Behind Closed Doors | When Covid Hit

It turns out that life can change a lot in just a week!

Last weekend there were shouts of joy from the combat archery field, songs of praise as we worshipped God, and sighs of delight at the vast number of pancakes consumed. But this weekend, all that could be heard were the sounds of the birds and the cows.

It’s strange to think that just last weekend life felt pretty ‘normal’; little did we know it would be the last group we’d have through our doors for many weeks (if not months).

Daffodils are out but the grounds are empty.

As Spring is well and truly underway, complete with sunshine and daffodils, we’re gutted to not be hosting youth groups at the weekends. Gaines Manor stands empty, with the doors closed in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even so, we know God is still sovereign and his gospel isn’t in self-isolation like the rest of us!

Doors are closed at Gaines Manor.

Here are just a few ways that life has changed for Camp XL as a result of the recent government advice:

1. Groups have been canceled for the next few months
2. Andy (new Director of Ministry) and his family have had to delay their arrival
3. Summer camp programme is in the balance, as to whether it will be able to go ahead
4. Our intern was sent back home
5. Money is running low

But even in the midst of these uncertain times, it’s vital to remember God’s faithfulness and sovereignty, so find below an encouragement, something to be thankful for and a prayer point:

Encouragement

Jesus is still on the throne, and knows how long this pandemic will last, even though we don’t.

Thankful

Andy (new Director of Ministry) and his family are able to delay their move to Gaines Manor.

Prayer point

That we would be able to think of innovative ways to engage with kids and parents online, during this period of social distancing (if you have any ideas or want to get involved, we’d love to hear from you! Just drop us an email to: gaines@campxl.org)

This is the first post in a series, documenting what life is like here at Camp XL now that we have had to shut the doors to groups for the foreseeable future. So, look out for more posts in the coming days, weeks (and probably months).

2 Years in…

Welcome to this bumper edition! (mostly because I haven’t done an update in ages…) Read on for all that’s been going on here at Gaines over the past few weeks: maintenance, Christmas fun, New Year House Party, conferences and more! If you feel able to financially support me in my self-funded role with Camp XL here at Gaines Manor, you can do so here.

Day 663

Our final group of 2018 was another Christian Union – this time from Worcester; it was great to have them with us, especially as several of them are also at Woodgreen Church. There was a wintery walk, combat archery, hanging out round the fire, table tennis competitions, and for the teaching we were in Ephesians – looking at God’s plan to unite everything to himself.

Day 668

At the end of a busy Autumn term with a long run of groups, we spent some time together as a team; which among other things included praying for each other and going climbing.

Day 673

The end of groups meant the start of maintenance! This winter we’re giving the boys floor a makeover: splitting one of the rooms in half, re-plastering some of the walls, repainting, laying new carpet and putting in curtains. The interns have all got really stuck in – from sanding, to scraping wall paper, ripping up carpet tiles (sometimes it took 2 of them!) and even knocking down walls.

Day 677

There’s rarely a boring day at Gaines… and that certainly wasn’t the case when I explored the loft in the cottages! Other than that, I’ve been mostly based in the office doing lots of admin – God graciously keeps sending us more groups.

Day 683

It took at least 5 people to get the rubble shoot installed (it’s actually a lot heavier than it looks!) But it’s been worth it, as it’s made getting all the rubble down from the boys floor so much easier.

Day 689

We celebrated Christmas as a team with secret santa, ice skating and Nando’s! It was great to hang out as a team before we all went our separate ways to spend Christmas with our families in different parts of the country for a few days.

Day 695 (better known as Christmas Day)

Merry Christmas from Gaines! (We had a lot of fun doing our Christmas card shoot)

Day 700

New Year House Party is always great fun, and this year was no exception! There were crazy games galore, gourmet food, the infamous quiz of the year, and lots of dancing to welcome in the new year! As 2018 came to an end and 2019 dawned, we focused our eyes and hearts on the glorious New Creation that is to come by looking at the end of Revelation.

Day 708

One year in my flat! I’m so grateful to have my own space to call home, have friends over to and bake in.

Day 709

An almost finished Room 2, there’s just carpet to go down now! Hopefully in my next update it will be finished…

Day 714

We all headed up to near Stafford for a few days for the Growing Young Disciples Conference. It was a great time of teaching and enjoying fellowship with others in similar ministry contexts to us.

