Do what you love and love what you do!

‘See I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills –  to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.’ – Exodus 31:2-5

What are you good at? What do you love doing?

The two men mentioned above were gifted by God with the creative skills to build all of the items needed for the Tabernacle in the wilderness.

They were also called by God to serve Him in a unique way.

Why am I talking about these two guys who were both gifted and called by God for a special purpose that no-one else could fulfil?

Well, this September 15th we will be launching our new after-school’s drop-in event ‘Reverb Youth Space’. Held at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, Ffordd Yr Orsedd, Llandudno, LL30 1LA.

As part of the event, we will have a ‘Quiet room‘ with books, board games, puzzles, colouring books & crafts for people to quietly get stuck into; there will be a ‘Music Zone‘ with guitars and other instruments for people to play and jam with; a ‘Movie Room‘ where people can watch a film and chill out; and finally a ‘Geek Zone‘ where there will be ‘retro gaming’ stations, a comic book reading corner, sci-fi & superhero top trumps, anime, cosplay and other geeky goodness.

For each of these ‘zones‘ we are looking for more volunteers to help out with the work.

A-ha!

Yes, as with Bezalel and Ohaliab, we are looking for people who are passionate about serving God and who want to see young people engaging with Him in a safe and fun environment.

We want people gifted and called by God, like the two craftsmen above.

If you love to see young people engaging with God, then like the title above says ‘do what you love’.

Contact us here at LLYFC and let us know you would like to help out.

Tel: 07517 429 763 (Office Telephone: Mondays & Thursday 9am – 5pm)

Email: llandudnoyfc@gmail.com

we want you pointing finger LLYFC

Robot Wars!

We had a brilliant night at ‘God, Games and Goats’ yesterday by running our own ‘Robot Wars’ event. Four teams, lots of cardboard, a make shift arena and copious amounts of carnage!

This is one of the amazing things about our new venue; the ability to take on bigger, and more space-demanding projects – and this one was a belter. Everyone who came got stuck in and thoroughly enjoyed themselves – especially Tim. Check out the video!

It really struck us again, though, that this sort of thing only works with a small group because we are so short of team members right now. We are looking forward to bringing fantastic events like these into our Thursday afternoon group – but at the moment, we just don’t have the numbers on team.

Unfortunately, we’ve just lost a couple of solid regular team members for September because of genuine health and travel reasons – they will be massively missed. Finding volunteers is always a struggle, but right now we’re teetering on the edge of not being able to open after the summer.

That said, we believe that God wants our Thursday group to open! He has provided all kinds of things for it, including the funds for our new team logo and t-shirts. So we believe that God is going to provide us some team! Are you part of that answered prayer?

We’re looking for several more people to join our team this September for Thursday afternoons at Reverb in term time. This is a once, twice or three times a month, 3.45-6.15pm commitment, including setup and packaway, depending on your availability. All we ask is for you to love Jesus and love young people – we will train, support and equip you to do the rest.

There is a volunteer process, including a ‘try it out’ session, a form to help us get to know you, a simple chat with Tim, a DBS (police check) and a provisional few months to find your feet. This is always organic and very simple to complete – and you’ll get a free t-shirt!

If you’re interested – or would just like to find our more, then contact the office on llandudnoyfc@gmail.com, or you can send us a message on our facebook page. If you want to get straight into the process, you can download the volunteer form here.

Think and pray – we’d love to have you!

13731808_1082297738529061_4900773706661616615_o

Direct Appeal: Help Keep Our Equipment Safe!

Can you help us at Llandudno Youth for Christ?

Here at Llandudno Youth for Christ, we have been looking for more storage for our equipment. Due to changes in the place where we have kept our equipment in the past year we have had to find alternative storage. We have found this, at ‘Bathers Self Storage‘ on builder’s street in Llandudno.

We are now using a brand new 10ft outdoor storage container: Clean & dry – for £110 p/m (their most inexpensive option).

Could you help us make this currently ‘temporary’ storage solution, a permanent storage solution?

It will cost us £1,320 per year and £110 per month.

Would you be willing to sponsor us? – For either the whole year, or a month at a time?

The storage is so close to Ty Llywelyn Community Centre where we hold most of the different projects we do, and also to Ysgol John Bright, where we hold regular lunch-time meetings, making it easier for us to pick up the necessary pieces of equipment for different events.

It will also help prevent any equipment becoming damaged or waterlogged etc. especially as we have things such as sound equipment, brand new tents (wonderfully sponsored by some amazingly generous individuals), costumes for dramas, sports equipment, etc stored there.

