Taking it to the streets

Test post

2011-01-01T13:07:00.002Z

Testing whether the summary system is working

So is it?

View from the team (part 3)

2009-08-02T19:15:00.003+01:00

Another story from within the team - this time it's Nathan Edward's turn to share a big story from the mission... He's also been twittering updates from the road too!

Day 8 - Fun Day in Herne Bay
"My friend David (who was on team last year) came. At the end of church out doors he asked me to pray for healing for two things. Firstly, his knee had been painful for a long time as he had fallen off a skateboard in a skate bowl... so ouch! Secondly, he had previously broken his thumb in a motorcycle accident and because of residual injury he couldn't cook (which is his job). I prayed with a member of the local church for him and he was healed on both counts instantly. Later we prayed for his step-sister against the spirit of depression. This for me was very important as confronting the enemy and spiritual warfare had been some of my hopes at the beginning of the outreach. I'm sure I will see more."

Nathan (aka @megodbike) has also been sharing some stories on his twitter page - here are some of them:

"A guys leg just grew"
"God moves big time. At least 10 healings in the last 3 days"
"Just about to start family fun day #4. Molesey, Surrey. Praying for even more miracles today. The weather would be one. Storms predicted"
"Amy just realised she had seen this day before in a dream. God is blessing this team."
"A woman with uneven legs had the shorter one grown!"
"#godheals leg spasms, one leg shorter than the other, neck strain, back pain. we saw that and more today."
"Lots of gradual healings yesterday. Might be some follow up stories. Last day today. Blessings on Surbiton"
"Last family fun day about to start. Pray for even more breakthrough. More spirital power"

Amazing stuff - keep it up folks!!

View from the team (part 2)

2009-08-02T18:59:00.005+01:00

More from our intrepid Re:Act blogger, Becky Fox...

Day 5 - Community Action in Wickford
"Some of us headed out towards the travelling community, we went off in our minibuses and spent some time with the people there. We talked to them, did some work litter-picking along the road, and we took the gear so some of us played football with the children, painted their faces, braided their hair, and they all seemed to love it."

"We then headed back to Memorial Park, and prayed, sang, and prayer walked the site, and people got words about people they were going to meet tomorrow, people to look out for, and just words of encouragement. It was all pretty cool."

Day 6 - Fun Day in Wickford
"We woke up and looked outside, and it was raining and the sky looked dark.. But as soon as we got to the family fun day site and began to set up, there was literally a circle of blue sky just above the site, it was amazing! The weather stayed gorgeous all day, right up until we had just about finished packing everything up, at which point the rain came down hard. It was amazing though, just how the weather had kept off right up until then! It just showed us how amazing God really is!"

"People came to the healing tent, and there was one girl who had a problem with her back and couldn't touch her toes, but after being prayed for, she could! She hadn't believed that she could be healed, but when she was, she just burst into tears."

Day 7 - Fun Day in Croydon
"A member of our team, Sharon, her sister came to the fun day and the Church outdoors, and became a Christian that day! That was great news. :)"

Day 8 - Fun Day in Herne Bay
"I had a really bad headache that didn't go away, no matter how much water I drank, and I took painkillers too, but in the last 40 seconds before the end of a track when I was working with the radio, Richie prayed for me. So if there was a bit of dead space after a song, sorry, we were praying! But within ten minutes, my headache was gone, it was great!"

More stories from Becky will appear on her blog and then hopefully on here before too long!!

View from the team (part 1)

2009-07-31T18:12:00.006+01:00

Becky Fox has been blogging from within the Re:Act team this year. So here are a few higlights from her perspective...

The following excerpts are taken from Becky's Re:Act 09 blog - check it out for the full unedited story!

Day 2 - Residential in Harpenden
"The Holy Spirit was working in loads of people tonight. People were being refreshed in the Spirit and totally fired up for God. Some people got filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time, and that was pretty amazing. It was just an amazing session, and it gave us all the stength we need to get through this next week."

Day 3 - Residential in Harpenden
"We saw, in front of us, someone's leg grow, and people being healed, it was amazing. Definitely inspiring, and a lot of the emphasis is on healing, people are really being called towards healing this year, and we're going out to do some of our own Healing On The Streets. It's gonna be awesome!"

"It's like everyone can tell that we're gonna be doing some amazing stuff over the next week, and one of the really cool things was that when we looked at the aerial photographs of each location, people could see the word "Hope" in the trees, in the buildings, the shadows, the letters spelt out in the images, which, yeah, it really gave us hope for this week."

Day 4 - Residential in Harpenden
"This afternoon, a number of us went into Luton town, put out some chairs, put some music on and raised a banner saying "Healing". We fell to our knees in the middle of this busy street, praying and feeling the presence of God, and we attracted rather a lot of attention. When we got up, people were looking over at us, and we wandered around the area. Some people came up to us, talked to us, and asked for healing, for prayer, and some of us went around the area talking to the local people. asking if they had anything they needed healing for. We saw some amazing things in Luton, we saw legs growing, and bruises fading right in front of us, it was awesome! We had some amazing conversations with people, it was just generally pretty great, good preperation for the healing on the famly fun days, as there's gonna be healing stations at each location."

And that's all before they even hit the road...!

Re:Act is underway

2009-07-27T13:32:00.005+01:00

Re:Act 2009 is off and running! Over the past few days the Re:Act team has been encamped at the Oval in Harpenden for the Re:Act training residential and the reports from the site, although coming in in dribs and drabs, have been most encouraging!

So far it has been difficult getting news straight from the team onsite but we've had at least one comment posted on the Urban Saints Facebook page and one of our young people, Becky, is blogging from within!

"It's all about getting right with God, confessing our sins before God.. I thought it was dead good. Loads of prayer, and a few people kinda recomitted their life to God earlier, all in all a good night!"

"REACT! yeahhh, it's going well. we've got great speakers, and we're all doing really good stuff, and God's really working in some of the people here, it's all good stuff. i'm dead psyched up for the family fun days, i can't wait!"

You can follow more of Becky's thoughts at http://takeittothestreets09.blogspot.com

Other comments coming in are from various team members who were at the residential this weekend but they all say how great the team is - very enthusiastic, working together well, really keen to get out on the road and even those that booked on late in the day are all really getting stuck in...

Sounds like it is going to be a great mission. Watch this space (and check out Amplifiradio.com to see and hear more!

It's Re:Act eve...

2009-07-23T17:24:00.005+01:00

It's the evening before this year's Re:Act mission begins and this site is looking a little neglected but never fear, it'll all "be alright on the night" as they say. Here's a quick update on what's happening in 2009 and on the progress of John Brassett for those of you aware of his story too...

We're less than 24 hours from the start of this year's summer mission. Phil, who heads up the Re:Act team, is not very well and so the other team members are rushing around trying to make sure he's not missed too much! The training residential is being hurriedly organised at the YWAM base like last year and we are putting the finishing touches together for Re:Act to have its own radio station for the very first time!