Graham Daniels taught us from Matthew 10: that Jesus is the Lord of the harvest, He’s doing his work and He graciously chooses to use us – it was a big challenge and encouragement to us. There were also various seminars on how we can contend for the gospel.

Day 719

It was great to have Manor Park Church from Worcester with us for a couple of days. We looked at what it looks like to keep going as a Christian by getting stuck into Hebrews 12. And despite the cold weather, we still managed to get out for a walk and play combat archery, as well as hanging out round the fire.

Day 721

I went on another conference! I joined with around 100 other women in Leicestershire on the Proclamation Trust’s Women in Ministry conference. This year the theme was teaching apocalyptic literature. We had some really good teaching on Revelation and Daniel, as well as seminars on practical issues, and workshops – where we each gave a talk from Revelation and received feedback on it. I’m so thankful to my supporters, which meant I was able to go on this conference.

Day 728

We’ve been cracking on with maintenance on the boys floor – watch this space for how things progress.

Coming up…

The next month for us is pretty quiet in terms of groups, but we’ve got lots of maintenance to do. We’re also back at MMTC (Midlands Ministry Training Course), and all doing talks now.

Please Pray!

• That we’d keep remembering the reason we’re painting/plastering etc. is so that more people can hear the gospel
• For safety in all the maintenance work
• Praise God for all the groups we have booked in to come to us in the coming year

Shorter days… Bigger team!

I can’t believe it’s the middle of October already – the first month and a half with the new team has flown by! We’re so thankful to God for sending us lots of groups this Autumn: we’ve already had 4 and still have another 6 before the end of November. Read on to see everything we’ve been up to! If you feel able, you can financially support me in my role with Camp XL at Gaines Manor here.

Day 582

You’ll be glad to know we managed to make all of the flat pack furniture (see here for all the boxes in my last post…) just in time for the girls to move into the cottage.

Day 584

Six interns have joined the team this year, which is an amazing answer to prayer, so we now have the biggest team ever! From top left clockwise they are: Beth, Lottie, Cam, Mary, Emily and Issie. We’re really thankful to be serving God alongside them at Gaines Manor. We were sad to say goodbye to Tom at the end of the summer, but wish him well in his studies in Germany, and hope he’ll be back soon!

We then headed off to Bath for a few days as a team. Team bonding activities included: exploring Bath, going out for a meal, seeing a magic show, going for a walk in the countryside, and spending an evening at the rooftop spa! We also spent some time looking at 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 and praying for one another.

Day 593

After a few days of training, we were straight into groups – our first one was a youth group from a church in Derby. For the teaching we were looking at Jesus as the greatest ever King from Colossians 1; we saw Jesus as Supreme, as the Creator, as the Reconciler and as our Saviour. It was so encouraging hearing the older girls in my group talk about their faith. Other highlights from the weekend were: a huge bonfire, wide games up in the woods, fun in the kitchen, combat archery in the sun and some competitive Crocker!

Day 597

We were back at MMTC (Midlands Ministry Training Course) for the start of a new year! Myself and Neil are on the second year, and the interns are all on the first year. Just in the first few weeks we’ve being stretched, encouraged and challenged in the morning Bible overview sessions and in the afternoons on the second year we’re already into doing talks in Genesis.

Day 600

Christmas came early! We got lots of new toys from a university that was closing, which included a projector, sofas, tables for the office, Dive and Dining Room, filing cabinets for the office, and a water boiler.

The youth from St John’s Church near Manchester were back, and it was great to see some familiar faces. We were in the first few chapters of Revelation for the Bible teaching, looking at the letters to the seven churches. Through them the young people (and us!) were challenged to love the lost, stand up for Jesus, and to live genuinely as Christians. Highlights from the weekend included: smores round the bonfire, yummy food, and a murder mystery where everyone got really into character!

Day 605

We welcomed the new Year 7s from Kingham Hill School (their sixthformers came to us back in June) on a mid-week residential. The teaching was on servant leadership, and highlights of their time with us were: a beautiful misty morning, making shelters down in the woods, amazing puddings, the great egg drop, lots of fun on (and in) the lake during rafting and kayaking. And we finished the week off with a trip out to eat ice cream in celebration of Lottie’s birthday!

