ministry & support for the young people in their churches.

27th (Tue)

Pray for young carers, that they'll be able to find the support they need as they care for vulnerable family members. Pray too, that they won’t feel isolated over the summer holidays.

28th (Wed)

Pray for school staff, that they will be able to enjoy a break & time with their friends & families over the summer holidays.

29th (Thu)

Pray for those in the Youthscape team who are working over the summer. For energy & enthusiasm in their work, & for inspiration as they plan for the academic year ahead.

30th (Fri)

For the Youthscape Essentials cohort, finishing at the end of July, that they will have benefitted from the course, & that it'll impact their ministries & help them spread the word.

31st (Sat)

Please pray that our launch month for Satellites has gone really well, & that we’ve been able to meet our targets for ticket sales by today’s super-early-bird deadline.

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