Hi,

Our Centre for Research team have recently published the third part of the Translating God research: ‘Troubling Jesus’. It takes us into the room with young people, as they explore five Biblical stories for the first time.

Recently, the spiritual landscape has shown an ageing Church and a younger generation more likely to describe themselves as having no religion. Many haven’t so much “left” church, as never been part of it. We can no longer assume young people have an understanding of Christian faith. And now, with some young people turning up in churches, this translation task feels even more urgent.

In this phase of Translating God, we listened to how non-Christian young people make sense of Scripture. Their conversations in this research hinted at deeper questions that they, and perhaps other young people, are asking about faith and the church. The themes that emerge hint at hidden questions, concerns and challenges that should cause the church to stop and listen more deeply to what young people see when they read the Bible.

This is more than just adjusting language in order to be understood by a younger generation, their insights may get to the heart of issues the church has ignored or been unable to recognise. In this way, young people are again a gift to the church – genuinely helping us explore deep theological questions.

We often think of what we might do as the church for young people – but their insights here hint at what they might do for us. They’re looking, perhaps hoping, for a church that’s not afraid to have these conversations.

There are no easy or quick answers, and young people will not always be right in their assertions. But their questions are sharp and deep and deserve our attention.

So, please pray with us, that this research will help us love, understand, and serve young people better. Both those in the church, and those in our communities.

1st (Sun)	March 1st is self-harm awareness day. Pray for connection & support for all the young people who are struggling with self-harm across the UK.
2nd (Mon)	Today is a Satellites booking deadline for lower price tickets - please pray for lots of groups to book in, and for young people to sign up!
3rd (Tue)	Pray for our Drop In community. That it’ll be a safe & nurturing environment; where positive relationships flourish. And that more young people across Luton would hear about us & come along.
4th (Wed)	The Satellites team are navigating & negotiating different aspects of this year’s festival, & some of these areas are challenging. Pray God will be present in all of their meetings, granting them grace, wisdom & tenacity.
5th (Thu)	Pray for the Troubling Jesus research, that God will use it to inspire & challenge churches as they engage with young people in their communities. (You can find out more about the research here: https://www.youthscape.co.uk/r... )
6th (Fri)	Luton Unite’s monthly event is happening tonight, please pray for all those involved - that it would be a fun & safe event.
7th (Sat)	Pray for the Innovation team who are currently preparing season 3 of Unfold. (The Unfold series are resources for youth groups to explore bible stories together.)
8th (Sun)	Pray for young people on the Alumina waiting list - which is longer than usual. An average of 10 young people sign up to join an Alumina course every day, so pray for more volunteers to join the Alumina team.
9th (Mon)	Our podcast team are working hard to put out a new episode every week. Pray that the episodes will be relevant, inspired by God, & helpful to listeners.
10th (Tue)	Thank God for the Headstrong team: Laura & Robson, & for our dedicated Alumina volunteers, working with vulnerable young people.
11th (Wed)	Jermaine & Gemma are running the Football Project in Putteridge this term. Pray for the young people - that being part of this project will have a lasting, positive impact on the lives of the young people involved.
12th (Thu)	Pray for the leadership team as they trust & listen to God, seeking how best to lead Youthscape as we continue to support & encourage young people, youth workers, & church leaders.
13th (Fri)	Launchpad courses are running in Oxford, Exeter, & Newcastle diocese, & new ones are starting in Chelmsford, Guildford, Chester & Ely. Pray for church leaders starting youth work in their communities.
14th (Sat)	Pray for Martin today, leading an event for Christian leaders - reflecting on how we create safer festivals & youth ministry spaces.
15th (Sun)	Pray that God will be inspiring many more people to apply to volunteer at Satellites this summer. We need over 400 hundred volunteers to run the festival safely & well.
16th (Mon)	Praise God for Chris, who’s been working for Youthscape since it started in 1993! Pray that God would continue to fill him with energy, passion & wisdom, as he leads the charity & supports the team.
17th (Tue)	Pray for our senior leaders, who are involved in a national prayer & unity gathering for youth ministry today. Pray for stronger relationships to be built between the organisations present.
18th (Wed)	Launchpad facilitator training: As the programme grows & we see emerging youth ministry across the UK, pray the training equips facilitators who will be delivering the Launchpad course in the future.
19th (Thu)	Pray for our board of trustees: Matt, Nenadi, Tim, Tolu, Rachel & Jeronne. May God give them the wisdom, vision, & passion they need to oversee the running & management of Youthscape.
20th (Fri)	For Christian girls attending the Local team’s Abide Course this year, pray that, in their monthly gatherings, they’ll grow in their faith, in confidence, & knowledge of who they are in God.
21st (Sat)	Pray for the Youthscape Essentials team, as they write new material for the course, & think about what volunteer youth leaders need to know about youth ministry in the coming years.
22nd (Sun)	Pray for young people revising for their exams. May God help them find effective ways to revise, help them stay motivated, & encourage them that - no matter what the result - they are loved.
23rd (Mon)	Pray for young people who are experiencing racism in schools. That the schools will find positive ways of dealing with these issues well & supporting the young people involved.
24th (Tue)	As the current YSE course comes to an end - pray that those who’ve attended will feel more confident in their leadership & in being able to meet young people where they are in their faith.
25th (Wed)	Pray for the Alumina groups running this term. Pray that they’ll make a positive & lasting difference to the lives of the young people. Pray that these groups will start & finish well.
26th (Thu)	Pray for the health & wellbeing of teachers & staff in our local schools.
27th (Fri)	Pray for our Central team - Sarah, Mulkina, Alex, Libby, & Nicki, as they manage room hire, the online store, finance, & admin for Youthscape.
28th (Sat)	Pray for young people who are struggling with their mental health, to be able to find professional support when they need it.
29th (Sun)	For the Local team: Gemma, Emily, Abby, Jermaine, & Ebony. Pray that they’ll know God’s presence & wisdom in their work with young people across Luton.
30th (Mon)	Pray for the Youthscape Essentials course. That it will strengthen the number of volunteers working with young people in churches, & that more young people might come to know Jesus as a result.
31st (Tue)	Please pray that the resources we are creating continue to meet the needs of youth workers & young people around the UK & beyond.

Youthscape, Bute Mills, 74 Bute St, Luton, LU1 2EY

Charity No: 1081754 | Company No: 3939801

youthscape.co.uk