Day 610

I’ve been kept pretty busy with training the new interns, writing Bible talks, trips to Booker (Gaines runs on tea), replying to emails, sorting out programmes, meeting up one to one with Mary and Issie to read the Bible, and much more!

Day 614

We enjoyed welcoming back the youth group from St Stephen’s Church who have been coming to us for many years. Despite the weather being a little on the damp side we still had a great weekend – they were even crazy enough to go rafting in the rain! For the teaching we were looking at Jesus as the greatest ever King from Colossians 1. It was again a great reminder of who Jesus is and all that He’s done, and it was good for me to be able to do one of the talks. Other highlights included: a beautiful walk (which included making friends with the cows), sitting round the fire drinking tea, some extremely competitive combat archery, Neil eating a massive bowl of custard, a murder mystery complete with accents and we even tried out a new menu item!

Day 619

The most fun part of gospel ministry… cleaning! Now that we’ve got a bigger team we can deep clean a room at a time, so soon the whole house will be sparkling! And Neil has been putting the new interns through their paces in the grounds: Emily has been on the tractor cutting the grass, Beth and Issie have been strimming and Mary has been sawing!

Coming up…

Lots more group! I’m heading to a conference in Keswick in a couple of weeks. The interns are also helping on Holiday Bible Club at Woodgreen Church during half term.

Please Pray!

• Thank God for more bookings coming in for the Spring and Summer terms
• That we’d be keeping the Gospel at the centre of all we do
• That the interns would quickly settle into life at Gaines
• For wisdom and faithfulness to God’s Word as we put together some new teaching programmes for a few of the upcoming groups

Long Time No Blog Part 2: Busy, busy, busy!

If you missed Part 1 you can read it here!

Verse for April

Acts 2v21: “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

This is the truth of the Gospel – salvation comes through trusting that Jesus has taken away our sin by dying in our place on the cross. So humbling and yet SUCH good news!

Day 422

Room 2 is almost there, but it got put slightly on hold while we finished the girls floor! We’re hoping to be able to finish it in the next month or so.

Day 424

Progress is also being made on the wash up room, and we’re hoping to be able to install the industrial dishwasher in the next couple of weeks – which we’re pretty excited about!

Day 426

Easter Part 1: Broads Cruise. I was doing the teaching with another leader on my regular sailing camp on the Norfolk Broads. We were looking at 1 Thessalonians: what the gospel is and how that should change the way we live. There were Bible studies in the mornings and evenings, as well as meetings in the evenings when everyone was together. I was encouraged to see the Pathfinders and leaders really getting stuck into God’s Word.

The weather was pretty windy (and rainy), but it meant we could go and play some games on the beach and spend time getting to each other. We did have a couple of afternoons of sunshine though, which meant we could enjoy sailing round the Norfolk Broads at it’s best.

Day 433

Easter Part 2: Word Alive. The other side of the country in North Wales, where I was a leader on ‘Resolved’ – the 15s to 18s team, where we had nearly 200 young people!

In the mornings we were looking at Malachi in small groups. I had 8 girls in my small group; one of them was actually on my boat 5 years’ ago on the Broads Cruise! It was SO encouraging to see her still going on with the Lord. Also in my group were a couple of girls from my church in Worcester! In the second part of the mornings we ran our very own ‘Discipleship Training School’ – the first years were looking at Christian worldview and the second years were diving into apologetics. It was great to see the young people engaging with these challenging topics.

In the evenings, we had talks from the front on Nehemiah from Ben (who was heading up the team), which were helpful and encouraging not just for the youth but for the leaders too! It was humbling seeing the young people so hungry to learn and be changed by God’s Word. My highlight has to be from the last evening when we had a time of open prayer; there were so many of the youth praying out loud.

It was great to be able to go to some of the evening celebrations, as well as spending time in the afternoons with people form church, Gaines team from last year, as well friends from elsewhere!

Day 440

I was thankful to have some time off after Word Alive to go away on holiday, which involved enjoying the sun, going surfing and cycling to a cheese museum!

Day 449

We now have a fully functioning laundry room! Which will be a great help for the busy months we have coming up.

