Oomph!
Doug Horley
Oomph! features 17 new action songs, sign language songs, prayer songs and funky songs. The album will have children and adults alike dancing, jumping, spinning, clapping and worshipping our amazing God.
As with Doug’s other albums, there are a variety of musical styles and it has several talented singers and rappers including Phebe Edwards (who sang with Jessie-J) and A1’s Mark Read.
Doug has such a fantastic way with words, tapping into interesting funny words that children love and applying them to Christian truths - we get more than a ‘dollop’ of God’s love and the Holy Spirit brings ‘oomph’ into our lives. Genius!
There are the usual wacky songs - I look forward to my vicar getting his teeth around ‘Who da da da diddly day’! All the songs are
full of truth that will encourage and challenge. Three of the tracks are written for Guardians of Ancora: ‘Might see miracles’, ‘All the angels sing’ and ‘Prayer is talking with God’. The inimitable Harry and Larry end the album with a bonus track, ‘Harry and
Larry’s circus adventure’, full of their own special humour.
Linda Galpin is children and families worker at St James Church, Woodley.
Origins
24/7 PRAYER
On the introductory page of Origins, 24/7 Prayer rightly point out that a lot is said about the importance of prayer but often little is done to teach us how to pray.
Taking a nudge from Richard Foster ’s Celebration of discipline, this course is driven by the truth that you can only learn to pray by praying. Origins is a fun and fresh seven-week course to help build community, offer biblical wisdom and most importantly, get young people praying.
Visually this is a really attractive resource. The course is intended to be fun and engaging, which is reflected in the brilliant design and layout. Each session has a comprehensive plan of activities from start to finish, including a cheap meal that you might want to cook to build community before launching into the deeper stuff. For volunteers with little time to prepare sessions, the plans may be particularly useful.
For those who prefer to freestyle, there are various points in each session when individual stories and experiences can be shared.
The course strikes a nice balance between input and activity. There are basic teaching points based around scripture and then the rest of the session is given over to discussion and yes, you guessed it, prayer!
The one pitfall may be sustaining the attention of certain young people for seven weeks. The course is designed to help them experience the depth and beauty of prayer but if they have no expectations and refuse to budge, it could be a long seven weeks of focusing on only one topic.
Andrew Gilmour is youth pastor at St Aldate’s, Oxford.
Youth ministry in a digital age
Liz Dumain
Having recently been involved in reviewing our church’s electronic communication policy, this book has had a profound impact on the way that I see the ‘digital age’ in my work.
Liz Dumain clearly defines the differences between ‘digital natives’ and ‘digital immigrants’ and the dynamic between the two. She comprehensively navigates the huge topic of the digital world from the perspectives of both the ‘native’ and ‘immigrant’ in a way that allows readers from both sides to understand and engage with what is being presented. This allowed me, as a digital native, to gain a deeper understanding of the fears and worries of the digital immigrants, and emphasised the significance of youth and children’s workers in bridging this gap.
After building a picture of the digital age worldwide, I was reassured to see the inclusion of Bible verses, linking the digital age to the New Testament age, making the information applicable in church. The final chapters are a frank and honest review of the state of church digitalisation, and stress the significance of embracing the digital age to reach young people for Christ.
The reflection questions after each chapter meant that throughout the book I was relating what I had just read to my practice. The book is easy to read and I would definitely recommend it to any church team who want to reach younger generations for Christ.
Ed Haycock is youth and children’s minister at St Mark’s and St Andrew’s in Salisbury.
The Church and boys
Nick Harding
This is a book that challenges you to think about how to better engage and connect boys with the church.
The ideas and suggestions are focused on primary school boys, although, as the author says, some will work well with other ages. It follows on from Nick Harding’s Grove booklet Boys, God and the Church and offers a more detailed look at the issues and challenges as well as offering practical suggestions. Nick starts by asking the key question, “What are boys like?” and says that: “Equality does not mean we are all the same.” He reminds us that evidence suggests that boys who do attend church and church-based activities tend to leave because there’s not enough to keep them connected.
After reading this book I was left with some clear challenges, including thinking through the particular needs boys have and reflecting on how ‘boy-friendly’ our church services, groups and teaching materials are. It is logical that giving a bit more thought to the kind of activities and teaching programmes you provide will ensure that the needs of both boys and girls are met, which will, in turn, lead to them coming to faith and playing an active part in the life of the Church.
The Church and boys is well set out with clear and helpful chapters. I started scribbling ideas and thoughts from the beginning and have already made changes to the way I do things. It is definitely a book I will be sharing with others.
Ruth Young is children’s and families’ missioner at St John’s, Walmley.
Stories from the Bible
Kathleen Long Bostrom, illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova
Stories from the Bible is a beautiful book. From the front cover to the final page and each one in between, each illustration is lovingly hand-drawn and the attention to detail is extraordinary.
While it doesn’t cover particularly unusual biblical stories, the 17 that it does retell - from creation and Jonah through to Jesus’ birth and breakfast on the beach - are a lovely mixture of prose, poetry, imagination and insightful commentary.
Stories from the Bible is a great book to read with little ones at bed time as it casts new light on age old truths. You could either work through the stories in the order they appear in the book (and Bible) or you could dip in and out. There is also a biblical reference for each story at the back, which is a great way to start connecting children with the Bible, rather than just isolated stories within it.
I would also highly recommend buying Stories from the Bible to give away, even to non-Christians, because it is so aesthetically pleasing and well-written.
Ruth Jackson is deputy editor of Premier Youth and Children’s Work.
