oxygennews

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

Street Pastors in the Informer

Street Pastors in the Informer on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

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

The 2008 Borough Community Road Shows

The Kingston Borough Community Road Shows are RBK organised events intended to reach out to the local community to promote services and important issues and they are looking for groups to come along and be involved. They are looking for a wide range of services and organizations for families with children and young people aged 0-19 to be available with activities, goodies and details about their service.

Following the great success of last years Road Show events across the borough, the Extended School Managers are pleased to announce details of the 2008 Road Shows. The details of the dates and venues for this years road shows are:

• Tuesday 24th June 2008, Alexandra Recreation Ground, Surbiton
• Friday 27th June 2008, Dinton Fields, St Agatha’s Drive, Kingston
• Wednesday 2nd July 2008, Dickerage Adventure Playground, Dickerage Lane, New Malden
• Thursday 3rd July 2008, Churchfields, off Compton Crescent, Chessington

The road shows will run after school, 3.00-6.00pm with set up from 1.30pm. There is no cost for being involved. It would be great for us as Oxygen to work with churches in each area to promote the work underway in that location. In addition to working with Oxygen, any group who wish to run their own stall would find themselves coming into contact with children, young people and families from across the community.

For more information on this great event and Oxygen's input contact Richard James on 020 8547 0566 or email richard@oxygen-online.org

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:  

   

 

Street Pastors

Embedded Video

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.

Pastoral Unity

Sunday 11^th March 2007 will go down as a great evening in many many ways. For it was on this evening that the second group of Kingston Street Pastors were commissioned and prayed for. Not only this but it involved a service at a United Reformed (formerly Congregational Chapel) led by the churches minister, but included prayers from a Roman Catholic Priest and a sermon from an Anglican vicar. Those prayed for included members of the Baptist, Methodist and local free churches. This truly are great, united times of service and blessing. The church in Kingston is really leaning to put the discovery and following of Jesus above their own distinctiveness. My prayer is that this will continue, and we will learn to love the least for the sake of him who first gave all for our own sake.

Please pray

For the second batch of Street Pastor as they start their work on the streets of Kingston

For the protection and inspiration of this work, pray that God will continue to guide Paul who heads it up and the Street Pastor leaders who have to make decisions each evening that affect the direction of the work

Check out photos on the Oxygen Galleries

The Oxygen Sites

In addition to its own website (www.oxygen-online.org) and its galleries, forums and events, Oxygen host and helps with a number of local websites. Through these we hope to be able to inform people not only what Oxygen is doing, but as to what the local and Christian news is. Oxygen also offers website design, hosting and updating services for various local charities and services, for more information contact us on oxygenmedia@oxygen-online.org

Oxygen News: Up to date news, prayer requests

The latest from the Oxygen office, news, stories from the front line and much more!

www.oxygen-online.org/oxygennews

the latest postings on this site are:

• ACCOMODATION Needed!
• Great Quote
• Urban Nites and Days
• Space for a little more Oxygen on the three Peaks
• Diary of a Prayer Pastor (could this be you?????)

INFUSEnews: Church events, local events, Christian news

Alongside Oxygen News we run a service with news on local events, Christian News as well as job vacancies we know about. This can be found at:

www.oxygen-online.org/infusenews

the latest postings on this site are:

• ACCOMODATION Needed!forthcoming events and activities: April. May and June 2007
• 7th Malden Scouts, based in Green Lane New Malden, need you!
• Facefacts, its facebook
• Britain's new cultural divide
• Accomodation wanted for a young couple
• JOB VACANCY: Missional Development Worker

WANTACHURCH

Wantachurch was set up for the Kingston University Freshers Fayre and provides a place for people, especially students to find churches and Christian events in Kingston Borough

www.wantachurch.org.uk

Sponsored Oxygen events

Are you doing an event for which you are planning on being sponsored. Would you consider being sponsored to raise money for Oxygen. If so you can find out more information from here

www.oxygen-online.org/sponsor

As well as there own websites, Oxygen also runs websites for other local organisations and churches, here are a couple of examples....

