Big funding successes for youth projects - 29/10/2009

A year of outreach, designed by young people of the Christian Union at Upton-by-Chester High School, has been funded by the Church of England’s Youth Evangelism Fund (YEF).

The project has taken inspiration from Romans 10.15: “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.”

And the whole project is using socks as a leitmotif for that passage from Romans, which is itself a reference back to Isaiah 52:7.

Among the evangelism events the young Christians at ‘Upton High’ will put on are: Random acts of kindness, such as helping teachers; giving out chocolate; giving out bottles of water to sports teams; and offering to paint the RE department’s corridor.

Every time an act of kindness is carried out by the young people, a card will be given out directing recipients to the CU’s website which explains the gospel – using sock puppets!

The students will also be putting their personal faith stories on the website … along with pictures of their favourite pairs of socks!

The project is being helped by Greg Condon, a Youth Worker at St Michael’s Church, Plas Newton, Chester, which supports Christian mission at the school. The idea for the project, and all the foot-slogging practicalities the acts of kindness, are down to the students themselves.

Mark Montgomery, our Diocesan Youth Officer said: “I was very happy to support the many creative applications for funding that came to us before being sent on to YEF’s national panel, and I am especially pleased that the sock project, which is backed by Plas Newston parish, has received national recognition.

“Altogether nine projects from our diocese have won funding, including a project of film evenings in Bunbury, a youth café in Sandbach, and a night at the Crocky Trail (an outdoor adventure and obstacle course) by St Mary’s in Eastham, south Wirral.

YEF funding is supported by the Archbishops' Council (50 per cent), the Henry Smith Charity, the Laing Family Trusts, and the Jerusalem Trust.