This year we return to the normal level of having one team hitting the streets and for the next eleven days that team will do everything together, eat, sleep, worship, serve, face-paint and all sorts! There's a residential training weekend in Harpenden, followed by a tour around the south of England. A day of social action followed by a family fun day in Wickford in Essex and then family fun days in Croydon, Herne Bay, Molesey and Surbiton! It's going to be an amazing tour and mission and this year, as well as updates on this blog (and hopefully on our Urban Saints Facebook page too) but you'll also be able to listen to a 24-7 live radio broadcast from the team! Wherever they are, you'll be there too - and as one of the team leaders, Peter Andrews, said "I don't know what will be broadcasting when we are sleeping or on the loo..." but I'm sure it will be fascinating to follow them during the mission! If you want to listen in, log on to Amplifiradio.com during the tour.

By the time the start of the residential rolls around, our team will probably be exhausted! But they're all sure to have an amazing time on Re:Act 2009 and even if you're not going to be there yourself in person, you can experience some of that here too!!

UPDATE ON JOHN BRASSETT: For those of you who were involved in Re:Act 08 or have been following this blog, you'll be interested and excited to know that John is still fighting the cancer in his body. He was told that the prospects didn't look good and so we as an Urban Saints and Re:Act team have really doubled our prayer efforts. However, he is currently looking and feeling quite well - his comment when I spent time with him last week was that "other than the fact that they keep telling me I need to take my treatment, you'd hardly know I was ill!" He is currently waiting for his latest round of test results to be returned and we are fully believe for a complete healing and total eradication of the cancer. Please do join with us in prayer and when we have an update, we'll post it up here. Thanks!

Re:Act 2009 - your journey starts here!

2008-12-12T16:23:00.006Z

Following on from the success of the 2008 mission, we are pleased to announce that plans for Re:Act 2009 have been released. Want more opportunities to see God working through you into local communities, then step this way...

We had a fantastic time on Re:Act this summer and we are delighted to announce that we will be running at least one Re:Act tour again in 2009. The dates for Re:Act 2009 will be from the 24th July to 3rd August. Details regarding specific locations will be announced early next year.

We were blown away by the amazing things we saw God do through Re:Act this summer and we are believing God for another great 11 days next summer.To book your place on next year’s Re:Act please download the flyer and application form (from the Urban Saints website) and return it to us as soon as possible. Please also feel free to forward this link to your friends and encourage them to book up.

Don't forget, you can also visit the Re:Act website

OK so what's going on...

2008-11-17T20:12:00.001Z

Ok, ok, so I haven't written for an age. I seem to recall doing this last year! Its a stage where I just feel I have nothing to say, nothing to share, nothing to interest you - whether that is true or not is not the point! The problem has also partly been caused by problems with Yahoo, but mainly total lethagy on my part
OK so what's been going on, am I dead, have I lost the use of my keyboard or what?

The answer is No I am not dead.....can I go now? !!

No? Oh well, basically little has happened since last I wrote. It took an age for info to travel from the Royal Free Hospital (in Hampstead) to Mount Vernon Hospital (in Hertfordshire). Personally I think I could have walked it there in about a day - but alas it took nearly two weeks for the system to get me there - encouraged by a substantial number of phone calls! - so my view of NHS administration is still at a very low level!

Well, last Tuesday I at last got to see an Oncologist at Mount Vernon. For those that don't know, an Oncologist deals with the use of Chemo therapy or other nuclear medicines (he's the guy who walks out in a neon green suit at the end of each day!). He was just the sort of guy I like. Straight talking, down to earth and very open.

He had limited knowledge of my exact spread of cancer as the file with the scans was still walking around the M25! Anyway from the notes that he did have he was able to at least inform me that apart from having cancer back in the liver and it spreading to my abdomen, it was also around by my spine (!) - that was a little bit of a shock and could have significant relevance as time progresses!

He then checked me out, prodding and poking around. To my amusement he said I was actually a very fit guy (I love you too Doc! - no he I don't think he really meant it that way) but clearly the fact that I am "fit" obviously means I will stand up to the treatment a lot better than some.

To cut a longish meeting down to a minimum, he intends to hit me with Chemo tablets and a slow release injection, once a week for three weeks followed by a gap, two further periods of the same. He will then consider if I can stop the chemo for a while as he does not wish to flood me with the stuff.

Chemo was expected to start this Wednesday but has subsequently been postponed to next week (12th Nov)

Overall, we came out feeling much more positive and I think our view of the future increased in size. To be honest I wasn't seeing past Christmas before. In fact Christmas was an awefully long way away. Now? Who knows.

With this in mind it was interesting to spend time with one of my friends (who works for me on a weekend, but has been studying to be a psycologist). In talking I said that I found it hard not to be able to plan ahead and he nearly bit my head off! Basically I took a heavy hammering from him, but it did do me a lot of good! The overall message was "if you don't feel able to plan, you put your life on hold and basically give in." There is no reason not to plan. All of us will die, some it will be by chance and totally unexpected and yet knowing that doesn't stop people planning. This helped me a great deal and suffice to say I walked away from Steve with a different view (thanks mate!)

In myself I feel far better - one of the other things that came out of the hospital visit was that he gave me increased pain killers in order to stop me waking from my stomach cramps/ pains. This is a very low dose of morphine (which scared the heck out of me, until I realised how small a dose it was!). Anyway, it has allowed me to sleep for periods of at least five hours at a time! Thats been unheard of in about 4 months, so I have at last started to get some energy back and I actually found myself smiling the other day!! I still get tired, but nothing like as much.

Right, thats enough for now. I promise to come back with some more shortly, but thats the bare facts and should keep you going for now.

Stay tuned, stay praying and thanks for all you do,

John

The natural and the supernatural

2008-10-15T09:40:00.002+01:00

Another update from John - this time on what treatment is available to him. Please keep praying and believing in our great God to perform a miracle...

As you are all aware, today was surposed to be a meeting with the Oncologist to discuss the use of Chemotherapy in the fight against my cancer. Well, over the last few days that has been changed and moved to Friday, and then I received a call from my Professor's secretary asking me to go to a clinic with him at 2pm today! So that is what happened.

As Jo was unable to attend my father offered to come, which bearing in mind he found last year very hard, was quite a surprise. Anyway he was brilliant and it was great to have him by my side.

Basically the prof just went through what they had found on the PET scan - really what should have happened last week. He explained that the cancer was not just confined to my liver, but was in the cavity around it and within the abdomen. All these things made it impossible to cut the stuff out and therefore Chemo was the only option.

I asked what the prognosis was and got back what I think my head knew but my heart had not fully registered.....that chemo does not cure the cancer it purely reduces it in size for the time being. Therefore it purely adds time - it will however kill me at some stage. How long that is, will depend on the choice of chemo used and the way the cancer reacts to it. My cancer is apparently a very rare form, so I don't think they can really give any idea.

We discussed where I should have the treatment and I have opted for Mount Vernon hospital as it is more accessible and will allow my dad to get there in the car and support me - he is afterall 87 and London driving is a nightmare even for the best of us. Anyway the hospital is one of the top cancer specialists so I am happy with this. Contact with them will be made tomorrow and an appointment will hopefully come through fairly soon (needless to say the other appointment has been cancelled).

