Raising awareness about drugs

These days (and perhaps it’s always been the case), teenage life can be a bit of a rollercoaster ride. As well as dealing with adolescence and developing a sense of identity, they face all kinds of dangers and pressures from peers. Teen soap Hollyoaks regularly deals with teen issues – in fact, it’s currently running a story about drug addiction. Kids certainly know more about the drugs culture than most adults do. At least, that’s what parents reported at one parenting course run by Riverside Church last year. So Riverside decided to do something about it. Earlier this month, they ran a drug awareness event for parents – free of charge as part of Hope08. The event was organised in conjunction with Queensbridge School, Moseley, and the Local Health Authority.

Tony Ayres, seconded from the Police to work as a PHSE advisor to schools, led the informal morning session. The session was opened by Dave from Riverside Church who told his own story of drug addiction and recovery. Tony then took over to explain the ins and outs of drug use and addiction. The session was extremely engaging and informative and even included a session in which the attendees had to identify various mock drugs that were handed around. Tony also covered alcohol, substance abuse, prescribed and performance related drugs. Real life stories, media articles and pictures brought the reality of drug use alive and served to highlight the importance of educating children about the dangers of various substances from an early age. Whilst this session was a great success in educating parents about drugs and addiction, it also highlighted ways of engaging children in talking about these issues. This was a very successful event that really went to the heart of meeting a real need in the community.

» find out more

Community Group Activity through Karis Neighbour Scheme

On a Thursday evening a dozen people from the Moseley/ Kings Heath Community Group turned up at the Ladywood home of a lady who had requested help from Karis with tidying her garden and painting the walls and woodwork of her large hallway, stairs and landing.
We soon had a team armed with brushes, rollers and ladders stationed along the hallway, and a further group mowing the lawn and weeding. A good two hours (plus cake-break … well, it wouldn’t be Community Group without food!) saw a big difference made to both areas with the hallway looking much cleaner and brighter.

» find out more

Community Group Gardening

Over the course of 6 hours on Cup Final Saturday ten people turned up to work on the garden of a neighbour of a Community Group member. The front garden was a weed covered patch bordered by an overgrown privet hedge. The huge back garden was an overgrown grass area full of brambles, junk and weeds.

Despite rain showers during the day we made great progress. The front garden weeds were cleared and a membrane laid in preparation for a delivery of shingle. We put in new plants making a pretty flower bed alongside the path and cut the hedge back. In the back we moved the junk from the grass, and an extensive bramble area was cut down with large roots being dug out and a good area cleared for planting. We filled 17 green bags with garden waste.

The son and daughter of the homeowner came to help us, and when the homeowner himself returned he was amazed at the difference made to the plot. When the delivery of shingle arrived a week later he covered the front garden and is pleased with its new look.

» find out more

Gathered together in one place: Pentecost Sunday

Last Sunday several hundred Christians prayed their way into the City Centre for a massive Hope08 Pentecost celebration. The sun was blazing, coloured flags were flying and many voices were rising in the grounds of St Philips Cathedral. Reminiscent of the first Pentecost described in Acts 2, it was inspiring to see that Christians in Birmingham from such a variety of church traditions and ethnic backgrounds had ‘gathered together in one place’, raising their voices to God in worship and prayer. I chatted with some sisters from the community of Saint Francis. One observed: “What’s important about today here is Christians coming together from all over Birmingham and all sorts of traditions worshipping together.”

We were reminded by one woman who gave her testimony that Jesus speaks Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. The Jesus who changes lives is for all nations, all tribes, all tongues. And this wasn’t just an event happening in Birmingham – many other Christians around the world got together on the same day as part of a Global Day of Prayer. Throughout the afternoon, we worshipped God through song, heard stories of hope and prayed for the City. Speakers included Bishop David Urquhart and Archbishop Vincent Nichols and we were treated to the great singing and musical talent of Just Related, Academy Gospel Music (Choir), and the New Jerusalem Band.
I asked Bishop David Urquhart what the event was all about and what his hope was for Birmingham:

“Today was about celebrating the Holy Spirit and the people of Birmingham who believe in Jesus coming from all parts of the City – some of them walking, some by canal boat, some by bus, some by car, so that we can be in St Phillips cathedral gardens in order to worship God but also to acknowledge that we need his help for our own lives and … moving in the City.”

“My hope is that everyone across Birmingham and the region will encounter Jesus and make up their minds for themselves about him. That encounter will happen in a thousand different ways - it might be a word but more often it’s the actions of Christians - signs of love – whether it’s helping a neighbour, speaking out at a public meeting, just doing something unexpected to help someone and they’ll enquire ‘why are you doing this?’ and people will answer ‘It’s because I love Jesus and Jesus loves you’.”

Vincent Nicholls spoke to the crowd about the Holy Spirit. He gave us an analogy – the Holy Spirit is like rain – it falls on potato fields and produces potatoes, it falls in the rose garden and produces roses, it falls in the wheat field and produces wheat. In the same way, the Holy Spirit falls on us and we each respond in our own way – we are not all of the same kind of crop, but together we make a harvest for the Lord. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in this City and throughout the world.

The event closed with the Hope08 Declaration:

With God’s help:
I affirm that in 2008, I intend to bring:
Harmony in place of discord
Opportunities out of challenges
Praise instead of criticism
Encouragement to replace despair.

We affirm that in our Church, 2008 will be a year of:
Holiness and wholeness
One purpose for many people
Prayer that leads to action
Everyone finding a place to belong.

We pray that for our community, 2008 will be a
year of:
Healing for those who are broken
Order where there is chaos
Protection for the vulnerable
Enterprise for all.

We pray for our nation, that 2008 will be a year of:
Health of body mind and spirit
Open-hearted attitudes
Passion for justice and mercy
Expectations and visions fulfilled.

We pray that The God of all Hope will give us
the faith and courage to live lives that will
release HOPE this year.
I make this declaration and pray this prayer in
the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord.
Amen.

» find out more

Bishop & Pancakes

In spite of driving rain, on a wet Shrove Tuesday, the Bishop of Birmingham was out in Birmingham Markets to find out people’s hopes for 2008. Bishop David Urquhart listened and chatted with market buyers and sellers, as part of the launch of his Lent initiative inviting Christians to spend more time with God called Too Deep for Words.

People were invited into St. Martins for a cup of tea and a scotch pancake and to post their hopes for 2008 and prayer requests on a bill board. Some personal hopes included ‘long life’, ‘a job’, ‘retirement’, ‘winning the lottery’. Hopes for Birmingham included ‘peace – an end to hatred and violence’ and ‘more understanding and friendliness between people.’ The prayer boards will still be up for Diocesan youth service, Re-United, where the Bishop will talk to and pray with 500 young people at St Martins in the Bullring. This event marked the start of the Bishop’s involvement in Hope 08 intiative and the launch of the Birmingham Hope 08 website.

» find out more

Hope 08 Birmingham is an informal site setup by a few folks to track and discuss what's going in Birmingham, UK in 2008 as part of a national year of hope. Hope 08 is a national thing, check out the national site: Hope 08

Site content, unless otherwise stated, is Copyright of the original author and is published here under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

Main photo, Birmingham Skyline by Aeioux on Flickr, under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License.