If you feel like you would like to partner with us in this, please don’t hesitate to email the office on llandudnoyfc@gmail.com or phone us on 07517 429 763 (you can leave a message if no-one is in the office when you call)

Wet wipes anyone?…..

This coming Wednesday 17th August, Llandudno Youth for Christ are holding our annual ‘Refresh’ conference.  This is a 1 day fun-filled event that we hold at St David’s College in Llandudno.

Like its name, the day is aimed at giving the young people a time and place to let off some steam with fun activities, such as Ultimate Frisbee, a Wide GameAcoustic Music around a Campfire9 Square and some Storytelling. A time for them to relax and refresh themselves before the new academic term starts in September.

We have held this conference at St David’s for the past several years. St Davids is a school that was founded with the aim of offering an education system that impacts upon the whole-person, not just stimulating the intellect. The school was founded by John Mayor in 1965 on Christian principles and outdoor education.

We love having this conference in such a fabulous setting and are extremely grateful for all of the staff at St David’s for all of the help they give us.
The conference will run from 12 – 4pm this coming Wednesday.

I posted the above picture for the conference, not because we have a ‘colour run’ as part of the conference, but just for the play on words of a wet wipe being refreshing upon your face, and that the people in the picture look like they could do with a wet wipe to clean their faces with.

In the Bible, I found some references to ‘refresh’; I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Jeremiah 31:25. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” Psalm 23:2 By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encourageent, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.” 2 Corinthians 7:13

We see from these verses that God refreshes us, and that also in the context of Christian community we can refresh each other and encourage each other in our walk with God.

We hope and pray that the young people that do attend will indeed be ‘Refreshed’.

Will you pray for the day, that God would bless everything with His presence and that many young lives would be impacted by the love of God.

If you are a young person who would like to come, or you know a young person who would like to come, please download the permission slip and bring it along to the event completed.

Thank you.

Refresh-Form-2016

 

It only takes a ‘Spark’ to get a fire going.

Spark North Wales LogoThe above title is taken from the lyrics to a 1969 worship song by Kurt Kaiser called ‘Pass it on‘.

It only takes a spark to get a fire going
And soon all those around can warm up to its glowing
That’s how it is with God’s love
Once you’ve experienced it
You spread your love to everyone
You want to pass it on

At the end of August, Saturday 27th of August, we will be holding our 4th ‘Spark’ event, back in the venue it all started in, Ty Llywelyn Community Centre. This will be our 3rd event here, with our first ever ‘Spark’ event taking place 12 months ago.

Boy has time flown.

Since then we have had a ‘Spark’ Christmas special and taken our ‘Spark’ event on tour to Holyhead.

Now we have come full circle and are going to be holding our Summer ‘Spark’ event once more at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre in Llandudno.

It’s going to be held on Saturday 27th August, 6-8pm.

The theme this year is ‘Is it possible to be a Christian and not be a jerk‘ – looking at how we treat those around us.  Do we demonstrate and walk in the love of God, or do we bash people with our religious views and act like jerks?

As with all ‘Spark’ events, the aim and motivation of the event is for young people who are followers of Jesus to be encouraged and strengthened in their faith, for them to ‘fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you‘ (2 Timothy 1:6).

To ‘Spark’ the tinder and set a fire of faith and passion for God in their hearts.

At each event we have held, many young people from churches in North Wales, from Holyhead to Prestatyn have come together and had great times of fun, food and fellowship. Times of worshipping together and getting to grips with God’s word in a real and relevant way.

We’ve seen God move in so many lives and bring so much, hope, strength and encouragement; and we look forward to seeing Him do it again at the end of the month.

If you are a young Christian in North Wales, we would love for you to come along to ‘Spark’ and have a great time being encouraged and supported in your faith.

If you are a youth worker, parent or pastor of young Christians in North Wales, we would love for this event to be a great resource for you in encouraging the young people in your church, chapel, community.

You can find out more on our Facebook page.FB-FindUsonFacebook-online-1024

And finally, here are two music videos about being on fire for God and shining brightly.

SHINE!

 

Taste the rainbow of fruit flavours!

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. – Acts 17:26-27

Soul Survivor 2016 photo 40On our last night at Soul Survivor we all dressed up in different coloured tops due to the fact that the last night was, as always, fancy dress night, and this year the theme was ‘Noah’s Ark’. So with that in mind, one of the young people on the trip had suggested we go as the ‘Rainbow’ that is mentioned in the history of Noah’s Ark.

