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An Interview with Nathan Larkin

At the end of my GAP year with Oxygen last year I took up a place with Christ Church New Malden who were interested in the work I had been involved with and wanted me to help support the church engage with young peopel external to the church.

The fast turnover rate of GAP year workers can often create a sense of instability and lack of continuity for the young people and the projects involved. Due to this, I was tasked with building lasting and meaningful relationships with the young people, they needed the continuity of someone who could commit for a longer period of time.

Returning after the summer break I spent the next few months using the experience and insight I had gained from my initial contact with the local young people to design and shape the position I am currently occupying.

I am now working as an ‘external youth worker’ at Christ Church in New Malden where I have been tasked with taking relationships established with local non-Christian, non-churched young people further and deeper, giving them the chance to explore faith issues.

In this process I am working alongside the church leadership to develop a response that connects them to the other communities within the church but creates space for young people for whom the church is an alien environment to develop in their own faith and Christian lifestyle at their own pace.

Much of the first year has been spent establishing contact, developing some of the relationships I already had, and attempting to create a group identity and shared values among these young people where they have not existed or been experienced before. I hope to explore ways to connect the external work to the other groups in the church, finding ways in which new young Christians from outside the church can be connected to the other members of the church community and vice versa. I hope to be able to find a way of ‘doing’ church that is embracing and accepting of who these young people are, where they have come from and that is sensitive to the fact that many of them don’t understand what is being talked about, and have little experience of church behaviour and language.

We hope to be able to nurture a new group of young people who will reach back into the church, rather than the traditional model of establishing a youth group from within the church who are encouraged to reach out, and as part of this, to give them the support, encouragement and freedom to relate to God in new and exciting ways.

Ki Hyoung Kim

I want to tell you about some of boys who come to Rm1 at the Hollyfield school. I think they need our pray and attention. One of the kids has had to stop coming temporarily because he was naugthty, we are hoping he will return after half term. His name is ‘B’ and he has a difficult background. During rm1 he usually makes trouble with everyone but i am hoping that someone could take care of that boy and seperate him from his friends he might be able to grow, develop and change.

Recently a new boy has come to Rm1. I will call him ‘M’. His mother isn’t very well so he lives with another family on a local estate. When Anna, my wife and I helped post leaflets about Oxygen on that estate last week we met him with his friends and got shown around his house.

Having got to know him, seen how he lives I am concerned for’ M’, concerned how he spends his time and what is around for him. He seems to be struggling in life, please pray for him…

Also please pray, we are planning on taking some of the young people swimming next week, showing them what options are around for them in the local area. Pray for this to go well

Thanks, John

ID Hollyfield: Manicuring and Massaging

Oxygen's ID girls from Hollyfield School headed back to School this week to offer hand massages and manicures to the staff that referred them to Oxygen.

It was great to see how the girls who previously didn't want to be around school, getting stuck in and having fun with their teachers.

Kingstons Got Talent

Kingston's Got Talent is a talent comeption run by Kings Church Kingston. With cash prizes, anyone is free to enter - takes place at St Peters Hall, Norbiton.

Youthwork Magazine Interview

Oxygen was featured in a Youthwork Magazine article in May 2009. The interview focused on conclusions drawn from Oxygen's Ladette to Lady Programme. You can see the magazine article by clicking on the photo and seeing it online.

Youthwork the Website

I have been asked to pass this on....the youthwork.co.uk website is down as it has been hacked, they are trying to fix it at he moment.

Who are we?

The Urban Nites: Who are we project is a creativity and art workshop for young peopled aged 11-16 living or studying Surbiton. It includes workshops that give an introduction to art, photography and film making,

the aim of Urban Nites Who are we, is to help young people use creativity to explore their own identity and sense of belonging. It helps them understand their beliefs and attitudes through creativity

Please pray for the right young people to join this project.
Please pray for Bex who is leading the project

Oxygen - Football!

Oxygen, in partnership with Kick London and Baptist Together in Surbiton are now running a regular youth football night at Alexandra recreation ground on Tuesday Nights between 6 and 7.30pm. The football is open to all young people under 16 years old in Surbiton. So far most of the young people who are attending are young people who have come into contact with Oxygen through Urban Nites.

We are looking and praying for 5 – 10 young people from the churches to come and join in with the football, bringing their friends and mixing with the young people already involved. We want this project to grow and grow, eventually we are hoping to establish a Surbiton Youth Football team as well as friendships between young people that will lead to young people coming to discover and follow Jesus

Please do pass this flyer onto any young person you know who would be interested in football, could you also pray that the right young people come forward and this football project goes from strength to strength.

For more information on the team contact Richard at Oxygen (020 8547 0566) or Adam at Baptists Together in Surbiton (adam@baptistsinsurbiton.org)

We Robbed a Bank.......!

Okay no we didn't rob a bank but that would've been cool,but we decided to film an adaptation instead.

Currently myself, Nathan Larkin and Anne pawlak are running an evening at Christ church New malden for a group of boys from coombe boys Rm1.

Last night we had great fun in editing the film we did last time which was in no doubt unique, we had clowns, robin hood , maid marian, a ring raith all combined into a strange, horror/ comedy/ action thing...infact i really dont know which genre it would fit into. But the bottom line was the expression on these boys faces when they were watching this film back again, the sense that they had made something themselves, the things in which no one else would find funny but to these boys it was comic genius. We also had time to start a new film, Ie the bank robbery, Oliver one of the boys who came on the man and boy trip, dived into the role of director it was great to see him taking command taking every detail to the maximum potential. Even telling me at one point "Andy i'm the director i know best" which was brilliant.

I would really ask you to pray for these boys m, ,m, j and o.

Pray that we can continue to take relationships further with these boys and for opportunities to talk to them on deeper issues to be given. Please also pray for me Nathan and Anna, for energy! For ideas on keeping Wednesday nights fresh and for wisdom for the best possible way we can lead these kids.

Cheers

Andy

May 2009 Newsletter

The May 2009 Newsletter contains stores and news from inside of Oxygen. In particualr it includes information on how people can be involved as a volunteer as well as information on a financial challenge that Oxygen is facing at present

You can download the Newsletter from here