Day 451

Never thought I’d be laying laying carpet tiles: but Gaines teaches you new skills! The final 2 rooms on the girls floor are almost there…

Day 452

MMTC (Midlands Ministry Training Course) has been going well. I really enjoyed delving into Galatians before Easter, and am looking forward to 1 Samuel coming up; teaching practice on 1 Thessalonians has also been really beneficial.

Day 453

Ben fixed the roof, we put the finishing touches to the final 2 rooms on the girls floor – which is now FINISHED – all just in time for the group to come! We’re really thankful to God for enabling us to finish the work and keeping us safe throughout, and we’re looking forward to lots of groups being able to enjoy it.

We welcomed a youth group from Luton; the teaching was a familiar one to us – looking at Jesus as the greatest ever King from Colossians. But such great truths to be reminded of. Highlights from the weekend included: our first rafting session of the year, some very competitive combat archery, a great murder mystery, crocker and of course fridge cake!

Coming up…

LOTS of groups! As well as finishing off a couple of maintenance projects: the wash-up room and Room 2.

Please Pray!

• We have 43 eight to eleven year olds coming for MGP Junior Camp on Friday for the Bank Holiday Weekend – so please pray for energy, enthusiasm and patience! And also pray that they’d encounter the Saviour God by looking at the story of Joseph.
• Pray that the pathfinders who were on the Broads Cruise wouldn’t just remember it for a great holiday, but would know all that Christ has done for them, and trust Him as their Saviour
• Thanks for Word Alive and the girls in my group; pray that all the youth there would keep going on with the Lord.
• We’re now down to 4 on the team, as Joe & Alice have moved on (and had a baby), pray for enough volunteers to help us so that the groups we have coming will be able to hear the gospel
• Praise God for potentially 6 gap years starting in September!

Long Time No Blog Part 1: Where is Spring?!

Sorry for not blogging in a long time, life has been pretty busy here… we’ve had snow (twice), done LOTS of painting, had groups and washed all our pillows and duvets! Read on to find out more; if you feel able, you can financially support me here.

Read part 2 here!

Verse for February

Psalm 23v4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

During February, this verse was a great comfort to me, being reminded that even in hard times, God is still with me.

Verse for March

1 Thessalonians 1v9: “How you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”

Having spent quite a lot of time in 1 Thessalonians in March, and preparing talks on it, this verse really stood out to me. God is true and He’s alive; what amazing truth to hold on to! The idols of money, fame, career, family, success, love, possessions and more promise us so much… yet always let us down because they are not the truth and they cannot live us everlasting life. But God IS truth and Jesus defeated death so that we also could have life through Him.

Day 380

It was a real blessing to help out at Worcester CU’s Mission week, and seeing several non-Christians at the lunchbars, evening events and even at Church was a great encouragement.

We also said a huge thank you to these amazing girls: Beth, Phoebe, Lauren & Alice, who have served so faithfully for the last year on the committee. And have passed on the leadership to the new committee.

Day 387

Over half term, we had several of the youth from Woodgreen Church help us on girl’s floor; they did LOTS of painting, which was a massive help! I managed to get so into painting, I not only got paint in my hair, but also on my face!

Day 395

Who knew we had so much bedding?! We got all the pillows and duvets washed before the new bedding arrived… read on for photos!

Day 397

We were supposed to have a youth group coming to us from Nottingham, but unfortunately ‘The Beast from the East’ hit us, and they couldn’t get to us. So instead we enjoyed a morning tabogganing down the back hill!

Day 404

More work up on the girls floor: lots more painting, the boys built a wall to split the largest room in half; carpet got laid in four of the bedrooms and part of the corridor; and we’ve now got bedding!

Day 411

It was great to have a group in at last! Reminding us that the reason we’ve been working so hard to renovate is so that we can share the gospel with the youth that come to us. We had a regular group from a church in Tewkesbury, with teaching from Colossians 1: seeing that Jesus is the greatest ever King. And yet more snow! Highlights from the weekend included: a competitive game of combat archery, a (quite muddy) walk in the countryside, a murder mystery evening and of course pancakes for breakfast on Saturday morning! It was really encouraging to see the young people’s faith, particularly in small groups, where they were so keen to talk.

Day 415

Yet more painting… to finish off the corridor and two more of the rooms.

