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Oxygen monday prayer mailings 23 06 08

Pray for the appointment of 2 paid workers

In last weeks prayer email I mentioned the excitement we have as we look forward to the future developments of Oxygen. Central to the initial stages of that future are the appointment of two (part time) paid workers. Both are exciting posts that build on years of hard work by the Oxygen team in the last few years. Although they are based with other agencies (YMCA and St Peters Norbiton) they are both to be undertaken in close conjunction with Oxygen and its team of Gap year workers and contacted young people. Both are part time (for around 20 – 25hrs per week initially), but previous experience tells us that there is the possibility for further work in future if desired. The first post we are looking to fill is the post of Project Leader of the Extended Schools club Rm1. Based at Hollyfield School in Surbiton and employed by the local YMCA you would be in charge of overseeing and running an after school club for 11-14 year olds 4- 5 evenings per week. The aim of Rm1 is to give young people, particularly those aged 11-14 a place to study, chill and play. Many of the young people who come along to Rm1 do so as they have been referred by the school or social services because they face complex personal and family issues and would benefit from extra support. The deadline for application for this post is July 11th. The second post is working with St Peters Norbiton, this role works at the other end of our work, seeking to take those young people that we have worked with further in discovering and following Jesus. Your role, employed by the church would be to work with the church and oxygen staff and volunteers to establish a new community of (previously unchurched) young people alongside the other congregations of the church. We are really excited by both these posts, the first works on the margins with those young people who need the greatest supports, the second works with the church to grapple with the question of how the church should disciple unchurched young people. Would you therefore pray for these two significant appointments, pray that the right people apply, that we are able to make the right appointments and that we are able to sort out the details needed. Richard --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oxygen on Premier Radio: Listen to the interview between Oxygen’s Director Richard James, Youthwork Editor Martin Saunders on last weeks Premier breakfast show http://wantachurch.typepad.com/oxygennews/2008/06/oxygen-on-premi.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Oxygen fund raising quiz night took place at St Peters on Sat 21st June. Seven different teams battled it out to be known as the top quiz team of 2008. http://wantachurch.typepad.com/oxygennews/2008/06/oxygen-fundrais.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Street Pastors in the newsSee the story in this weeks Kingston Informer about Street Pastor's 2nd Anniversary http://wantachurch.typepad.com/oxygennews/2008/06/street-pastors.html

Oxygen on Premier Radio

What can be done about the problems of young people and antisocial behaviour, what can we do but also remain true to our calling to share the good news of Jesus relevantly with young people. These are the issues that were discussed on a premier interview recently when Oxygen Director Richard James, joined editor of youthwork magazine Martin Saunders to discuss the challenges of youthwork on the Premier Radio breakfast show.

You can listen to this interview by clicking the player below or by downloading the Oxygen audio podcast (available via www.oxygen-online.org/podcast) The entire interview lasts about 48 minutes, but provides some interesting discussion points.

Boroughthon 2008

Embedded Video

It started at 10.30 and finished just before 6pm, it lasted around 20 miles and involved many sore feet and sweaty people.

It was the the Oxygen 2008 Boroughthon involved the Oxygen team, volunteers and young people spanning the entire length, breadth and width of the Borough to visit the site of each of the Oxygen projects in Kingston Borough. This video gives you snapshots of some of our walk, without any shots of developing blisters

Football Oxygen

The Oxygen team entered the NMBC May Bank Holiday football tournament and got to the semi finals where we lost 1-0 to the team known as Foreign Legion. Not bad for a team of odd bods without a kit and definitely without a clue! See the rest of the photos on the Oxygen Facebook group by clicking the picture above

Chessington Urban Nites returns

The Urban nites team started back in Chessington on Wednesday this week. This post Easter group of Oxygen workers and volunteers is a development on the work previously laid down. Where as previous teams wandered the streets looking for where the young people were hanging out, now the team gather in one place where the young people come to them. Amazingly on this, the first week back after a couple of months break the team were descended on by a good group of up to a dozen young people, who arrived shortly after the team and stayed with them for the full 2 hours. Good in depth conversations were held with 6 of the young people all left encouraged and inspire to return. This is a great encouragement and answer to the prayer for the re emergence of this element of OXygen's work South of the Borough. Now building on this positive start the team are looking to build on this 1st week as they return each Wednesday between 7 and 9pm. Please do pray for them as they continue to return, if you would like more information, or would like to visit then contact info@oxygen-online.org

Borough-thon 27th May

To mark the first seven successful years of their work with young people and to help fund work in the next seven, myself and a group of Oxygen staff, gap workers and volunteers are going to undertake the mammoth task of visiting each of the 18 Oxygen projects in just 7 hours.

