As announced last year, following the successful launch of our Honours Programme at the National Gathering, we plan to honour nominated volunteers twice a year. This will take place each New Year (the New Year Honours) and each September at the National Gathering (the Birthday Honours).

In the New Year Honours this year we honour three of our volunteers:

David Neal – Mill Hill Inglis Barracks
The first nomination came from Paul Sharpe, representing Mill Hill Inglis Barracks Group. He nominated David Neal and writes:

“David Neal is the leader in charge of the various groups at Mill Hill Inglis Barracks Group in London, a Group that is not connected to a church and where 99% of the young people have little or no experience of church. The barracks have recently closed and at the moment three different groups are all meeting at 'Crusader House' - a property owned by Urban Saints which also happens to be where I live! Judging by his knowledge David appears to have been working with Urban Saints since the days of Noah. He always has several dozen bags filled with notes, attendance records, footballs, drinks, fruit, sweets and anything else one could wish for at a youth club. The sheer number of hours he puts into the lives of these young people astounds me; his long-suffering, patience, love, service and provision is truly Christ-like. Sometimes there is not a great deal of focus during the teaching but the respect he is held in by the young people (from 5-15 and beyond) is clearly seen when his trademark silver minibus rounds the corner in the estate. Everyone's face brightens, they wave, shout hello and sometimes even run after the bus as though it were an ice-cream van! I trust that God has and will continue to use him as a reference point for many future testimonies of God's grace and love. David Neal should be on the New Years Honours list!”


Brian Jones - Maidenhead
The second nomination came from Adam Robertson of Maidenhead Crusaders Group. He nominated Brian Jones and writes:

“I would like to nominate Brian Jones of Maidenhead Crusaders. Brian has been Team Leader at Maidenhead for over 25 years and without Brian there would quite simply be no Maidenhead Crusaders. Brian turned 60 in the summer whilst at Spree and he probably has more energy than most 30 or 40 year olds. He was instrumental in taking the Crusaders to a larger venue at St Mary’s church hall and established a program whereby teenage boys could play sport and hear the gospel. Brian has tirelessly organised games and activities, taken the group on trips to Spree, Westbrook, mad days, water sports weekends, football tournaments, Alton Towers, hikes etc. for all this time. He has a great servant heart and is always willing to listen to the young people. Brian is a great Team Leader who puts the young people first, often finishing work early or taking days off because of Crusaders. Under Brian’s guidance many young people have heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Not only do they hear this message, but they have a great time playing sports, going on trips and invite their friends along. Furthermore Brian has given many people over the years, such as myself, the opportunity to grow and develop as a young youth leader. Brian deserves a New Years Honour for his work with Crusaders, not just because he's a great guy, but because he has spent so much of his life serving God through his work with young people. May this be a thank you not just from everyone at Maidenhead Crusaders but from Urban Saints collectively.”


Derrick Haynes - Great Brickhill
The third and final nomination for this round of New Year Honours came from Michael Clements of Great Brickhill Crusaders. He nominated Derrick Haynes, and writes:

“We would like to nominate Derrick Haynes for Honour in the New Year's list. We have three leaders for our Group which gathers under the name of 'Great Brickhill Crusaders'. We have met every Tuesday evening - for youngsters aged 8 -11 years - since the early 1990's and Derrick was a founder leader of the group. We should like to see his commitment to the group for all these years recognised. Derrick is there every Tuesday regardless of whether he has been up all night and day on an emergency job for work. He is always in good spirits and makes the meetings fun for all the children - his specialty is Chubby Bunnies and water games! Last year's Spree (2006) was a real challenge for us all, with a potentially difficult group, but there was an added distress for Derrick because his eldest daughter died just three weeks before. He managed the Spree weekend and then the funeral. Without him we would probably not have been able to take that group and who knows what seeds were planted because of Derrick's commitment.”


The words of the three Groups nominating their leaders say it all really, but on behalf of the staff team, the Board of Trustees, and of the movement as a whole I would like to add my gratitude and appreciation for these three pillars of our movement. Thank you for the years you have put in, but more than that, for the lives that you have touched and for the increase in the Kingdom. You are great examples to the next generation of leaders following on, and an inspiration to all of us; thank you!

If you would like to honour one of your leaders, please contact Mark Arnold with the details. Our next round of honours will be the ‘Birthday Honours’ at the National Gathering in September.