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Jesus Loves Festivals - special edition gospel to be offered at edinburgh festival

10/8/2015

A 'Jesus Loves Festivals' edition of Mark's Gospel is to be made available to festival-goers across the UK.

The special edition version of The Message is to be available at V Festival in Staffordshire, Edinburgh Festival and Leeds Festival as part of Christian based outreach.

Paul Blakey MBE, one of the coordinators of Leeds Festival Angels, explains, "When you set up church in places people don't expect it there is a often a real openness to discuss faith and spirituality. In past years at Leeds Festival we have invited people to leave prayer requests and to watch the I.Am movie which has led to discussions and people changing their concept of the Christian faith. This year we wanted to leave people with something that would help them discover more and the Jesus Loves Festivals Gospel will help do that."

The outreach at Leeds Festival last year saw around four thousand people regularly visiting the Prayer Cafe over the festival week whilst at the V Festival in Staffordshire they gave out twenty two and a half thousand cups of water.

Two thousand copies of the special edition fifty-six page Gospel have been printed and include sections on how to read the Bible, how to think critically, how to pray and an overview of the Christian message.

The Rev’d David Newsome, coordinator of the Festival Pastors team at the V Festival, says: “Last year at the V Festival we gave out 22,500 cups of water to thirsty festival goers. This special edition of St. Mark’s Gospel is a great gift to give to those who ask why we do it.”

Publisher of The Message, Dan Pape, comments, "It is so very exciting to see that the contemporary usage of English for Eugene Peterson's parishioners in Maryland is the same language that will reach many attending festivals in the UK. I pray The Message serves its purpose – to incite a curious desire for God's word"

More information on the work at music festivals is available at www.festivalnetwork.org.uk .

Festival Chaplains at MoFest Montrose

26/5/2015

Sixteen volunteers became Festival Chaplains at the MoFest event in Montrose. They had a great weekend and a fantastic reception from the festival-goers.

Paul and Jean Blakey (CNI NETWORK) visit Dundee Street and Club Chaplains

11/5/2015

Bishop of Brechin becomes a Street Chaplain

19/4/2015

Bishop Nigel of Brechin was out and about with the ROCK Street Chaplains Dundee recently - here are a few pictures...

Street Chaplains feature in paperback book

24/2/2015

The story of Dundee Street Chaplains is told in a new paperback book "Street Angels - the amazing story from binge to better".

Written and compiled by founder of Halifax Street Angels and CNI Network, Paul Blakey MBE, the book tells the amazing history of projects across the UK and Europe that are working in local communities and making the difference.

You will read stories of changed lives and changed communities from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England and Spain.

The book is available in paperback and as an eBook on a wide variety of platforms (Kindle, Google Play, PDF and Scribd) - visit this page for full details (map and on-line) or visit Amazon.

"Much of the news we hear about night life in our towns and cities is about unsocial behaviour and violence. So it is heartening to be able to read this story which, though not in any way diminishing the impact of harsh realities, tells of faith, hope and love." Bishop of Wakefield, Right Rev. Tony Robinson

Christmas Message From Andy and Marina Burns

15/12/2014

Dear Friends.

We trust this letter finds you well and reflecting of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Emmanuel God with us.

Next year 2015 marks a big milestone for us as it is fifteen years since we started Urban impact Christian Ministries as a Scottish ministry and registered charity.

To everyone who supported us when we started, stood by us financially and prayed and guided us, we want to say a massive thank you.

God told us "to abide in the city" when other missionary societies wanted us to join their ranks. It's been a fantastic journey. We are still involved with children's work as School Chaplains in a number of schools in Dundee and each summer we continue to be involved in holiday Bible Clubs. We have a lot to give thanks for!

Street Chaplains started in September 2000 and, to mark our fifteenth year, we will be having a few special events. This work is truly a gift from you to the city of Dundee (and beyond!). We work in partnership with Dundee's churches, bar staff, nightclub managers, city council, Police Scotland and many individuals.

The biggest thanks though goes to our amazing team of volunteers - past and present - who have served as Street Chaplains. Without our teams on the streets this work would simply not get done. Our goal is often to simply 'love the person in front of us' be it someone who is homeless, a young person who has had one too many, an elderly person wandering the city lost and confused late at night, those who work in the thriving night-life community - we are here to share God's amazing love for them.

