Youth With A Mission Northern Ireland

We were about twenty five people that week, meeting in a couple different locations on the Shankill in Belfast.  Usually, this annual conference is held in the summer, so our group was perhaps not as diverse as normal, since most people would be busy during the weekdays in November.  However, we were a nice combination of YWAM Belfast staff and volunteers, YWAM Harpenden School of Humanities, and Sword of the Sprit gap-year volunteers.  In all, we represented the nations of England, New Zealand, USA, Rwanda, Cameroon, Turkmenistan, Norway, Central African Republic, Lebanon, the Netherlands, and Ireland.  A good mix, anyways.

Jonny Clark (Director, YWAM Ireland & YWAM Belfast) led us through a brief but meaningful examination of Irish history to set a practical context for our surroundings and the teaching we would have.  Our primary guest speaker was Peter Adams (http://www.reconciliationtalk.com), who is involved in reconciliation work in England and overseas.  He spoke at length about peacemaking as part of the Christian mission, as well as God’s plan for the reconciliation of all things, and how we participate in that – in relating to people and in speaking about Jesus.  He used many stories about his work in Luton (England) with the Muslim community and his work in places like China and the Middle East.

In the afternoons, there were field-trips to community projects around Belfast to see how various groups engaged with the needs of this city.  The purpose of these outings were to inspire and spark ideas, as well as connect the teaching with practical application.

The video below was taken at the conference, and is pieced together from a 75-min talk Peter Adams presented on God’s plan of ultimate redemption for all of creation and our call to participate in it (Vimeo – about 30 min.).

(This blog entry first published at nakedicame.com)

“Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Prov. 31: 8-9

Patricia Green addresses this vital area of concern for the church today

Friday 27th November: 8 pm (Tea & coffee from 7.30 pm)
Saturday 28th November: 9.30 am – 4.30 pm (Lunch provided)

YWAM Centre – “Closkelt House” – 45 Closkelt Road, Ballyward
Phone Ros on 07766286933 for information & directions

Patricia Green is the Founder of Rahab International who work on behalf of sexually exploited women and children. She is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, a social worker, and has a Master’s degree in Community Psychology. She is also a well-known speaker on issues of sexual exploitation, trafficking and prostitution. Patricia’s passion is to create an awareness of these issues and to motivate people, especially Christians, to reach out to sexually exploited women and children in the name of Christ to offer them a new life.

Download the flier by right-clicking this link and clicking ‘Save-As’

YWAM Dublin is pioneering as a new work in Dublin city centre with a vision for creatively engaging the city through missional living and involvement every aspect of their community (arts, business, homeless, etc.). To this end, they are planning to open a cafe and a prayer room in the heart of city centre, and are also planning to run a DTS starting in July 2010.

The DTS will be approximately six and a half months (ending late January 2011), with an emphasis on having flexible lecture and outreach phases. The lecture phase will consist of three 5-week sections, each comprised of four weeks of lectures in Dublin followed by one week of processing and time out in a European city, which could be Prague, London, Budapest, Reykjavick, or somewhere else. The remaining 13 weeks will be a combination of outreach in Dublin and abroad, including a time of debrief at the end.

This DTS is a great opportunity to build a foundation for a lifetime of following Christ with purpose and intention. During this time, the trainees will be joining a pioneering community, helping to contribute to reaching Dublin in creative and meaningful ways.

You can find more info about the DTS starting July 2010, including info on how to apply, at ywamdublin.com.

YWAM Dublin also has a group on Facebook you can check out.

Posing during the retreat: a majority of our team in Ireland, north and south.

Last week between Monday evening and Friday morning, folks from teams around Ireland gathered for a time of fellowship, input, and prayer together at our facilities in rural Co. Down. We were joined by Barry and Kay Austin, based with YWAM at the King’s Lodge in England, who are YWAM veterans from the early days (Barry lead the second DTS ever!) and continue to be instrumental in leadership training for YWAM around the world. Barry and Kay lead us in looking at Hebrews 1-6, a scripture establishing the identity of Christ and pinpointing obstacles to following him with full faith and expectation. We followed in prayer for our mission and challenging each other to thoroughly move in God’s momentum. Also, a good amount of time was dedicated to hanging out, catching up, and various antics – from hiking, to lazing on the beach in nearby Newcastle (during the one sunny day), to cooking, to table tennis tournaments. Overall, these few days were a good mix of nurturing activities and team-building.

Summer Madness is a Christian festival held in Belfast each summer.  This year, it runs 3-7 July, and YWAM will be hosting a venue.  Check out the Summer Madness website.

The Yak-Shak

‘They tried to make me go to re:hab, I said, “No, no, no”. ‘

YWAM Ireland presents The Yak Shak. This is the place for chillout, for
hanging out with each other, and experiencing God and the world in a
low-key environment.  You’ll find sofas, art, hot drinks, pool, table
tennis, and a special pampering area for the girls – even spectacular
Summer Madness haircuts for everyone!

The “Yak -Shak” afternoon workshops are a multi-sensory extravaganza,
filled with magic, escapology and energetic hi-jinx from Yan Nicholls of
YWAM England and his YWAM Ireland volunteers.  Don’t miss it — or
you’ll miss out!

Saturday (4th)
2.30-3.30 “Yak-Shak hour”
4-5 “Yak-Shak presents” – Donking Rongavilla and the Passion
Freestylers
10-11.30 “Yak-Shak re:creates”

Sunday (5th)
2.30-3.30 “Yak-Shak hour”
4-5 “Yak-Shak presents” – Donking Rongavilla and the Passion
Freestylers
10-11.30 “Yak-Shak re:creates”

Monday (6th)
2.30-3.30 “Yak-Shak hour”
4-5 “Yak-Shak presents” – Norn Irish singer songwriters unplugged
10-11.30 “Yak-Shak re:creates”

“Yak-Shak re:creates” is an evening in two parts. Music from our
resident house band made up of SM campers (that’s you!), magic
mayhem, laughter, culminating in an alt. worship experience for the more
contemplative Summer Madness participant. Mixing words, silence, and
ambient tunes to bring us on a journey of encounter with faith, poverty,
the Kingdom, and the prodigal Father.

Yak-Shak hour: An extravaganza filled with magic, escapology and
energetic hi-jinx.

Yak-Shak presents: Donking Rongavilla and the Passion Freestylers.
Check out their hip hop dance style and learn some yourself!

re:creates – the journey begins with a house band and ends with
contemplation.

Join the Facebook event for more info and automatic reminders!

This coming Monday, 8th of May 2009, five YWAMers from Belfast will be participating in the team relay event of the Belfast City Marathon, including our national director Jonny Clark.  We’re racing as a fundraiser for ministry and work needs in Northern Ireland.

Please consider sponsoring a YWAMer for this event.  Any gift will go a long way, and it’s easy to give with a debit or credit card using PayPal.  If you have any questions or have an alternate means of giving, please don’t hesitate to send us an email.

Check out what Jonny Clark has to say about the fundraiser and training for the marathon in this funny YouTube video.

Jonny Clark