Just outside Lichfield, in the next county, Derbyshire, there is a lovely village called Alrewas and if you go there, you will find our New Urban Saints Group.
This is exciting as there aren’t any Urban Saints Groups in this county. One of our group helpers from another group in Lichfield approached me about setting up a youth group in the village where she works for the Methodist church. The group was launched on Friday the 9th June 2023 at 3:45-5:15 and we had 4 young people came along. They all said they had a great time and they would tell their friends. This group meets every other week and when we met again on the 23rd June, we thought we might get similar numbers, but when we opened the door and 12 young people turned up we were very pleasantly surprised!
There was a buzz around the place with the kids having fun and fellowship with one another. There were lots of games, crafts and Xbox playing. This group is aimed at ages 7-11 years old (primary school). Both sessions we finished with a thought for the week which included introducing Jesus to them through the themes of friendship and kindness. There is currently not much happening in the villages for young people apart from Scouts, Cubs and Brownies. We believe we have a great opportunity to reach and make a positive impact in the young people’s lives in the village by introducing them to Jesus. We know just one encounter with Jesus will change lives, and we hope through the leaders and our thoughts for the week that this will create opportunities for sowing seeds.
Anthony Narain
ITL, Urban Saints Central