An evening of fun, fellowship, worship and mission focus - what better way to spend a January night?! Wilson reports on this encouraging gathering of young people from all over Ireland...
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So what was Salt and Light?
Salt and Light was an evening of fun, fellowship, worship and information with a particular focus on mission and of course we through a few pizzas into the mix as well. The event took place at the Oasis café, Elmwood Avenue, Belfast.
We opened our time together with prayer and then a few get to know you games. From this we moved into a time of worship led by a member of Gilnahirk group and former Crusoe team member Guy Taylor and our sincerest thanks go to him for his thoughts prayers and preparation prior to our evening. We then had a report from Mrs Gina Hibbert on the history of Crusoe Ireland and we heard of the deep impact this trip has had over the years on many individuals; not just in places where teams have visited but on the lives of those who have been on the teams. Leaders of last year's Crusoe, Mark Robinson and Karen Partridge, shared with us a short video presentation along with their thoughts and memories from Summer 08 which brought back great memories for many of those present. Of course during all this the pizza arrived so we couldn’t hold off any longer and the food was devoured.
One important feature of the evening was to refocus again on why we do Crusoe every year. With this in mind, we considered again a scriptural look at what mission is and why we do it - something I feel was a very beneficial time.
We also launched plans for this year’s team. You may or may not be aware of departmental changes that have happened over in England and as a result the team that looks after Crusoe no longer exists, with the responsibility being handed to regions to manage their own trips. This, however, has happened too late for Summer 09. We did, however, announce an exciting partnership with Exodus "Live out loud" programme which offers our young people numerous mission opportunities in Romania, Moldova, Gran Canaria, Hong Kong, Africa and even Tobermore. (for more info please contact Wilson Beare, contacts below or visit www.exodusonline.org.uk/liveoutloud). In addition to this we also highlighted a wide range of other mission opportunities available with CMSI, Tearfund, Christians in Sport as well as local mission options.
We concluded our evening with a time of prayer for each other and for the ever-growing needs of the world in which God has called us to bring his word.
Urban Saints is the operating name of The Crusaders' Union, a company limited by guarantee and registered in England & Wales, company number 07771037, charity number 1144923, and in Scotland, charity number SCO39313.