So we now have to wait and see.

It all sounds quite negative but what the Prof has said is what happens in the natural - but we believe in the supernatural, so this can still be cured. God can intervene and that is what I now need you to be praying (not that you haven't already!) and also that it doesn't spread any further.

Family are all ok and seem very strong. I had a rough day on Sunday - just a few blubbers (!) but my heart was greatly warmed when my eldest son, Ben, came in and gave me a big cuddle and told me that I didn't have to be strong all the time!! You know I am so proud of my kids and I thank God so much for my family - they are all such a blessing.

OK thats it, it's bedtime and I'm still working, despite not sleeping well. So thank you for your love and care and watch this space coz I'll be back real soon!

John

How should we specifically pray for John?

2008-10-13T18:52:00.004+01:00

A friend of mine, (Lou Bailey) was praying for John the other night and sensed that as we pray, we need to pray specifically against multiplication of the exising cancer cells.

An enemy increases power by adding to its troops, so we need to pray that no cancer cell would divide any more (which obviously is what leads to tumours and further spreading of disease)...praying that the enemy would advance NO further.... because He couldn't because of the power of prayer.

"Well... we're not giving in!"

2008-10-08T12:57:00.005+01:00

We've had another update from John - this time with those crucial test results and his reaction to them...

Hiya,

A really frustrating afternoon. Basically they couldn't find the scan and therefore couldn't advise as to what the situation. The woman we saw was completely useless - no access to the computer, no knowledge of me, no idea of how to deal with a problem. Well, anyway, we left her with the agreement that she would try and track the scan down and phone us by 7pm this evening.

It was therefore not a surprise to get a call at 7.30 (!!). However in many ways I wish she hadn't!

Apparently the scan showed that I have extensive discease in my liver area, such that it cannot be operated on, and further nodules over my abdomen (peratinium). The only course of action is therefore Chemo.

So, next Tuesday they will have an Oncology meeting and then in the afternoon they will meet with me to advise what they think they can do. This is not good news and is very serious.

Needless to say we gutted. We have told the boys and have had what I am sure will be the first of many communal blubbers!

Right. Well we're not giving in. The battle might have begun but nobody is going to raise a white flag on this - and please that includes you lot. God is amazing. We saw that last year and whilst I also know that we have seen others this year not make it through, I claim the right to see God's healing power and I will fight for as long as it takes.

Please pray for us over the next week, its not going to be easy and I need to be giving strength to all those around me.

Please pray for my parents, sister, Jo and the boys plus all of Jo's family. Hey can we also add in my work colleagues who are really watching all this and really do care.

Thanks,

I'll be back sooner than you can imagine

John

"Tomorrow is D Day"

2008-10-08T12:53:00.005+01:00

Well tomorrow is D day! The day we find out the results of last weeks scan (which incidentally wasn't too bad! - just about 1.5 hours of lying absolutely still.....aaaah!)

The appointment is at 3.30pm at the Royal Free and Jo is coming along to support me. We really could do with being totally covered by prayer as these are tough trips and hearing all that is said can be a little tricky.

Please pray for the lads, they are quietly finding it hard and they know just as much as we do how important tomorrow is going to be so please pray for their strength and for our ability to explain all that the meeting brings.

Please also pray, obviously, that the scan shows not "hot" cells next to the artery.

Well, thats enough for me to cope with and it is late, so good night all and I will try and be back with you tomorrow,

Thanks for all you do,

John

So what is God saying now?

2008-10-03T12:13:00.004+01:00

On June 6th 1944, 130,000 allied troops invaded the coastline of Normandy, France, in what was the largest single day invasion of all time, known as D-Day. It was a bloody battle, and there were many casualties but by the end of that day a bridgehead had been established.
The allied troops had gained a foothold on foreign soil and if they continued to stand their ground and not retreat it would now only be a matter of time before they had won the victory.

Well, in some small way, I believe we have taken ground from the enemy this summer on Re:Act, and a bridgehead has been established. We have seen some amazing answers to prayer, many people becoming Christians, signing up for Alpha, being healed or having a person experience of God. Many of you have experienced God use you in ways you never thought possible.

When we take new ground, we establish a bridgehead. It is not unusual for the enemy to contest the ground we have taken. We need to learn how to stand our ground, (check out Eph 6: 10-18).

For many of you Re:Act sparked a personal breakthrough in your relationship with God. The challenge you now face is are you going to stand your ground and not allow the enemy to rob you of all God has done in you, or are you going to retreat and go back to how things used to be.

In addition to this I believe God may be challenging your generation, (and even more specifically, all of us who experienced Re:Act this summer) to stand our ground and refuse to back down or retreat on the issue of praying for John to be fully healed of cancer.

Are you guys up for this? I would love to hear from you

The story so far

2008-10-03T11:36:00.003+01:00

In June 2007 I felt God was speaking to me about praying for a breakthrough in healing and the supernatural on Re:Act 2008. Around this same time I received an email from John informing me that he had diagnosed with cancer and been given about 3 months to live.
I was quite surprised by my immediate response – an unusual level of faith that John would be healed and that I should ask him to commit to being on a Re:Act team in 2008. I felt, if we saw a breakthrough in God healing John it would be a step towards us seeing a breakthrough in the supernatural and healings on Re:Act 2008.

I met up with John (about one week after he had met with Matt Summerfield to arrange his funeral), to tell him what I was feeling. I was taken back by how positive John was, how passionate he was about his faith and the overwhelming sense of peace and trust he had in God. I told John I believed God was going to heal him and encouraged him to consider booking onto a Re:Act team, which was scheduled to take place after when he should have died. At the time John wasn’t sure how to respond to this and explained his concerns about not wanting to raise the hopes of his family who were doing their best to come to terms with the fact that John was not likely to be around in a few weeks time.

Following an amazing sequence of events which included some amazing answers to prayer and God using the skills of medical service, I had the privilege in introducing John to you at the Re:Act training residential where he was able to tell you his story of how God had healed him of cancer.

An update from John

2008-10-02T12:30:00.004+01:00

[Another email sent by John, just yesterday... 1st October 2008 - if you're confused about how this relates to Re:Act click HERE for more information...]

Firstly thanks for the overwhelming response to the last email. You are amazingly caring people. So many wise words (I didn't know there was that much wisdom available from my friends!). They have uplifted me and I am rapidly returning to my place of peace that I so longed to find.

Today I had the pleasure of going to a "Refresh" day at Urban Saints (Crusaders, if you're my age!). This is a day of prayer and reflection led by an outside preacher, church leader or other learned christian. I went just to have a time of quiet and a time to reflect, but in fact found God speaking straight at me! Be strong, be courageous. trust me and push through even it appears too tough. Remember I am always there...........so I guessed that a lot of that was directed at me. He certainly got my attention! It turned out to be a time of assurance and strengthening, a time of hearing God through all sorts of people. Unexpected and so timely.