We had gone through other ideas such as dressing up as big game hunters who would chase the people dressed as various animals, but the rainbow seemed great and it stuck.

So we gathered together for a group photo in our variously hued attire.

As I looked back at the photos from our recent trip to ‘Soul Survivor’ this one really stood out to me and I thought about the phrase from the ‘Skittles’ advert ‘taste the rainbow of fruit flavours’. It made me think of the above verse.

God has made everyone on planet earth so unique, and different and amazing. We are all like a rainbow, each reflecting a different aspect of God’s nature. Demonstrating to the world around us our great Creator’s divine fingerprints upon our lives. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

Also, a rainbow is “a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. 

So too we can reflect and disperse God’s light to those around us. He has made us all to demonstrate His glory and Jesus said that, as believers and followers of His, we are to let our light shine. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.

So let’s give people the opportunity to ‘taste & see’ the Lord’s goodness in and through our lives. Let’s let our light shine and not try to be anyone but the person that He created us to be.

Shine!

PS: For those of you who have never been to Soul Survivor, here’s a little taster of what it’s like – Soul Survivor Week A Highlights

Fear Not or Fear Knot!

sh-fbWe are now on our 3rd day at Soul Survivor in Stafford.

We’ve packed, we’ve travelled, we’ve set-up camp, got ourselves registered and familiarised ourselves with the surroundings.

Many of the trepidations and worries have been allayed:
Will there be enough space for all our tents
Yes, just about.

Will the food be alright?

Definitely; we’ve even had second helpings of the wonderful chorizo & chick pea stew (recipe to follow).

Will I enjoy the worship?

It’s been great so far, with amazing times in God’s presence led by the likes of Rend Collective.

Will I miss home?

Not really, having too much fun, even if I have to queue for the shower.

Phew!

It’s great how God really does mean it when He reassures us with His ‘Fear Nots’.

So many times in the Bible we are encouraged to ‘Fear Not’!

God, being the good Dad that He is constantly has to reassure His often fearful children to ‘Fear Not’. He knows that if we don’t ‘fear not’ we will end up with a ‘fear knot’ in our bellies. A big bundle of fearful and trepidatious feelings all jumbled up inside of us, making us miserable.

In the book of proverbs it says that “The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1.

We, as children of God, and as the ones who have been made righteous in His sight through faith in the finished work of Jesus ought to have a real boldness and live in and by faith and not fear.

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” Romans 5:17 & “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10.

What is getting your stomach into a ‘Fear Knot‘ that you need to hand over to God so that you can rest in His ‘Fear Not‘?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

May you have a blessed week-end and remember…..

‘FEAR NOT!

Chorizo & chick pea soup recipe (as promised – cooks for 18 people so reduce amounts as needed)

Ingredients:

Olive oil, 4 onions chopped, 4 carrots diced, mixed herbs, 4 tsps garlic powder, 800g of Chorizo, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 4 tsps of Paprika, 8 x 410g cans of chick peas, 900g of spinach, 600ml of water.

Method:

heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onions and cook for 3-4 mins. Add the diced carrots, herbs, garlic, chorizo, cinnamon & paprika to the pan. Cook until the chorizo softens and releases its oil. Add the rinsed and drained chick peas and the 600ml of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another 3-5 minutes with the lid off to reduce the liquid down. Then serve with some nice crusty bread.

-Enjoy!

The LLYFC Summer Program

It’s been an immense term at Llandudno YFC, and we’re looking forward to carrying that momentum through into the summer! If you are – or know someone – aged 11-18, then take a look at this years summer program below.

Events marked with an * require a permission slip, which you can download at the bottom of this post.

 

God, Games and Goats

Screen Shot 2016-07-19 at 17.26.58Every Sunday evening throughout summer (7th, 14th, 21st & 28th August) from 6-8pm at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, LL30 1LA.

We’ll be getting together for a couple of hours, playing some top quality and brand new games, and having a short reflection with some Q&A. Twill be a fun night which will be dead easy to bring friends to!

 

Refresh – A Boho Sports Mini Festival*

Screen Shot 2016-07-19 at 17.27.19Wednesday 17th August, 12-4pm at St. David’s College, LL30 1RP.

Ultimate Frisbee, 9 Square, Wide Game, Camp Fire, Story Telling and Acoustic Music. It will be amazing! Do download a permission slip from the bottom of this page.

 

The Lock In*

Screen Shot 2016-07-19 at 17.27.32Tuesday 23rd August, 11pm – Wednesday 24th August, 7am at ‘The Garage,’ behind Gloddaeth United Church, LL30 2SY.