During 2014 we where involved in a new venture of Festival Chaplains at music festivals in Dundee, Montrose, Brechin and Edinburgh. God helped us share to Gospel with many at these events. The work of Club Chaplains continues to develop and we have made many good friendship with those working in clubs and pubs - often offering chaplaincy support outside of our night-time work. Street Chaplains continues and is now an integrated part of city life!

2015 will be a busy year (in the will of God) as we seek to continue and develop Street, Club and Festival Chaplains as well as celebrate fifteen years of work in the city. Please pray for us.

Thank you for your continued support as we trust you will have a wonderful Christmas and a peaceful 2015.

God Bless.
Andy & Marina Burns
Dundee

PS - Dundee Chaplains are part of CNI Network which is a family of over 125 projects across the UK and Spain. They have featured our work in a book "Street Angels - the amazing story from binge to better" - see www.sa-cni.org.uk/book for details.

Dundee STREET cHAPLAINS JOIN OTHERS AT lAMBETH pALACE

28/10/2014

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Over forty people including five from Dundee Street Chaplains gathered at Lambeth Palace to help launch a year of celebrations for Christian based work within the night-time economy.

Christian Nightlife Initiatives (CNI) Network held an afternoon tea reception to launch 2015:10 which will see a year of celebrations around the anniversaries of 20 years of NightLight in Northern Ireland, 15 years of Street Chaplains in Scotland and 10 years of Street Angels in England.

The afternoon also launched a "Volunteers are amazing - thank you" booklet which will be given to every volunteer within the Network's 120 local projects.

Speaking at the event were representatives from the Home Office and Cabinet Office who thanked those who volunteer and spoke about the impact of our work from a national perspective.

Founder of CNI Network, Paul Blakey MBE, said of the afternoon, "This was a great occasion not only for CNI Network but also for our local projects and partners. The fact that alcohol related violence and A&E admissions are reducing year on year is part of our story that is something we aim to celebrate with those volunteer teams who are helping to make this happen."

For more information on the work of CNI Network visit www.cninetwork.org.uk

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Thought for the week - Brechin Advertiser

8/9/2014

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Ecclesiastes 3:1-5 “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.

“A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing”

I think there is even a time for fun. It has been a good thing to see the events that have happened in our community so far this year and the good number of folk that gotten out and enjoyed these times.

I admit it hasn’t been all easy for some of us that live in city centre. I have had to figure options on parking; there has been litter in street, lots and lots of noise, and a few other challenges. And I don’t want it every weekend year around but all in all I say - enjoy.

This past weekend I had a chance to do something that I have been wanting to be involved in but just hadn’t seemed to manage, Street chaplaincy. ROCK Street Chaplains were able to send a team to Music Fest and I was able be a part of the team.

I had a blast visiting with folk. Well a lot of the folk I chatted with were, shall we say a bit past merely having had a drink. Some close encounters I felt the effects just from the vapours hanging in the air...that may be a bit of an overstatement but enough said, the guilty moaned about sore heads Sunday morning on Facebook.

We went out and about and talked to people, we gave lollypops and a wee contact card out and for the ladies we had a special on pink flip flops to ease the foot pain from the high heels. We got lots of comments and questions, even some serious conversations. I saw folk that I’d not had a chance to chat with in ages. I felt we were appreciated for being out and about, and not one person was nasty or mean at all. I expected a bit of a hard time from somebody but honestly, it was some of the best late nights I’ve in involved in.

So for all the folk out and about the event overall seems a success. The Street Chaplains said it was really a great time and that Brechin folk were really friendly and they want to come back. And even though they didn’t have a jacket my size folk still seemed to know who I was.

I want to say a big thank-you to the organisers of these community events, WELL DONE! Thanks to all the local venues who hosted the different groups and bands. Thanks to the folk who clogged up Clerk Street.

A big thank you to whoever it was that picked up the trash that was left behind. A big thanks to those who came out and had a great time and made me glad to be a part of Brechin and glad for friends and the chance to meet some new ones.

A great bit of fun in its time,

Rev. Jon Bergen

Brechin Baptist Fellowship and on behalf of ROCK Street Chaplains