The staff team then all prayed for me with an amazing passion that humbles me totally - I just wonder how often I pray for anything with the passion that was shown this morning (guys you are amazing and I love you, like family).

So I am much much stronger than when I last wrote - but then again I recon I need to be. The scan is tomorrow at 9am and will last between 2 and 4 hours (!) - what am I going to do for that amount of time? If they expect me to lie still they've got another think coming! Anyway, the scan looks as though it won't be quite as bad as I had been advised - no lead piping (sounds like part of a Cluedo crime) and no radiation for 6 months. I think I will purely glow for a couple of hours!

If you read this in time - and I know I've left it late, please pray that:

1. I will cope with the scan. I am finding lying still for more than an hour very hard, even at night.
2. That my stomach pains will go - I have had bad pains from excessive trapped wind (huh, you get the full works with me guys!) for ages now and it really does wake me up at night or cause real pain during the day. So relief from this, at least in the short term would be brill.
3. That the scan shows everything is ok. Its hard to imagine - but we do have an amazing God and it would be foolish to not ask!
4. For Jo and the boys as they quietly wait for answers.

Thank you as always for being there. You have already helped me and have lifted me to a more peaceful place. Naturally I'll be back writing to you as soon as I have more to write, but for now thats about it,

Thanks again,

John

"So why am I writing... Well, it's back!"

2008-10-02T12:10:00.004+01:00

[The following email was sent out by John on 24th September 2008 - if you're confused about how this relates to Re:Act click HERE for more information...]

Following a CT scan in July that the NHS has only just got round to dealing with (yeah, admin is still not their strong suit), it showed signs of an increase in soft tissue around the scar tissue that occurred where they chopped "Livalot" off from his nasty counterpart ("Livalittle"). Well they they then booked me in for an MRI scan and on Tuesday (yesterday) I went for these results.

The MRI scan shows that the new soft tissue around the scar tissue, is likely to be cancerous - whether malignant or benign they can't be sure. The problem, as though I need more, is that it is very close to the main artery - this means that if they find that the tissue next to the artery is malignant, then they cannot cut it out - only hit it with chemo, which may or may not have any effect. Clearly this is not good!

The next step is a nuclear scan at UCH (apparently this is horrid and involves a lead tube being put into the throat and then particles being fired along it. It means that I become radio active and cannot go near babies and things for a few months!!) What the scan does however is to highlight the good and bad cells (hot or cold as they are defined). This should then mean that they can decide the best way forward.

I have an appointment with the Profs team on 7 October, so by then the scan must be done and assessed, so it looks as though it will start moving fast again.

I know last year was bad, but this one scares the hell out of me for some reason. I don't have the same peace that I had then - maybe that will come after the initial shock - I do hope so because this is chewing me up!

The family have already found it hard - I had Jo in tears when she got home and Chris sobbing his heart out at bed time. I know I have to be strong to carry them, but really I feel like getting under the duvet and sobbing too!

I have no right to ask you to ask for your help again, but you were all so amazing last time - so if you pray (and I know that isn't all of you, but if you do) please do include all of us in those prayers (Jo, Ben and Chris and all our family) and do feel free to pass this on elsewhere. Your prayer support was amazing last time and I know it made a difference.

Sorry - not the most uplifting of emails I've ever sent.

Catch up again soon, when I might be slightly stronger/ more positive!

Re:Act - not just a one-off experience?

2008-10-02T09:19:00.003+01:00

Regular readers of this blog will have noticed an apparent change in direction recently... from the wider story of God's impact on UK communities to the very personal, individual story of one man. John used to work at the Urban Saints Support Centre and was a key member of the East team this summer.

If you were part of Re:Act this summer, you'll probably remember his challenging testimony about how God healed him of liver cancer over the last 12-18 months. The Re:Act core team believe that John's story and his own journey is symbolic and even spoke (and is speaking!) prophetically about what God is doing through Re:Act 2008 and beyond.

So as part of seeing the principles of Re:Act taken out into EVERY community, we encourage you to join us on John's journey and stand with him in his experiences.

Did God really 'only' heal John for the benefit of a good story at a mission trip?! Or does he want to see healings and miracles happening ALL THE TIME EVERYWHERE?! What do you think?

Almost as good as being there...

2008-09-09T15:11:00.006+01:00

We made this little video overview (to show at our 2nd Annual Urban Saints National Gathering this Saturday) which gives a flavour of some of the Re:Act days and tells just a handful of the Re:Act stories.
Enjoy!

1000 At Family Fun Day

2008-08-15T14:16:00.004+01:00

MORE than 1,000 people attended a free Christian family fun day in Trowbridge Town Park.

Organised by a group of Trowbridge churches called Christian Action for the Trowbridge Area (CATA), the event on Thursday offered families the chance to have fun and learn more about religious organisations in the town in a relaxed way. There was hair braiding and face painting along with a free barbecue, inflatables, games, music and dancing.

Adrian Isaac, of the organising committee, said: "It was a free day for the community to show them that the church still has a relevant place in our society. We cooked almost 750 burgers and over 500 sausages and gave away lots of free cakes too. We felt it went extremely well. The community was very open and amazed how we do everything for free. The money all comes from donations from people in the churches in Trowbridge."

The day was split into two halves with the free family fun session running from 2-5pm and a church outdoors evening from 5.30-7pm. There were various arts and crafts activities such as mask making and a giant 'wheel of light' canvas for everyone to paint their own section. A puppet show was extremely popular as were the two rock bands that performed. There was also a talktalk tent for people to write down things they would like others to pray for and stick them up on the walls. Members of the Impax, the Trowbridge branch of Christian youth organisation Urban Saints, also helped stage the event, which is now in its second year.

[Sent in by the local coordinator, taken from his local paper...]

Tales from Kent & Surrey

2008-08-11T16:36:00.011+01:00

[Some reflections on the Kent/Surrey/London tour courtesy of Tim Sandford...]

Orpington - Thursday July 31st - On the questionnaires with Abby, we had two really good chats. One in particular is worth sharing:
We went to talk to a group of three teenage girls, about 15-16 years old. They were quite open and honest about whether they believed in God, with one in particular saying she didn't believe in God because of the things that had happened in her life.

I got the feeling that was because of the death of a family member. I felt it was her brother so I asked her if she had a brother. She did, and it wasn't. As the conversation went though, it was her dad who had died and her brother now keeps the family together.
God gave me the phrase "a father to the fatherless" and it transpired that this was relevant to all three girls in one way or another. But for this one girl, she now looked to her brother as a dad, I encouraged her that God can be trusted as Father. One of the other girl's dad had left home after a split with her mum. The other girl's dad was going in for a serious operation shortly.
Looking back, I wish things had gone further - it would have been great to pray with the girls. But hopefully God used us to encourage them about his Fatherhood.