Day 418

We were thrilled to be able to host our first ‘Supersize’ weekend, specifically designed for small youth groups who wouldn’t be able to run a weekend themselves. The teaching was on holiness from 1 Peter, and I was really encouraged by the young people in my small group when we were looking more into 1 Peter. Other highlights included: air rifle shooting, some very competitive ultimate Frisbee, and some equally competitive combat archery, craft round the fire, and a quiz and karaoke evening (see our facebook, twitter or instagram for video evidence!)

Coming up…

Part 2… including what we got up to over Easter and the start of our really busy season!

Please Pray!

• That whether we’re in the middle of maintenance or a really busy run of groups we wouldn’t forget that the Gospel is what motivates us and keeps us going
• Praise God for non-Christians coming to the events put on by Worcester CU during their Mission Week – pray that they would come to know and trust Jesus for themselves
• Thanks for completing so much maintenance: God keeping us safe, having the skills, as well as resources to do the work

Gaines Girl: A Year in the Life

The past year at Gaines has had many highlights and laughs, as well as lots of opportunities to grow in character and godliness though the various challenges I’ve faced. So here’s a round-up of my year:

February

HIGHLIGHT – starting at Gaines: the journey begins!

CHALLENGE – feeling a bit overwhelmed with new responsibilities

FUNNY MOMENT – when some sheep escaped from one of the neighbouring farms onto our land!

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – such a joy to open up the book of Proverbs during Bible studies on my first weekend

March

HIGHLIGHT – team walks during time off

CHALLENGE – doing my first ever Bible talk

FUNNY MOMENT – Joe on the push along child’s ice skating dolphin when we went with one of the groups! (yes there is photo evidence)

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – Woodgreen Youth weekend away: seeing young people excited to be living for Jesus

April

HIGHLIGHT – getting combat archery and kayaks (yay for new activities!)

CHALLENGE – team dynamics

FUNNY MOMENT – Bethany attempting to put up a massive net on her own, to make the house pirate-themed for camps

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – Being encouraged in the work we’re doing by local Ministers

May

HIGHLIGHT – visiting Yorkshire Camps and being encouraged by their gospel work

CHALLENGE – finding my place in the team

FUNNY MOMENT – Bethany getting a whole bowl of flour over her

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – UCCF Midlands Team day looking at Creation and how that affects our evangelism

June

HIGHLIGHT – walk up the Malverns to see the sunset with one of the groups. Beautiful hot weather!

CHALLENGE – getting everything sorted for my kayaking qualification

FUNNY MOMENT – rafting on the lake: capsizes, going round in circles and people falling in!

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – a girl from a weekend who said she wanted to read her Bible more

July

HIGHLIGHT – lots of volunteers helping on camps. LMS glow stick disco. Finishing painting and putting up shelves for the new activity store

CHALLENGE – being really tired from all the groups and camps

FUNNY MOMENT – canoe training when Cam and Sally jumped in!

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – unchurched girls from a school in London engaging with God’s Word in small groups – so exciting!

 

August

HIGHLIGHT – surfing camp. Passing my kayaking qualification!

CHALLENGE – Bethany and Sally leaving

FUNNY MOMENT – Sally singing karaoke on Breakout camp – don’t think we’ve ever laughed so much!!

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – great small group Bible study group on Escape camp looking at Judges and Ruth

September

HIGHLIGHT – team trip to the South coast

CHALLENGE – adjusting to living on my own

FUNNY MOMENT – the constant question of “where’s Neil?!” when we were on our team trip!

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – starting MMTC (Midlands Ministry Training Course)

October

HIGHLIGHT – feeling more settled, especially at church. Not poisoning anyone when I ran the kitchen for a group of 50!

CHALLENGE – no girls!

FUNNY MOMENT – one of the groups getting really into character for the murder mystery, complete with (slightly questionable) accents!

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – provision of a lady at church to read the Bible with each week

November

HIGHLIGHT – Going to St George’s House to meet up with other Christian outdoor centres

CHALLENGE – not having any groups

FUNNY MOMENT – Joe and Thomas throwing some of the old mattresses and beds out of the window

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – MMTC Book in a Day on James

December

HIGHLIGHT – onsite team community. Team outing to London

CHALLENGE – being far away from people at church, making it hard to meet up

FUNNY MOMENT – one of our volunteers getting their car stuck in the snow!