An all-night stay awake party with games, movies, teaching and worship. Always great fun – just try to stay awake! Download a permission slip from the bottom of this page.

 

Spark

Screen Shot 2016-07-19 at 17.28.13Saturday 27th August at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, LL30 1LA.

Once again gathering young Christians together from across North Wales, Spark exists to network, support and stand with Christians from across the region. More details coming soon!

 

Consent Forms:

Please bring / post / email them back to:

LLYFC,
Ty Llywelyn Community Centre
LL30 1LA

llandudnoyfc@gmail.com

Refresh:

Refresh Form 2016

The Lock In:

The Lock In Form 2016

 

 

Are you a MINION? And have you found a Gru worth following?

On thursday nights at LLYFC we hold our ‘Reverb Space’  after-school drop-in.  During these evenings we sometimes hold a ‘cinema’ themed night.  Recently we had a ‘minions’ evening.  If you have ever seen ‘Despicable Me’, ‘Despicable Me 2’, or ‘Minions’, then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The ‘minions’ are loveable, if a little bit gormless, minions that in the films, follow and work for equally as gormless, it would seem, supervillains, such as ‘Gru’ in the ‘Despicable Me’ films.

For this evening our director at LLYFC; Tim Gough, created a short resource to share the gospel relevantly, using the ‘minions’ as the medium through which to explain the good news.  Please read and enjoy Tim’s great work.

Minions exist to follow someone else – and they are just not happy until they do! Minions will travel the world to seek out a leader to worship, adore and serve but – even though they try really really hard – they are just a bit pants at it.

They drop a T-Rex into a volcano, get a Caveman eaten by a bear and accidently shoot Napoleon up the backside!

We’re exactly the same, y’know (ish… not so much with Napoleon). We were made to love and serve and be in relationship with someone who wants the best for us. We’re wired to be ‘Kingdom People’ who live with an awesome King – just like a Minion!

We Are Minions Too!

The problem is that we’re also not great at finding the right leader. We might spend all day worshipping a football team, a TV show or an xbox game. Then the team looses (idiots!), the show gets canceled (or kills the best character, grrr!), or you complete the game and have to blow all your money on the next one!

It might be that we decide to put all our faith in a best friend, parent or teacher. But even they – with the best of intentions – can let us down or stand us up too!

Hearts get broken and our world crumbles for a while. Life loses its purpose and direction and we start to feel pants…again!

Is There Anyone Worth Following?!?

Jesus Christ says “Follow Me” nine times! He’s a pretty consistent dude, eh? But you’ve gotta ask: why should we? We’ve followed all kinds of things and people before and that hasn’t worked out. Why follow a guy who died thousands of years ago and doesn’t even have an Instagram account?!?

The thing is that, if you read Jesus’ stories, in not one of them did he ever do anything wrong. He was just ridiculously awesome all the time! He Cared for people, never stood them up, was totally loyal and completely loving. In fact the

Bible tells us that he was completely ‘without sin’ (2 Corinthians 5:21 – that’s how you’ll find it on google or in a Bible) – which basically means he was absolutely perfect!

He Took The Freeze Ray!

He also died, yes, but for us! He jumped in front of a bullet that was heading our way. Y’see we do sin. Aka: We mess up! We epic fail (just like those quirky little Minions!) and if there is a God out there who is completely fair minded, then we have to make up and pay for those sins. However Jesus (who was sent by that God btw) paid for us by dying in our place.

Jesus also didn’t stay dead! Because Jesus was actually God himself in human form (I know! Cool, eh?… and weird!), death couldn’t hold him. That means he’s still alive today – doing his God-thing and making sure the world keeps turning.

Finally… I can follow someone like that!

So following Jesus is just sensible! We all want someone to give our life purpose and meaning, we’re gonna keep looking for stuff to fill that gap, and Jesus is just, well, EPIC! He’s perfect, he died for us – proving how good he is; and he rose again from the dead – proving just how powerful he is. I want to follow him!

Doesn’t That Mean I’ll Stop Having Fun?

Jesus does’t think that you shouldn’t like football, xbox games, telly, or having best friends and family. He wants you to live your life! But he also just wants you to put him first out of those things, so he can take care of you and guide you.

Jesus also does’t promise to make our lives perfect. But he does promise “never to leave or abandon us” (Hebrews 13:5). He will be with us in our darkest times. We can always talk to him an he will always listen and always understand.

Ok! So How I Do It?