Bellfield (Guildford) - Friday August 1st - Fantastic time doing flyers - people are so friendly!!
Doing questionnaires with Abby, we had a good chat with a lady who was Philippino and Catholic and Khalida, a muslim. We got to plant parts of the gospel as we chatted about the relationship between faith and deeds, and what God's character was like. We also got to pray with them.
Two people came to the front for healing. Hannah C pulled me over to help pray. We prayed for the first lady who had cervical cancer, and the second who was struggling with alcoholism. I got the phrase "bottled up" and shared this with her. It seemed to mean something straight away but it was after we had prayed so I can only hope that God used it. I think what she was keeping bottled up was certainly her real self/experience (not going to people for help). I also felt it might have been an abusive relationship.
Anyway, they were very grateful for the prayer.
Chats with the footballers went well too. James had the best chats with the large group but I sat with one who sat through the service. He said he wasn't sure yet as it was a big decision, but he was clearly thinking about stuff.

Epsom - Saturday 2nd - Although this was a tough stop in many ways I found handing out flyers at Sainsburys went really well.
We had a very strange time on the Sumo - an epileptic woman came on (without saying she was epileptic) and didn't go down well! She was really dazed and I kept asking how she was. Eventually, Leanne & Niyah were able to pray with her. An unusual way to open up an opportunity!!
Also chatted to someone who had been along with his family earlier in the day. He had taken a 2 year break from things but in his own words "heard the music and decided it was time to come back to it". He was planning to come to the church the next day.

Surbiton - Sunday 3rd - Not much happened for me on this stop, except one thing which I'm not sure if it was God.
A lady went into an epileptic fit. She had been fitting for a good 5-10 mins when I came over. I asked if it was okay if I prayed, whilst the ambulance was on its way. If she had been in a fit for over 20 mins, she would have needed an injection. As I prayed, she came out of the fit peacefully.
She would naturally come out of the fit anyway, so I've no idea how God used my prayers & if they helped. But who knows?

Molesey - Monday 4th - James, Niyah & I prayed for Jenny's son Andrew, who has leukemia, after we had gone back to Jenny's house for a luxurious shower.
Great time in small group praying for each other for the time ahead.
Goodish chat with some of the youth who were hanging round with the bike crew after. One of the girls was particularly open and came to meet Hannah Nathaniel. She had gone to Refresh stuff before and said she enjoyed that sort of thing. We chatted a bit about God, church & stuff.

It's church... but, like, outdoors...

2008-08-08T17:54:00.002+01:00

Come rain or shine...!!

Is it Kent? Or Surrey? Or London?

2008-08-08T17:19:00.004+01:00

[Here's some reflections from the 'other' Kent team...]

"It has been a wonderful, awesome experience. I have never had such a wonderful time. Meeting new people and bonding like a happy big family. I have tremendous confidence now that I didn't before. God has shown me that he is faithful and just Dad. I couldn't ask for anything else than this because his love is so amazing that I cannot comprehend it, all I can say is wow!" - Chido Dizomba

"Staying with June, a lovely grandma from St. George's, I had the opportunity to pray with her for her saliva glands which the doctors say will never fully recover from the cancer she had.
Met with a group of youth in the park next door to the promenade who all then came to the church outdoors service (I kinda said I'd sort Callum a chance to go on stage!!). All sorts of good chats with them. I sang Christian songs on the bench with two girls and chatted with another about suffering and how God is real & He cares. I think Niyah & James had the best conversation with the singer of the rap duet (Micah?) who then came to faith in Jesus. Whoop whoop.
Gorgeous weather, loads of people - great day!" - Tim Sandford

"When I signed up for Re:Act I wasn't sure what to expect. On the training residential we went to loads of talks including "getting right with God". I was changed by God more that I was expecting and at some point more than I wanted to be. Over the week I've had the chance to talk to strangers about God's heart for them and pray with them for healing, strength and the
chance to know him more. Before Re:Act I'd have been too scared to go up to people and talk to them, but God's given me the confidence to approach complete strangers and talk to them about him. I've also meet some amazing
people. To sum it up I don't think that I've ever cried so much and yet enjoyed something so much either." - Becky Coffin

"On the training weekend my foot got healed by two boys who had just received the gift of healing. All through the week I felt like I was getting close to God and learning a lot more. People had words for me which have changed my life. Before
Re:Act I wanted to go to drama school but now I just really want to do what God wants. Re:Act has impacted me big time and I will look forward to carrying on the mission at home." - Alex Blythe

"Why go on a re-act tour?
The only way I can answer this is to say you have to experience it and man, have we had some experiences!!! The last few days I have had the opportunity of working with people I perhaps wouldn't normally work with and made life long friends with them. We have seen God work in truly mysterious and miraculous ways.
So if you want to meet new people who have a heart for God and get a chance to practice what you really believe, then Re:Act is definitely for you.
Thanks guys, I had a really great time - now I can put up a marquee, facepaint, braid hair and take down a bouncy castle!" - Caz Mills

"I am thrilled and excited about the move of God at Re:Act 2008. Seeing young people passionate for God is very, very exciting. During one of our team meetings the team leader challenged us to set a faith target, my target was to lead someone to Christ. To God's glory, less that 15mins later at the Epsom event, the Lord led my team member and I to a gentleman who gave his life to God. After praying with him, he said, he's now happy that he has someone up there to speak to." - Opeyemi Daramola

"In team A, just before we went out to do the questionnaires, we set goals for the day. My goal was to pray for someone and have a good conversation. I saw a couple walking their dog with their daughter so I went over and asked them how they were doing and stroked their dog. Florence and I then asked them to do the questionnaire and asked if they needed prayer. They did and we prayed for that the man would find a job and that his dad would get better." - Sarah Nkrumah

"I'm stunned that everything is free!"

2008-08-08T13:22:00.003+01:00

[Here's the story from Stratford upon Avon on August 2nd, courtesy of local coordinator, Ruth...]

"I'm stunned that everything is free!" That was the reaction of the interviewer from BBC Coventry & Warwickshire radio who drawn to the Re:Act fun day by the sheer level of noise.

The torrential rain in the morning thankfully gave way to a sun-sparkled afternoon where the team of 42 Re:Act volunteers and the 45 Stratford volunteers took their positions ready to serve.

As the queues formed at the free face painting, hair braiding and nail painting stands, so the buzz around the Recreation Ground grew with many local people coming as well as visitors to Stratford from around the globe.
With bouncy slides, creative crafts, the Stop The Traffik wall of hands and gladiator-style combat activities, there was plenty of fun and purpose, and the participants seemed pleased with the creative outcomes. There was no shortage of free food and drink either, with the delicious barbecue cooked for around 750 people, and up to 1400 fairtrade refreshments were guzzled throughout the afternoon.

The Re:Act band were first class, providing good music that was really enjoyed by all.

The questionnaires completed by the Re:Act team with the general public attending the event also demonstrated the very positive feeling people had about the event and felt that "the church's role in the community is important." When there is so much cynicism in society about large organisations, this is an encouraging endorsement, the local community effectively saying "we need the church". The questionnaires have also provided valuable leads for forthcoming events and the town-wide Alpha course that starts in September.

