widows mite - do something small to make a big change for young people!

do something small to make a big change for young people - text the word MITE to 82540 and help frontier youth trust raise £100 000!

ok it sounds optimistic right but if all of you who read this do so then that's a good start (i admit i am not in the league of 100000 readers) but then if you tweet or blog or facebook send it viral and keep pushing it on. how difficult can it be?! it's called widow's mite based on the story in luke 21 where jesus praises a poor woman who gives a little as more generous than the rich who make a display of their giving. in these credit crunched times it's a story that connects.

here's why i am into it...

richard passmore is a briliant youthworker. i have known him for years. he is better than anyone i know at doing and developing detached youth work with young people beyond the edges of the church. i have been involved with him (in the background on the support group) as he has developed and piloted church on the edge. the project has at heart the intentionality of growing church with young people on the edge as a missionary endeavour and to develop a framework that can facilitate locally grounded and resource light expressions of church. since piloting the project we have learned a lot and now have requests to support others and grow new church on the edge expressions across the country. richard works with a group of skaters and bikers and you may remember me blogging about flow before. i love what richard is doing. this is not about bums on pews as that isn't going to happen with these kinds of young people. it's about growing something new. it's also got a young edge. many of the fresh expressions and emerging church communities are reaching and working with adults (which is great but we need to renew the younger end too).

richard has got plans to now develop this into a dozen new projects a year each year over three years - that is 36 new projects. he has secured a bundle of money (£60 000) to help resource it and this appeal is to make up the rest. in terms of what i am up to with cms we hope we can help encourage and train some of the pioneering leaders and connect where appropriate the church on the edge communities into the cms community. details yet to be worked out of course... but you get the idea! the projects go by the name of church on the edge or streetspace

if you are outside the uk don't fret - you can still donate your mite here - what a mite is in your currency i have no idea but every little helps. and if you want to donate a big mite that's always welcome too. i'll keep you posted of how this campaign goes. i love it's audacity really - surely you can't raise £100 000 in this way?! spread the word...

Comments

[Ricky Rew]

Hi Jonny,

Exciting stuff for Church on the Egde - will do my bit. Can you explain how texting MITE to the number will help raise money?

[Kathryn]

Jonny- just tried & was told "it wasn't possible to deliver your message to shortcode 82450". Any suggestions? I would so like this to work...

[Dave Wilkie]

By texting the word MITE to 82540 calls will cost £1.50 and over a pound will go directly to the StreetSpace initiative. For more info see http://fyt.org.uk/showdetails,news,82.htm. Great project!

[matybigfro]

really really excited about this as it sounds so excellent
here's to audacity realized