PICK OF THE MONTH
LIVING MISSION Miriam Swaffield and Rich Wilson Fusion UK | £5.00
As a church-based youth worker and student this book challenged and inspired me to think about how I am living my mission for Christ in the community where I work. Over the summer holidays I had many conversations with young people who were starting or going back to university in September, and I wish that I had the opportunity to read this book beforehand, as it would have helpedme with answering a lot of questions that were asked.
I never wanted the full university lifestyle so I have been very lucky in that I am part of a Christian college in London, and working on a church placement. However, I am fully aware of the difficulties of finding other Christians within college or university, joining a Christian union, and finding a church to attend that suits you in the community you live.
The authors both work for student-focused organisation Fusion UK, and the book concentrates on what to do if you are a Christian student faced with the challenges and temptations a university lifestyle may bring. It includes a look at searching for a local church to join, what to do on nights out, and spreading the love of Christ. It is a great resource to have whether you’re a new student, mature student, or a youth worker with young people soon going off to university.
There are three main issues that Living Mission explores: the heartbeat, the breath, and the movement of community mission. The heartbeat is the passion that pumps though us; the breath is the power and impact God breathes into others; and the movement is the foundation and the structure we have within our community missional contexts. Throughout Living Mission there are also encouraging stories and encounters from different students while working in their university and church communities.
This is a fantastic book that will challenge students as new and upcoming leaders of Christ, and will help them to prepare and reflect on their calling. If you have young people going off to university soon I’d also recommend you give this a read as it will help clarify questions that your young people may have.
Tim Hibbin is a youth worker, currently studying for a master’s degree in pastoral ministry in London.
SOUL SURVIVOR LIVE 2013: THE FLOOD Soul Survivor Integrity | £9.99
For many, these songs will have expressed profound moments of faith. For me it was in 2001, aged 15, having given my life to Jesus at the summer festival, that I waited in anticipation for the album release to bring back the sounds that helped me define, declare and express that decision through song. Each year since then I have seen the songs on these albums help young people to do the same. But it is not just an opportunity to look back. Soul Survivor’s choice of worship songs has come to define many churches’ worship expression; their songs are almost synonymous with ‘contemporary worship’, and many now firmly established in our church repertoire will have been first heard at Soul Survivor festivals, and recorded on their live CDs.
This year’s album, The Flood, continues the tradition of great live albums coming from Soul Survivor’s summer festivals. The sound, as ever, is both familiar and fresh, with relevant biblical lyrics, and songs that can be translated for use in the local church with relative ease (if you have someone who can play the guitar!). At times I would like something a little more musically remarkable, but I continue to be blessed by the worship from the Soul Survivor live CDs, and this year’s album is no different in that respect.
Across two CDs there is a great, varied selection of songs to express our worship to God, and as such it would be a fantastic album to buy for a new Christian. ‘My lighthouse’, ‘Sovereign over us’ and ‘Your love never fails’ all beautifully express the truth of God’s faithfulness through hard times, whilst ‘Let it be known’ and ‘The flood’ speak of the joy of declaring God’s victory. The album is solid musically and lyrically, if a little predicable in style, though this is not wholly to its detriment. There are no surprises, and listening in full offers a great opportunity to engage in worship, in the car, at home, or in a church group.
It is clear to me that whether on our own or in our churches, these songs are written to be sung. They express truths relevant throughout time. This is not just a snapshot of the summer festivals but speaks now just as then, and I believe these songs will continue be used to the glory of God in the coming years!
Patrick Davies is a worship leader at Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot, and teaches in a primary school just outside Guildford.
FACILITATION SKILLS FOR MINISTRY Jo Whitehead, Sally Nash and Simon Sutcliffe SPCK | £12.99
However, if you are a first year studying youth work and need a handy source of quotes about groups, this book might be a good place to start. If you have been doing youth work for a while, you could well find the book a bit impenetrable and when you do get through the long words, find only very basic advice. In fact, the best piece of advice in the book was searching online for further information.
David Welch is Guildford Diocesan youth adviser and a volunteer youth worker in Surrey.
THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR TEENAGERS Jonathan McKee The Youth Cartel | £6.02 (digital)
The guide is split up into 27 diary entries written by a teenager surviving in a zombie-infested world. Each is followed by some questions to think about which spring from the journal entries, then some wisdom from the Bible and finally a paragraph of suggested application. The biblical wisdom, and the link between the journal entry and the wisdom, vary in quality. Some are excellent, some lean towards the moralistic.
There’s no doubt that the zombie survival part of the devotional is a gimmick to get young people who wouldn’t otherwise read the Bible to do so. And in one sense your opinion of this book will be the same as your opinion of gimmicks in youth ministry. It’s a well done gimmick though, and by and large the devotional content is worth young people’s time.
Mark Walley is a youth worker for a Christian community centre in Central London, and his favourite zombie film is Shaun of the Dead.
Let it be known Worship Central Integrity | £10.99
The production values are high, the tunes are catchy and the lyrical content continues to honour God! One marked contrast between the previous releases is that Let it be known features several new songs which have not been road-tested on the worship leaders solo outings: ‘We decided to collaborate much more with our songwriting, spending more time writing together,’ explains Tim Hughes, ‘and these songs are the fruit of that passion.’
Worship Central is based at Holy Trinity Brompton in London and their songs evoke our nation’s capital. Whether it’s the chiming bells on ‘The cross stands’ or the disco-infused ‘Let it be known’.
Among the hustle and bustle of anthems which will no doubt feature at Christian festivals are reflective moments of great intimacy, like ‘Draw me close’ and ‘The constant’.
Worship Central will not mind that Let it be known has not made much of an impact on the popular music scene, as it will certainly influence those seeking to worship God in cities, towns and villages.
Nathan Shipley is the Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults at South Parade Baptist Church in Leeds.
HERE COME THE GIRLS
Youthwork’s top picks for the ladies in your group
This peppy pop group’s first album is upbeat and lively, and perfect for tweenagers who love dance-y music. The album cover is awash with pink and purple, and although potentially a little cheesy for older teens, it would be great fun for the younger girls in your group. Imagine a female One Direction, combined with Hello Kitty and inspired by faith.
Resound Media Daughters of Davis’ debut album features some strong vocals that demand your attention, coupled with bluesy-folksy instrumentals. As our friends at Christianity said, ‘Imagine Florence being taken away from her Machine and singing with a chilled-out Mumford & Sons.’
Through the woods is the third album from Philippa Hanna. The album blends folks and pop in a lively and listenable style, and this variety helps veer the album away from ‘twee’ territory despite song titles featuring apples, daffodils and cherry coloured coats. If you want to recapture the feel of summer in the dark winter months, check this out.