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – meeting up with a student to read the Bible

January

HIGHLIGHT – moving into the flat. Lots of groups coming in the next few months

CHALLENGE – keeping focussed on Jesus when there are no groups

FUNNY MOMENT – Thomas loosing at exploding kittens (a card game) 3 times in a row!

SPIRITUAL STANDOUT – Growing Young Disciples conference, especially the teaching from Sam Allberry

So here’s to another year of Gospel ministry!

LMS glowstick disco throwback!

 

 

 

 

Farewell Groups: Hello Winter!

We’ve had our last weekend groups of 2017 (well it’s a bit cold for rafting now!), so we’re into a period of maintenance and development – read on to see what we’ve been up to. Thank you to those of you who support and partner with me – in prayer, relationally and financially – it’s hugely appreciated. If you feel able, you can financially support me here.

Verse for October

Hebrews 12v1b-2: “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

When we fix our eyes on Jesus, running the race he has given us becomes so much easier; something it’s often easy to forget, and yet makes all the difference in ministry!

Day 250

At the beginning of October, we welcomed the youth group from St Stephen’s church, Birmingham (the same church where we have MMTC). The teaching was on understanding the gospel and being equipped to share it with friends – practical and helpful for everyone! Highlights of the weekend included: the usual Friday night bonfire (complete with smores!), craft, combat archery, air rifles, a walk in the countryside and a murder mystery.

Day 253

A few weeks ago, the drive looked like this…

…but it now looks like this; nice and level and without any potholes: a smoother ride for those visiting Gaines!

Day 257

Our final weekend group of 2017 was the youth from Kensington Baptist, Bristol; we enjoyed a packed out meeting room, with around 50 of them staying with us. It was a pretty full on weekend with so many people onsite (and to cook for!). But it was a joy, as always, to open up God’s Word with the young people, which was ancient wisdom from the book of Proverbs – still relevant to us today. We were thankful to be blessed with great weather, meaning we could spend time outside, and highlights included: combat archery, a bonfire, crocker, ice skating, lacrosse and a walk in the beautiful surrounding countryside!

Day 269

Several of us from the Gaines team were involved in the Holiday Bible Club that Woodgreen Church ran over half term. If you can’t tell from the photo, the church was transformed to be ‘Under the Sea’! We were looking at the life of Jonah, and how we similarly run away from God and what he commands us to do, but thankfully Jesus came as the better Jonah to free us from our sin – and didn’t run away, but faithfully obeyed God.

Emily and Chris were our hosts (complete with wetsuits, swimming hats, life jackets and nose pegs!) and there was even a lobster costume involved as well! It was great to be involved in leading a small group and seeing the children better understand what Jesus has done for them.

Day 276

The boys have been busy taking the conservatory down, so that the building can be better weather-proofed over the winter.

Meanwhile in the office I’ve been busy with lots of admin, including looking at several of the different aspects involved with the activities we run, as well as various housekeeping tasks and bookings for the coming year.

Day 280

I’ve loved being involved at Woodgreen since I’ve arrived at Gaines, so have now become a Church member. Part of this involvement has been with After Eights: the students and 20s group, which has seen a lot of growth over the last year – so encouraging! You can see the excited bunch we are in the photo on the first session of term!

I’ve been settling into MMTC (Midlands Ministry Training Course) which has been continuing on Thursdays. We’ve now finished going through John’s gospel, and we’re just starting to put into practice some of the things we’ve been learning as we look at how to teach 1 Thessalonians to others.

Student work with the Christian Union at Worcester is also going well: they had their first session of the Alpha course this week, with many non-Christians attending – praise God! And pray He would be at work in their lives to bring them to Himself.

Day 282

In my last update, the plaster board in Room 2 had gone up, and now it’s plastered! The boys have also been busy sanding, before it’s painted and the kitchen appliances go in.

Coming up…

Planning for New Year House Party, lots of maintenance around the house, and various admin tasks.

Please Pray!

