- Our association with The Matrix Trust is moving forward. Our Treasurer and theirs are due to meet very shortly and tie up the loose ends. Following this we'll have access to better training, formal mentoring, charitable status (without the hassle), and a wider network. We'd hope that in return OL will bring an added dimension to TMT that they'll find helpful - however the benefit of this association is mostly to us. We are, therefore, extremely grateful.
- Monday nights - we're spending these scouting the area around Goldsworth Park at the moment. Mostly this involves walking around and occasionally saying "hi" to small groups of young people. We met one such group this Monday just gone and a couple of them turned out to know us. One used to meet us at The Vyne playing field, and another knew Olly from his visit to Christ Church. This preparation time is, from a secular viewpoint, mostly about building networks, getting to know the patch and, hopefully, getting to know any other youth leaders and resources in the area.
- Tuesdays - this week was interesting because illness and other unavoidable problems left us with just three leaders. Remember that we've had challenges of recent with some of the young people being red-carded because of their bad behaviour. This week there was a different attitude and the atmosphere was very relaxed. Given that there were just three of us we were in two minds about opening - we're really glad we did!
- Fridays commencing 19th March - George and Phil are working on the new town-centre initiative and plan to be out during the hours of 10 and midnight. There'll be training first (on the 5th and the 12th of March) and anyone who's interested in this is more than welcome to come along. Please email George for details: georgeosborn@avantiministries.com.
- Inside Light - For anyone who doesn't know what this is about, we believe there are a lot of people (some elderly/some with disability) who are trapped at home and who would benefit from human contact. From my viewpoint I've lost count of the number of older people who've said, "Never mind helping the young, what about the elderly?" We've still a lot of detail to think through but Phil and Nancy are proposing to walk detached from the Tuesday Drop-In, visiting homes, speaking to people and so on. This is, we hope, a small beginning; a toe in the water to see whether there's a good response and one that can be replicated elsewhere.
That's it for now, folks. Thanks everyone for your support. One final note, the local police told us recently that since we started our work in Knaphill, street crime here has dipped significantly. We find that really encouraging and it's not unlike the experience in Barnstaple where a Christian police inspector has reported crime stats falling following prayer and work with Street Pastors.