The outdoor church meeting that followed the fun day activities went well with more quality music and some of the young people who have a faith in Jesus shared their stories of their journey with God. The speaker was excellent and made the message of the gospel clear and accessible. There was an amazing level of response to the message, with at least 12 people responding to Jesus for the first time, and more again making recommitments to follow Jesus. Praise God! Of these, 5 first commitments were by local people and friends of Christians in the town. There was also one family from Rugby where all 5 members committed their lives to Jesus for the first time
- wow! How good is that? At least one person also experienced physical healing. Many more heard the gospel for the first time ever.

For all the hard work, time and energy invested by so many into making the day happen, the outcomes clearly demonstrate that it was all worthwhile. It is incredible to think that this is the first time that an event of this kind has ever been attempted here. The combination of everything and everyone together really expressed the HOPE that we have in Jesus - hope shown in words, hope revealed through actions, hope witnessed by serving, hope experienced in relationships. The hope of Jesus touching the people of Stratford and beyond.

Re:Act rocks Ryde

2008-08-07T17:53:00.003+01:00

Here's a great shot of the Re:Act fun day at Ryde on Saturday Aug 2nd...

The final post?

2008-08-07T17:47:00.002+01:00

[This is the final blog post by Rich - North Team leader - but don't fret, there are more posts to come as the pics, vids & stories continue to roll in from all over the UK... so keep watching this space!]

The dust has settled. The lorry has been emptied. The minibus rental company are trying to work out why there are pigeon feathers on the front of the bus. The team are thankful that their diet no longer consists of jacket potatoes. Re:Act, my friends…is over.

Each day had its own mix of stories. The weather. The people. The extra activities put on by local churches.

But what did it all achieve? Was it worth the hype for the North Team? Let’s look at some figures…

Six free family fun days for a thousand people, and a church outdoors service at each venue.

Six thousand burgers and hot dogs, and hundreds more cakes and biscuits.

Dozens of responses, and hundreds of people prayed for by members of our team.

Forty churches across six towns working together for the first time in ages.

Sometimes it’s easy to look at statistics, but they don’t tell the stories. People do. So as impressive as the above may seem, it’s only when we look behind the numbers that we can truly measure our impact. Take Tony for instance (name changed to protect identity). Tony, aged 18, was amongst the roughest and toughest of one of the most feared families on an estate we visited. Having already served time for violent crime, Tony was intent on making our lives a misery. He and his family mocked us, but we didn’t retaliate, we thanked them for being there. Tony grew tired of trying to antagonise us and began to listen. He took in the message, and this fearsome teen softened before our very eyes. Before we left, he insisted on helping us pack the lorry, and our team introduced him to the Gospel. In mid conversation, I realised that the team were late for dinner at a nearby church, so instead of stopping the discussion, I invited Tony to join us. He rushed back to his house over the road to get a coat and was clearly thrilled to be invited and accepted by us. When I dropped him home after we’d eaten, I told him I would pray for him, and he said he’d pray for all of us that evening. His mother came out to tell me how much the whole day had meant to her and her whole family, especially Tony.

But the impact of Re:Act in the towns we visited has little to do with us, and has everything to do with God, and the churches within that particular town. We may have sown seeds or provided a catalyst, but it’s up to those churches to nurture any contacts from the Re:Act days along a journey of faith. After all, the bible calls us to make disciples, not just converts. But the impact made on young people’s lives? That’s something we can measure.

As I listened to the stories of our twenty young people on evaluation day, I realised that as well as journeying the country, they had journeyed into a much deeper and fuller relationship into the will of God. In just ten days, they had achieved what it took me to do in about ten years! At the end of the Re:Act training residential, the young people were commissioned to do the mission. At the end of the evaluation day, they were commissioned again – to go out and live their lives for God, proclaiming Him at any given opportunity.

For me, the discipleship of the young people on the team is the key element that I will take away from Re:Act. If all we had achieved in the whole week was to move one young person closer to God, then it would have been a success. As it happens, all twenty young people on our team took giant strides forward in their journey of faith, so as far as I’m concerned – our mission has been completed successfully. What’s more, it’s left a lasting legacy of a team empowered to make each day count for God.

Wow…we’re going to see some exciting things in the future from the young people in my team!

And did I hear a whisper about 300 towns next year? You’d better believe it!

Getting your lorry into the park

2008-08-07T10:08:00.003+01:00

A common theme on Re:Act has been getting huge HGVs on to parks and recreational areas through rather narrow access points. Here's the North tour again showing how it is done...

Fun day training

2008-08-07T10:03:00.001+01:00

North Tour Video Diary - Day 1

2008-08-07T09:37:00.003+01:00

Our "friend in the North", Rich, has been working hard on some video diary footage so we'll have plenty of glimpses of what the team got up to over the next few days. Enjoy!

Secrets of Re:Act...

2008-08-07T09:31:00.002+01:00

Ever wondered how one might dry an inflatable after a rain storm in the city of Nottingham?! Well, wonder no longer...

Re:Act way down south

2008-08-07T08:51:00.002+01:00

Another video glimpse of Re:Act - this time via the Kent team from their 2-day stint in Whitstable! Thanks Andy

Join us at a fun day!

2008-08-06T17:16:00.003+01:00

Now you can ALL say that you've been to a Re:Act fun day - courtesy of the wonderful North team & my awesome Flip camera...

Reflections from the North Team

2008-08-06T14:14:00.003+01:00

Becky Fox - North Team

I've been home just over an hour, and already I wouldn't mind going back. It's weird not being surrounded by people all the time, just having a little time to myself. Much as I like it, I wish I was still with everyone. I miss people already!
Today was great though, such a great finish that I almost didn't feel too sad about going home! We had a lie in till half 8. (Believe me, for us, that WAS a lie in!) We had breakfast, then me, Megan and Sarah got dragged into tidying the kitchen by Sabz. Like, let me eat first, please?

Had some time there evaluating our week and the residential... We also had people up at the front sharing stuff that had happened over the week, which was pretty cool. It was great hearing how much people had changed over just 10 days, and you could notice the difference between the person we met then and the person standing in front of us now. People have grown in confidence, and got way closer to God, which is pretty awesome. We've all formed great friendships, and hopefully they're gonna last, and we're all gonna keep in touch.

I would definitely do React again, for sure. If the tours were at different times, we would have all just jumped on a different tour. I could have kept on going forever. I could cope without a proper bed for the rest of my life if it meant that I could continue doing all that good stuff for God that I've been involved with in React. It's been an experience that is gonna stick with me forever... Most people who came on the North Tour had a story about somewhere else they could have been instead, yet they chose to do React and God brought us all together for this amazing experience. And nobody regrets their choice. Nobody at all.

So, back to normal life, how's it gonna go? We've all just gotta remember that God isn't just gonna work in our lives when we're traveling, or when we're doing stuff like we've been doing all week. We've gotta keep reminding ourselves that no matter where we're at, God's with us, and he loves us to bits. Quit picking faults with ourselves, 'coz God made us this way, we are how he wanted us to be, and he loves us no matter what. You can continue your journey with God in your home town, and he'll be with you always. So don't get back in the swing of your daily routine, 'coz you're living for God now, and it's gonna be awesome.

