I got back from the LSE week of New Wine in Shepton Mallet on Sunday (after spending Saturday night in Bath with uni friends). Words cannot describe the pure unfettered awesomeness that was New Wine LSE 2010.
As always I was a small group leader in Bouldergang, the kids sessions for 10 & 11 year olds. This year’s theme was super heros, reflecting the title for this year’s New Wine: Unstoppable and the ‘heros of faith’ in Hebrews 11 that was the focus of the Bouldergang talks. Each day, Bouldergang has a 3.5 hour morning session (except the day off) and a 2 hour evening session. The morning sessions consist of general antics on the stage, followed by Worship, a Talk and then a Art, Sport or Drama workshop that the kids rotate around. After the workshop follow some more general antics on stage, including the gunging of a small group leader (for which small group leaders must volunteer). The evening follows a similar format to the morning, except for the workshops. As a small group leader I was responsible for 8 kids, ensuring the general order was kept whilst the antics on stage were on going, keeping them together during the workshops and praying with them after the talks if needed.
Normally in church, getting involved with the kids work means forgoing most, if not all, of the main service. In Bouldergang they have addressed this by providing a couple of pastors to each team who lead 30-45 minutes of ‘team time’ before each session. Team time usually consists of worship, a talk and a time of prayer before we break up for the kids to arrive. In previous years I have felt the team times were a bit bewildering as those who are more free in their worship move around alot – if you thought flag wavers were annoying, try having someone in the corner of your eye with their hands in the air bobbing heavily out of time with the music – and hear all sorts of awesome things from God, whilst I hear … very little. This year however, those other team members seemed to have restrained their excessive movements somewhat and I actually heard quite a lot from God, which was fantastically encouraging and gave some food for thought over the next few weeks.
I love helping in Bouldergang for 3 reasons. Firstly, the intense worship in team times, and support from other friends on team is very encouraging and uplifting for facing the often challenging week and life back home. I felt that, this year in particular, that lots of things helped make it easier at those times to let God in to help with difficulties and discouragements I’ve had.
Secondly, the kids are so awesome it is beyond words. I love being responsible and looking out for the children that are put in my group, and I enjoy praying for them and with them and seeing them change over the week. During the registration one of the girls who was put in my group came up to me with her Mum looking very sad, shy and scared. As the week went on, her and the other girl in my group got to know each other very well and traded addresses at the end of the week. I hope that they keep in contact and become great friends. The other great thing about the kids is during worship, when you stop singing and listen to the 650 10 & 11 year olds in the Bouldergang venue singing their hearts out to God. Thirdly, is Mark Griffith’s talk. Every year, he comes and does a fantastic talk about suffering and our response as Christians. He always manages to find some of the most heart wrenching, tear jerking stories an tell them in such a fantastic, sensitive way. I think that last year’s talk was far sadder than this years, but this years was still the solid gold talk Mark always manages to deliver.
Thirdly, I love how Bouldergang enthuses the kids to live for Jesus. It is fantastic to see so many kids having such a positive experience of Jesus, and even if they don’t join in the worship and listen to the talks, everyone pays attention to the fun and capers on stage proving that Christians aren’t just quiet, boring people who whole themselves up in a boring, cold church with hard, immovable pews on Sundays. Events like New Wine are so vital for children to encourage them to have the boldness to live out their faith. It was this that I noticed when I was 15 that got me here today, and I am overjoyed at the opportunity to help support and encourage children from Christian families to reach more people like me.
Shame it only lasts for one week.
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