St Peters Norbiton: Where our office is based

www.stpetersnorbiton.org.uk

Johnny Bravo

Funnies, news and stories from Richard James the Oxygen Director

www.johnnybravo.org.uk

Diary of a Prayer Pastor (could this be you?????)

Any given Friday, 2007

We arrive at the URC by about 9.45pm, by which time all of the Street Pastors have assembled and are putting on their jackets and hats.  Our brief drive through town and the walk from the Guildhall (where we park our car) has already given us an idea of the number of people who are in Kingston and the level of police activity on the streets, but the team leader has also already had a briefing from the police and so we get to hear of and anticipated trouble spots or concerns voiced by other agencies.  We pray with the Street Pastors before they leave for their first patrol and this is the time to share whatever God has already given me and to give out cards with the scriptures on them that I encourage the team to put in their pockets (near to their hearts).  Then we settle down to pray and to seek God for direction.

In case you think that only ‘Marathon’ pray-ers are required, It should be said that we don’t pray non-stop for 6 hours!  I do often pray in the days approaching our turn on the rota, asking God to give me a specific word or scripture for the team.  This sort of support seems to be really valued by the Street Pastors, who then feel that they have been armed for the task ahead of them.  They go out empty-handed in physical terms, but being spiritually ‘tooled up’ is vital.  The Street Pastors do three patrols between 10.00pm and 4.00am, returning to the church to warm up and re-fuel twice.  During most of the time that they are out, we do pray  - and experience has taught us the things that require regular, consistent prayer; for the safety of the team, and of the emergency services, for the doormen at the pubs and clubs, for the street homeless, for very young (underage) people, for the Holy Spirit’s restraint on drug dealers and those who are cruising the streets looking for vulnerable young people to pick up, for those whose sole aim is to drink themselves into a stupor.  We also pray for specific parts of the town at different times of the night, knowing that there are times when people are moving in large numbers from one venue to another or gathering at bus stops and taxi ranks to make their way home.  The team plans its routes according to those timed events and those areas of town that see the biggest volumes of people.  Our prayers are interrupted by the noises on the streets outside, which often also direct our prayer – the sound of a siren or a fight or of a young woman crying are always good reason to pray – and it’s not unusual for the team to call us on the mobile phone that is left with us to ask us to pray for a specific person or group of people, or about an incident they have witnessed.  Sometimes we just sit and listen to, or watch, the activity on the street in front of The Works.  Sometimes we read scripture.  Sometimes we just sit and chat (Prayer Pastors need encouragement, too!).

When the team arrives for a break we like to make them hot drinks and encourage them as well as listen to their reports.  Part of our job is to give the Street Pastors an opportunity to off-load.  They tell us what they have seen and done and often are able to tell them that we were praying for them in the position at precisely that time.  When the team goes out again, we already have an idea of who or what to pray for, and so we begin again.  It’s great praying with people we’ve never met before, from different churches.  Their language and their relationships with God enrich our own prayer.  Whatever happens out on the streets, we come away blessed by an assurance that the Holy Spirit continues to speak to us and that we have made good use of the gifting that God has given us.   We have no doubt that our role is equally as important as the one performed by the team on the streets and that our prayers are hastening the coming of the Kingdom of God in Kingston. 

The six hours pass miraculously quickly, but not before we have prayed for peace as thousands of revellers pour out of the clubs to make their way home from our town centre, some of them to places as far away as the South coast or deepest Berkshire or Kent.  As we walk back to the car, a few of them are still wandering around or waiting for cabs.  The rubbish that 24000 young people can generate is staggering, and most of it appears have been dropped on the pavements so we pray, too, for those invisible people who will soon be on the streets to sweep them and make them clean and safe so that most of the rest of Kingston will never know what we are seeing and hearing and praying for half the night. 

Paul
Ps  Our next prayer and praise evening is on Sunday 11th March at 7pm, please put the date in your diary.
Pps.. if after reading this you want to join us as prayer pastors please drop me a line.

stock.xchng - candle 1 (photo by girishav)