Leaving the Oxygen centre at 10am,we will head out to the Cambridge Estate, Kingsnympton Estate, Richmond Park, Kingston Vale, North Kingston, Kingston town Centre, Surbiton town centre, the Alpha Estate, Tolworth Girls School, Hook’s Devon Way Youth Centre, Chessington Methodist Church, Venner Youth Centre, Coombe Boys School, New Malden High Street, Kingston Road, before arriving back at Oxygen by 5pm . Altogether we will cover around 20 miles as they span the entire width of Kingston Borough.

Would you consider making a donation towards our sponsored efforts via:
http://www.justgiving.com/boroughthon

All donations are secure and sent electronically to Oxygen. If you are a UK taxpayer, Justgiving will automatically reclaim 28% Gift Aid on your behalf, so your donation is worth even more. 

Thanks and best wishes,

Richard

Greenbelt Bound Oxygen

Youth festival, music festival, political festival, evangelical festival, development festival, broke festival, harvest festival… there’s something in all these myths about Greenbelt that is accurate, but nothing entirely true. As an event Greenbelt knows no parallels and as a result it has become a must for thousands music and arts lovers from across the world. Greenbelt 2008 features a wide range of music, arts as well as talks by best-selling authors Philip Yancey, Joel Edwards, Brian McLaren and Frank Shaeffer. See the emerging line ups at: www.greenbelt.org.uk

For the fourth year the Oxygen team are planning on attending Greenbelt and are inviting young and old to come along! As a group of oxygen gathered travellers we want to head off and have a great time together, eating, camping, cooking, and enjoying what is on offer. Booking is on a first come first serve basis so don’t miss out getting this application and deposit cheque in so assure your place!

Price: Adult= £100 (£80 ticket and £20 for transport and food) Adult Concession (18plus, on unemployment benefit, students in full time education, or church leaders)= £73 (£53 ticket and £20 for transport and food).Youth (13-17)= £65 (£45 ticket and £20 transport and food), then that cost will need to be added on top). If you would like to come then you need to complete the enclosed application form, getting it with your deposit cheque in as soon as possible.

Oxygen is now on Facebook

Oxygen is now on Facebook. Here we have posted the pictures from thevent as well as news of forthcoming events. Become our friend by clicking here:  

   

 

Oxygen towards 2012!

You are invited to the evening launch of the Oxygen 2008-12 Strategic Plan due to be held at St Peters Church, London Road, Kingston at 8pm on Thursday April 24th 2008. It was in 2001 when the churches of the Royal Borough of Kingston came together through their young people to launch a new local charity that they subsequently named Oxygen. Now just six years after it was launched Oxygen has run over thirty different projects, has been in contact with over 4,500 young people and has been the springboard for many new and exciting initiatives around the Borough including Rm1, Street Pastors and Sacred Space Kingston.

Building on the great foundation established in the last few years the staff and trustees of Oxygen have conducted a comprehensive consultation and review of Oxygen, its work, its role and the opportunities that there are to make a long term difference in the lives of those young people who need the greatest support. The results of this review and the subsequent exciting plans for Oxygen’s work over the next 4 years are going to be unveiled for the first time at this special launch event which we hope you are able to come to. Our event will last for 1½ hours and will start with a review of Oxygen up to followed by the Oxygen 2006-7 AGM and a time of thankful worship. After this review of the past, we will move onto the future by giving a presentation summarising the plans and strategic aims for the next 4 years. The issues raised in the presentation will be used then for a time of prayer. Following this and over coffee there will then be a chance for questions and an opportunity to look around various displays and meet different people involved in Oxygen's work in different areas including the Borough wide detached youthwork project Urban Nites, the Extended School club Rm1 and the town centre initiative Street Pastors.

We do hope you are able to join us at this unique day, please feel free to invite anyone you think would benefit from coming as we are excited about what God is doing amongst young people in this area and as such what are our plans to respond to that in the years ahead.