Bex, North Tour. :) x

"The largest Christian event in 25 years"

2008-08-04T14:54:00.000+01:00

That's what the organiser of the Bedford Re:Act day said about the 'church outdoors' on Sunday evening...

The East team travelled 30 minutes up the A600 from Hitchin to Bedford and the difference between the two locations was huge. Saturday was stuffed into the middle of the town centre but this day was held in a strip of land normally used to host fairs and circuses. The churches had gone all out on this one with road signs telling people where to go and even setting up a temporary free car park for the event! As a result, it was very well attended throughout the fun day and the evening 'service' was the largest of the whole tour!

Among the usual activities of roadshow, music, face painting, BBQ, hair braiding etc, the local churches had put on loads of other activities too including a 'Beat The Goalie', coconut shy, nail art, kids area and they had invited the local branch of the Christian Motorcyclists Association who brought along some of their bikes for the kids to sit on.

At the evening 'church outdoors' event, the local churches had cancelled their evening services to ensure a big turn out and the Re:Act organisers weren't to be disappointed. The service was full of testimony about God's healing power and how He can bring freedom for captives - including a story of healing from within the team the previous day. As the event finished, the rain kicked it but that didn't stop people responding for prayer for healing and hopefully more than that!

A challenge from Mr Fudge.....!

2008-08-04T11:02:00.000+01:00

What is the perfect Re:act burger?

In Kent we have a contender. Here are its credentials:

Quarter pounder
Organic beef
Perfectly cooked
Butcher’s speciality made

Is this the ultimate?

Well done Whitstable, glad we’re with you for 2 days

Hitchin: View From The BBQ

2008-08-03T10:12:00.006+01:00

Being on Re:Act is all about the different perspectives... so here is my perspective from behind the BBQ grill at Saturday's event in Hitchin:

As I sat in my living room in a Hitchin estate a few minutes before the start of the fun day, I could see that it was tipping it down. Little did I know that onsite, in the market square, it was also raining but that the East Re:Act team where 'working' on the problem with the combination of fervent prayer and the kind of enthusiastic optimism only found on a mission team... By the time I arrived at the fun day, the sun had come out and it was starting to look like a lovely day!

The fun day was held right in the centre of Hitchin so it was very compact and felt really crowded but with a real buzz about the event. All the churches in Hitchin had got together to put on the day and there were people giving out cakes and sweets as well as the usual Re:Act entertainments. I was on the barbeque for the latter half of the day.

An estimated 900+ burgers and sausages were cooked up during the event and that's quite a leap from my usual experience behind the grill. Demand was thick and fast but the last thing we wanted to do was serve food that would be repeating itself. Some of the crowd were astonished to discover that all this was free while others took full advantage of what was on offer - coming back for seconds and thirds and then some! There's a lot to concentrate on - not burning your knuckles for one thing - but if you can see through the constant BBQ smoke, you can appreciate plenty of what the Re:Act day has to offer. The wonderful performances from the live band, the magicians / illusionists on stage astounding the kids (and some of their parents too!), the shouts from the inflatables, the general buzz from people enjoying lots of free fun...

One piece of advice if you're in the same position... make sure you have a pair of shades and avoid metal button flies on your trousers!

Healings in Letchworth!

2008-08-02T21:44:00.000+01:00

Quick update from the East team...

Word is that there were healings aplenty in the humble town of Letchworth! Apparently God healed eleven people at yesterday's fun day / church outdoors. Great stuff!

More from the East team in Hitchin later

More news From Rich............

2008-07-31T12:04:00.000+01:00

Wednesday.It’s Wednesday I think. I’m losing track.

I’m now in Huddersfield, staying with a vicar and his family, Calvert Prentice. I think tomorrow is going to be a special day – this is the main event for Hope 08 in Huddersfield and it has been completely saturated in prayer. It’s the being saturated in another way that I’m a little concerned about…the weather forecast ain’t pretty.

But it was hot and sunny in Northallerton today, The rain clouds kept away from the Applegarth field in the town and everyone had a great day. We were treated like royalty by Janet and Andy Bryar of the Meths. I never knew a church hall floor could be such an appealing place to sleep.

We didn’t have any of the issues that brought so much excitement to our day in Hemel. No tight squeeze and illegal manouvres for the lorry........ No ripped inflatables........ A marked reduction in lost children...........No sunburnt Re:Acters.......... And no broken generator!

Aah yes, the generator. At 3:40pm in Hemel Hempstead, the generator seemingly gave up. The bouncies suddenly went down. The music stopped. The day was over prematurely. Like the inflatables, the Re:Act crew were deflated. But arise Sir John Smith, the knight of all things technical, and our Road Team Manager. Within twenty minutes, everything was up and running again as we managed to beg borrow and steal (quite literally) electricity from any possible source of power.

The generator is fixed now, which is sadly not the case for the minibus which suffered clutch failure and completely broke down. It had to be replaced, so the show is back on the road.

The highlights for me in Northallerton today? My air guitar solo…seeing the mother of one of our team become a Christian…Andy Spence’s legendary piece of contemporary dance…A kind gift of diesel for our generator from the UK farmer of the year…

Lots of great things going on. And tomorrow in Huddersfield is going to be a bit special. I can feel it in my skin. I say tomorrow, it’s gone midnight now. I need sleep before I get giddy.

Rich

More News from the NORTH TEAM!!

2008-07-31T11:34:00.000+01:00

Blog entry by Becky Fox, 16, on the North team
___________________________________________

Tuesday 29th July - Travel Day

We’ve been told to write a blog of our journey so far. Well, we’ve covered, well, a lot of miles today, on a sweaty minibus, with no opening windows, (apart from the emergency door, but for some reason they wouldn’t let us use it...) Hey, at least God has been with us!

Seriously though, spirits have been high so far, (even in the basement… but that’s a long story!) and we’ve all had a fab time. There are 5 family fun days left for us to run, but honestly, we’d be happy if we had to go home now, and we could do with the sleep! But it’s fine, us and the generator are running on God’s power!

The training residential was an awesome time, just getting together, worshipping God and preparing ourselves for this week. It was great to get everyone right with God before we set out to get the world right with him, and we aim for Team North to be the best. (Not competitive at all, honest!)

As of now, we can all paint faces, braid hair, (especially the boys!) and supervise inflatables. “Health and safety” checking them was also important, well, someone had to make sure that they were bounce-worthy!

So far, we’ve been blessed with great weather, to the extent of Rich stopping at a garage to buy us after sun, bless him. We also had an awesome, although slightly freaky thunderstorm, which was almost as good as the free fireworks display from the local wedding! Besides, God’s fireworks are cheaper, and eco-friendly!

Rich should really be blogging this himself, but I miss my own blog, so I’ve commandeered his.

We just did our first family fun day yesterday, and it was a success. Even Phil said we were the best, (not boasting, honest!) We got to ask local people the meaning of life, and found a few people who really wanted to ask God for a helicopter..............(!)

