You’ll need to be aged 13 or over (with parent’s consent if you’re under 18) and be free between about 1pm and 5pm on Saturday 13th March 2010. We’re organising a residential for those who are upper school age too, but places are very limited, so get in quick! It’ll cost £7 including food and an overnight stay from the Friday to Saturday (venue to be confirmed shortly).

The toasties came with no strings attached (they did include a free piece of foil), and were available to all, no matter whether they were on their way to town, to bed or even just coming back for seconds! That said, many people chose to stop and discuss their thoughts, fears and worries with them, with questions ranging from ‘Why aren’t dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?’, to ‘What does God think about my homosexuality?’ Some of the team were able to pray with students who wanted prayer, and all the team agreed the evening had been a huge success, both for promoting the Christian Union, but also for the simple and amazing opportunity to meet, listen to and share in people’s stories.

During the course of the evening a total of 22 loaves of bread, 6 toastie makers, 3 blocks of cheese and 2 large tubs of margarine were used – meaning the team of around 10 created and distributed a total of more than 100 toasties.

Last Thursday marked the first of our choir rehearsals for the Graham Kendrick Dreaming of a Holy Night concert in December. Around 60 volunteer choir members turned up to practice, and began the exciting journey towards the big night.

Buy tickets for the Graham Kendrick concert in December at Bedford Corn Exchange.

Find out more about the choir from Carolyn on 01234 344544.

Chill @ the Church is an incredible alternative to trick or treating on Halloween for middle school age young people.

X-Factor, Bouncy Castle, Games Arcade, Chill Zone, Beat the Stig, Mission Zero, Mini Salon, Ice Cube Cafe and more!

31 Oct 6-9pm at Russell Park Baptist Church. 50p if booked in advance, £2 if not.
Book online at www.russellpark.org/chill

More info from Chris Johnson on 01234 217519.

Teams that you could help with include:

• Logistics – Unloading and reloading vans (requires a reasonable level of fitness)
• Box Office – Selling tickets and managing the collection of reserved tickets on the night
• Stewards – Helping to ensure safety within the venue (some stewards will not be in the auditorium, so will miss the concert)
• Merchandise – Selling Make Way products at a stand on the evening

Team members will not be required to buy tickets for the event. If you’re able to help with any of these roles, we’d love you to get in touch in the usual ways – email dreaming@hopebeds.org or telephone Carolyn on 01234 344544.

Projects currently planned include a free car wash organised by Russell Park Baptist Church on the Sunday morning and bulb planting in Cotton End by Cotton End Baptist Church. If you’re planning a project for the weekend, do let us know – you can email chris@hopebeds.org and we’ll add you to the list.

You’ll need to be available in the evenings for rehearsals at Ampthill Methodist Church on 24 Sep, 8 Oct, 22 Oct, 19 Nov, 3 Dec, 17 Dec and 21 Dec. Any under 18s must be accompanied by an adult on all of these dates.

For more information and to get involved, please get in touch with Carolyn Smith on (01234) 344544. If you’d like to display a poster or flyers advertising for choir members, a PDF version is available here.

“We know that 130+ volunteers will be disappointed, but by the crisis occurring at this stage, waste of further time and effort in preparation, and of money, has been avoided. The process has shown that volunteers from 14 participating churches were willing to respond positively to the challenge of again using their gifts and abilities for the Lord, to reach out to thousands of ‘not-yet-Christians’ in the local community – thank you!”

“Local churches have a good relationship with the local council, as shown by the Good Friday Witness, Café in the Park, the Hope Bedfordshire monthly market stall, free of charge, and the possibility of using the new permanent stalls on St. Paul’s Square, at the initiative of the Council.  We did not want to destroy any of the above by our lack of flexibility.”

Hope News May 09