So, just like a Minion who has found their Gru – lets follow Jesus! That means that we need to accept his friend request and click like. We do that by praying a simple prayer (I’ve written an easy one out for you on the back if it helps!). Praying is not a magic trick, it’s just talking to Jesus just like you would to anybody else – you can do it out loud or in your head. He’ll always hear you! Give it a try…

Hi Jesus…

Thanks so much that you love me and died for me. Thanks for taking the bullet for me. Thanks for loving me even when I’m a bit pants. Thanks for sending me a friend request. Thanks for wanting to know me!

I’m sorry for all the times I’ve been a bit rubbish. I’m sorry that I’ve ignored you until now and looked for other things and people to follow. Please forgive me.

I accept your friend request. Please hang out with me every day. Please help me to follow you, learn more about you, talk to you and trust you as I walk through life. Help me live life to the full!

Amen (that’s just a classical way of saying “Yup, I stand by what I just said!”)

Fab! So What Now?

It’s not easy following a guy that you can’t physically see! So here are three things that will help you keep cracking on!

1. Find a Christian friend or Youth Leader (get on google and look for for Church Youth Clubs in your area) that you’ve started following him.

We all need friends to help us out with these big choices.

2. Learn more about him in the Bible. You can download a Bible App (YouVersion is a great choice) or go online (Biblegateway.com is pretty good).

The Bible is actually a library of 66 books – hard to know where to start! Look in the contents for, or google the book of Mark. That’ll be a great start! If you like poetry and music, then maybe check out Psalms too!

3. Pray! Talk to him! Tell him what you care about, what you’re doing. Share with him your questions, your fears and your dreams. Get to know him by chatting!

Ask him to be with you, bring him your questions and remember to say thanks too – he’s worth it!

“Goleuni Y Bywyd” – The Light of Life

PCW logoThe quote that is used as the title for this Blog post is taken from the logo of the Presbyterian Church of Wales, which itself refers back to the start of the Apostle John’s gospel.

Each year they hold their ‘General Assembly’, the largest gathering of members of the Presbyterian Church of Wales.  It meets over three days in July, normally at Aberystwyth, however this year they are holding their meetings at Eglwys Unedig Seilo in Llandudno.  The General Assembly includes daily worship, lectures and business sessions, during which the representatives discuss and vote on key matters affecting the church.

On the first evening of the ‘General Assembly’, Llandudno Youth for Christ has been given the privilege and responsibility for organising and arranging the worship and Bible readings for the night, with many of the young people that attend our different events taking part in this.

We have a fantastic speaker for the night; Andy Hughes the national director of Urban Saints Wales will be bringing us some great wisdom from the Bible.

Saint-y-Gymuned-logo-colour-300x220It is so great for us to be able to give back to a church that has given so much support to the work we do. A church that has faithfully supported us with great volunteers, in prayer and with much needed finance.

Thank you to everyone in the Presbyterian Church of Wales.

It is so great to see a church that is faithfully continuing to follow the mandate that God has put on it. On their website the PCW state that “The purpose of the Presbyterian Church of Wales is to worship God and spread the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The church was formed out of the Welsh Methodist Revival that revitalised Christianity in Wales during the 18th century. The men that God used in this awakening were people such as Daniel Rowland, Howell Harris and the great hymn writer William Williams Pantycelyn.

Looking over the history of the church, it is great to see how they have always sought to share the good news of Jesus Christ in a relevant way. Reaching out to Wales and beyond with God’s love.

In 1837 they opened up a school in Bala, which in 1839 became a ministerial college.

Today Coleg y Bala is now the ‘Children and Youth Centre of the Presbyterian Church of Wales’

In 1840 the Foreign Missionary Society was established in Liverpool to send missionaries to India, and in 1978 the PCW joined the CWM (Council for World Missions). Also in 1978 Pamela Turner became the first woman to be ordained as a minister within the PCW.

So 152 years after their first General Assembly in 1864, which met in Swansea; we are delighted to be able to share such an important evening in Llandudno.

We will be meeting at Gloddaeth United Church, Chapel Street, Llandudno, LL30 2SY, at 6pm. There will be worship, Bible readings, and an inspirational message from Andy Hughes, in English and in Welsh. We hope you will be able to come and show your support for LLYFC and all of the young people that will be involved in the event and also for the work of the Presbyterian Church of Wales as it continues to share the Good News of Jesus in an engaging and relevant manner.

light_saltAs the Apostle Paul says “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone,to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.“1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Let’s keep sharing the good news to those around us, and we hope to see you at Gloddaeth United Church  on Sunday 10th July at 6pm.