Church Outdoors was awesome, and a few people became Christians right there and then, which was just great. Trust me, there is no one in Hemel Hempstead with a “jam sandwich” life anymore!

Food so far has been, well, okay. Pretty great really
Yesterday, The Salvation Army provided us with food, and it was better than what I eat at home! We even got Vienetta, which we all stared at in awe for a while before tucking in. The Salvation Army people were so great, they were such great hosts. Everyone has been great so far, the YWAM team at Harpenden, and the guys here at Northallerton. Everyone’s helped us feel so welcome, and we’re just so grateful for that.

We’re heading to bed soon for our fifth night, our first night not under canvas! For once, we won’t wake up with Spence’s stuff in our tent! (Not explaining this right now…) We’re all hoping for a good night’s sleep, to refresh us for the day ahead. Tomorrow should be just as good, if not better than yesterday, and I can’t wait! It’s just strange to think that while we started our fun days yesterday, the other tours have started today, and I’m sure they’ve all had just as much of an amazing experience as we have.

Off to bed now, the laptop screen hurts my eyes!

Becky, Sarah, and the rest of the North Team.
J

News from Hemel, Re:Act North Tour

2008-07-29T11:28:00.000+01:00

Re:Act in Hemel Hempstead, Richard Townend

It’s Tuesday. Re:Act begins for most today, but for the North tour, we’ve already started! We were clearly the guinea pigs of this whole project as we delivered our first family fun day and church outdoors in Hemel Hempstead. Not the most Northerly town, I admit, but apparently anything above Watford is up north. For me, as a passionate Yorkshire man, anything south of Sheffield is quite clearly in the south.

The day went spectacularly well. The set up was quick and efficient, the local team and churches were an excellent support and we worked together well, and when I asked for questions at the end of the briefing, no-one had any! This can’t be right, I thought. Things are supposed to go wrong. Things aren’t meant to be this smooth on Re:Act, especially on the first day of a tour when the team literally was thrown together hours earlier.

To their credit, the young people have been awesome. The training residential in Harpenden was intense, but taught them everything they needed to know. Jonathan Lake quickly took the lead on erecting the marquee, whilst the Road Team, led by John Smith and Jonno Ratcliffe had no problems.

The Health and Safety check gave us an issue and we had to deflate a bouncy as it had a child sized hole in it! And by mid afternoon, King Bouncealot had come on to the park to replace it.

By 2pm, hundreds of people were on site queing for bouncies, hair braiding, face painting.

We were ready – answered prayer? You better believe it!

I would tell you how the day went but am gonna have to save that till later, as our next stop is Northallerton, and I’m late for the bus! I’ll keep you posted…

News From Day One!

2008-07-28T09:46:00.000+01:00

Re:Act Day 1 – Richard Townend, Team Leader, North tour

It's Saturday, 9:15pm. The air is hot and sticky. The day is just beginning to disappear. A hundred and fifty young people have just had a session on the Holy Spirit.
And I'm supping coffee in YWAM's very own version of Starbucks.It's not quite Re:Act. Not just yet anyway. No, this is the training residential at the HQ of Youth with a Mission in Harpenden. And boy, do we need training. So far, we've done face painting, balloon modelling, hair braiding and marquee erecting.
On top of that, we've had a spiritual programme which ensures that all these young people are fully aware of what they're letting themslves into. Our North team are a good bunch. I think I'm going to enjoy working with them.
Tomorrow, our evangelist, lorry driver, worship band and Road Team Manager arrive. On Monday morning, we set off on Re:Act, delivering our first family fun day in Hemel Hempstead. The team will have come together just hours earlier. I've never done Re:Act before, so I'm little nervous about how it all works.Tomorrow during the day, me and Jonno, my faithful assistant, will be loading the lorry. We need staging, PA, instruments, bouncy castles, tables, chairs, safety fence, lamp irons... I'm not quite sure where half this stuff is coming from, I just hope it miraculously appears tomorrow! Should be an interesting day.Time for another coffee.

Rich

Re:Act Day 1 - Residential Kicks Off

2008-07-26T08:43:00.000+01:00

So Re:Act 08 is off and running and this year's mission is a monster! I guess we always knew it would be 'big' - seven times the size, the number of teams, the number of young people... seven times the problems, perhaps?! (This is probably a modest estimate - but the core team are working tirelessly to ensure that these are just teething problems, quickly remedied...)

As we don't have any pictures yet, let me paint you a picture... A large tented village in amongst the YWAM base. Seven huge marquees - one for each of the teams - which were speedily dismantled and then reassembled as a team 'building' exercise. There's a main meeting building - The Factory - where the teaching sessions are held and Neil Wilson is leading worship with an expectant crowd of a couple of hundred young people. In fact 10-15 of them give their lives to Christ during the first of these sessions and lots more respond for prayer later in the evening...

I think the moment that made me realise that it was going to be a 'monster' was being a part of the evening worship in The Factory with the whole room just jumping. Looking around you could see that these young people seriously mean business and if they can take this out on to the road on the tours, there's going to be some amazing stories to tell by the end of Re:Act 08!

So Day 1 has come and gone - and yeah, there's plenty to do to get the residential truly flying but it is very exciting start to the mission!

Meet Re:Act-man!

2008-07-22T01:46:00.000+01:00

This is Bernie... He is a legend. He is currently running around like a lunatic, attempting to ensure that all the Re:Act fun days happen as planned and all the team members and leaders get to the training residential on Friday. We trapped him in a corner long enough to ask him what things he's trying to get done today in order to ensure everything is ready in time...

One of the big things is that he needs to pick up a whole bunch of marquees from South Wales - basically an 8-hour round trip from Luton and while he's planning this 'errand', he's also trying to negotiate with a foreign embassy to ensure that some of our foreign-based team members can get proper visas in time. He's just helped unload the van from this weekend's Spree (a youth camp down in Sussex) as much of it is required for the Re:Act road crews or is needed to set up the residential at YWAM's HQ in Harpenden. He's constantly being transfered calls and tapping away at emails from various team leaders and local coordinators, anxious to get an answer or to pass on some crucial information and on top of this, I'm hassling him for news stories to post on our Urban Saints website!

And just when he thought he had the weekend to himself, to relax, unwind and escape from the Re:Act chaos for 48 hours, he had to go on a saturday morning radio show...

The man is hero and a lot of what we will seemlessly experience on this year's Re:Act will have been his responsibility or at least he'll have had his hand in. Bernie - we salute you!

[P.S. Bernie would be the first to say this, I'm sure, but there are simply loads of other people who have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure this ground-breaking mission experience is a success and we salute them all also. But it is the fact that he would be the first to admit this, that makes Bernie even more of a legend IMHO...]

It's time to Re:Act

2008-07-18T16:40:00.000+01:00

Hopefully, this site will soon be full of loads of news, stories and images from the Re:Act tours but hey, they haven't begun yet... so to get you in the mood, here's the video to give you a flavour of what Re:Act is all about! Enjoy!