• To remember that the Gospel is great news and fix our eyes on Jesus, even when we have fewer groups coming through the doors
• Praise God for gap years already interested for September 2018 (and some girls!)
• Praise God for the provision of a woman at church to do a one to one Bible study with
• To use the time we have over this winter period well: for maintenance projects and planning for the year ahead (bookings, activities and Bible teaching)
• Praise God for over 100 children hearing about Jesus during Holiday Bible Club at church
• For God to be at work in the lives of those who have attended the Alpha course run by the CU

New Year – Same God

Sorry for the long silence – never quite managed to find the time to sit down and write this until now! As we start a new academic year at Gaines, with changes in team and where my time is focused, I’m so thankful to be serving the God that doesn’t change; he’s always the same, he’s always faithful: “You are the same, and your years have no end” Psalm 102v27

We’re back into the swing of things after the summer, with several groups coming to us in the next few weeks, read on to see what we’ve been up to! Thank you for your support; if you feel able to you can support me financially here.

Verse for September:

A new slot… for a verse (or two) I’ve found particularly helpful over the past month.

1 Thessalonians 2v19-20: “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.”

Why? Our treasure in heaven is seeing those we’ve had the privilege of sharing the gospel with in glory – how exciting and incredible is that?!

Day 204

After all the craziness of camps over the summer, we all enjoyed some well deserved time off and rest; which included holidays, seeing family and visiting friends.

Day 211

I passed my Level 2 assessment! Which means we can now offer kayaking on our lake at Gaines! On assessment day we were blessed with beautiful  sunshine and lots of willing participants to be coached – you can see me in action during the kayaking session I had to be observed coaching.

Day 212

Forum (UCCF’s annual conference for CU leaders) was a great way to kick start the year as an Associate Staff Worker in Worcester with UCCF: four days of camping in the rolling Shropshire countryside with fantastic Bible teaching and being equipped alongside the CU leaders from across the country. You can see me and Sophie (Staff Worker for Worcester) looking so excited for the year ahead for what God is going to do at Worcester uni, but a little worse for wear after four days of camping!

Day 218

Back to work! Which for me has mostly involved lots of admin (which I actually really enjoy…). Work has also been progressing on Room 2 – have a look back at May at Gaines! to see what it looked like a few months ago; although I can’t take any of the credit – that’s mostly been Joe. There’s now a ceiling and the walls are insulated and plaster boarded – ready to be plastered, then painted – more photos to follow in my next update!

Day 230

Wedding time! It was a joy to be bridesmaid for my friend, and be involved in their special day.

Day 232

As a full-time team we went away for a few days together in September; it was nice to spend time with each other away from all things Gaines-related. We then dropped Zoe (who’s been helping out at Gaines over the summer) off at Cardiff uni on the way back – it was sad to see her go, but I’m sure she’ll have a great time and be back before we know it!

Day 235

Thursday 21st of September marked the long-awaited first day of MMTC (Midlands Ministry Training Course). Three of the other guys at Gaines are also doing the course this year, so it’s good to be able to go together. Each week we travel up to Birmingham and receive Bible teaching on books of the Bible, doctrine and other topics relevant to Christian ministry. It’s exciting to be able to join with others from across the region to be equipped to better understand and teach the Bible.

Day 239

Thomas arrived from Germany to join us for his gap year; we hope and pray he learns and grows in his Christian faith as he serves God here at Gaines over the coming year.

Day 243

We had our first of a run of four groups in at the weekend: St John’s, Lindow from near Manchester. The teaching was from Proverbs, seeing how 3000 year old wisdom is still relevant today; as ever it was a joy to be able to open up God’s Word with the young people. Other highlights from the weekend included: combat archery (the girls were pretty happy about beating the boys!), graffiti, an afternoon of very competitive games, air rifles, and a murder mystery in which they all very much got into character! Pray for what they heard from the Bible to sink into their minds and hearts as they return home.

 

Coming up…

Three more groups over the next few weekends; and various maintenance projects, particularly Room 2.

Please Pray!

• For us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and his great gospel, and not to forget that the reason we run Gaines is for God’s glory
• For us to faithfully teach God’s Word to the groups that come
• Thanks for MMTC: it’s such a blessing to be able to receive faithful Bible teaching each week and to meet people of a similar age who also want to learn and grow in their walk with God
• Safety for all the maintenance work taking place

Ready, Steady, Paint!

We’re into June now and it’s starting to get busy here at Gaines – please continue to pray for us. Thank you for your ongoing support, it really is appreciated! You can support me here. And don’t forget you can also follow Gaines on facebook and twitter!

Day 116

The last few weeks have been filled with lots of maintenance, so that we can better serve the groups that come to us, enabling more people to hear the Gospel. One of the big projects we’ve been focusing on has been the PA room – the cupboards are out (thanks to Nunns guns) and it’s nearly ready to paint.

Day 120

I had a productive and quiet week while most of the team were enjoying some well earned time off over half term; involving the likes of tidying the linen cupboard, preparing wide games for the summer camps, restocking our archery supplies and finding new homes for some of the furniture we don’t need any more.

Day 125

Not Gaines related, but I got to take part in the Three Rivers Race: a 24 hour sailing race, covering nearly 50 miles, on the Norfolk Broads. We had amazing weather and overall, came 10th out of about 90 other boats!

Day 129

From sailing to kayaking… there seems to be a theme! I passed my kayak assessment – 3 star touring kayak. Which means we’re one step closer to getting kayaking up and running on the lake with groups.

Day 132

Sally’s back! She started her gap year at Gaines in September, then went off on a mission trip to Kenya, but now she’s back with us for the summer.

Day 135

Back in the PA room: the partition is down and the walls are prepped and ready to be painted by Sally and I… you can even spot Sally mixing some paint!

First coat is on! Nearly ready to be our new and improved activity storage. Check back next time to see what it looks like.

Day 136

As part of my Associate Staff Worker role, I met with the committee of Worcester Christian Union to help them think through their vision and to do some planning for the year ahead. It was so encouraging to see their passion for the gospel and their plans for sharing it with their fellow students!

And more painting has been happening… Alice, Bethany and Sally have been painting Room 3, ready for new staff starting.

Coming up…

Groups, groups, groups! The calendar is pretty full (praise God!) from now until the end of the summer. Which includes our normal weekend groups, Dads & Lads weekend, a school group, as well as our summer camps! Check back next time to hear how they’ve gone.

Please Pray!

• For many of the young people who come to Gaines to know God’s grace for themselves by having saving faith in what Jesus has done for them – this is what we’re all about!
• Thank you that God graciously uses our ministry (even with all its flaws and sinful people!) for Him to save souls
• Thank you for the students from City Church Birmingham who have come over the last 2 weeks to use Gaines for their retreats; pray that it was a spiritually beneficial time for them
• Energy for the coming months!

It’s All Fun and Gaines

It’s now Day 38 – read on to find out what I’ve been up to! And don’t forget, you can still support me at give.net/20216952

Day 16

Not strictly Gaines related… but I had a few days off and went white water kayaking in Devon, which was a lot of fun!

Day 23

We got donated over 1000 litres of paint by a local company, which was really exciting and generous of them. The photo above probably shows only about half of it!

Day 25

I got the opportunity to go on a rolling course – fortunately in a swimming pool and not the river!

Day 26

The lake has been looking beautiful in the sunshine, hopefully they’ll be groups paddling on it soon when the weather warms up!

Day 30

Pancake day was celebrated in style, but unfortunately no photos!

In between eating pancakes and enjoying the sunshine, we’ve been preparing for a 5-week run of weekend groups; which has included preparing Bible studies and talks, sorting programmes, cutting the grass, fixing all things activity-related and cooking lots of yummy food.

Day 33

Our first of 5 weekend groups in March: the Christian Union from the King’s School, Worcester. The weekend included: teaching on Ephesians, table tennis, archery (it got VERY competitive), food (lots of it), quiz of the year, craft, prayer stations, walks, football, murder mystery and a game of signs that seemed to last the whole weekend.

I got the opportunity to do one of the talks over the weekend: a little nerve-racking but exciting too, and it’s good to be pushed outside your comfort zone every now and again..!

The photo above shows the view from the final stretch of our afternoon walk back to Gaines on the Saturday – you can just about see the house in the distance! It’s a privilege to be living in such a beautiful part of God’s creation.

Coming up…

More groups! And preparing for our summer camps too -if you know someone who’d like to come along as a camper or a leader check out www.campxl.org

Please Pray!

• For us to faithfully teach the Gospel to all the groups that come through our doors as well as showing it in the way we live and work as a team
• For the generosity of those who support Gaines: prayer/financially/volunteering/paint donation etc.