NG Magazine Spring '12 by New Generation

WELCOME TO NG MAGAZINE The NG Magazine is comes out twice every academic year and is sent out for free to all members of New Generation. It’s here to help you make the most out of your time in school, or if you’re no longer studying, help you come alongside those who are. It’s full of inspiration, tips and ideas that we hope will help you run an effective Christian school group. The magazine is designed to be a resource to help you be a light for Jesus and make a real difference in you school, college or university.

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CONTENTS 4 101 Ideas 10 Stories from the NG Family 12 More Ideas 13 Change a School for a Fiver 14 More Ideas...Again 25 NG+ ��

TWITTER.COM/NEWGENERATIONUK

FACEBOOK.COM/NEWGENERATIONUK

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PUBLISHER New Generation UK hello@newgeneration.co.uk ADVERTISEMENTS media@newgeneration.co.uk EDITOR Brad Hawkes

EDITORIAL TEAM Maria Vauhkala Jenny Carlsson Richard Louis Brad Hawkes

DESIGN Fredrik Frendin fredrik.frendin@nygeneration.se David Marklund david.marklund@nygeneration.se

PRINTER Hannah Print Ltd

 The NG MAGAZINE

Sara Borgström sara.borgstrom@nygeneration.se

101 ideas

WHAT IS NEW GENERATION? New Generation is a cross-denominational movement of young Christians meeting in peer-led groups with an aim to see the Christian message of love demonstrated both in word and action in schools, colleges and universities. Some put up posters, give away cakes or organise theme days. Others clean up their schools, give Bibles to friends or speak at assemblies. All of them aim to contribute to a positive environment and make the message of Jesus available to their generation through prayer and creative outreach.

Prayer

Outreach

Prayer is the starting point for any lasting change in

Outreach is about making Jesus available. Whether it’s

society, including in our schools. If we’re going to see

through one-to-one friendships, evangelistic projects or

British teenagers turn to Jesus, it’s going to take prayer.

social action, outreach is all about finding creative ways

The great thing is that prayer is something everyone can

to spread the life and love of Jesus. No one should ever

do: alone, in pairs, or as a group. You can pray loudly or

be forced to believe, but we think everyone has the right

softly. You can pray from a book or a list. You can even

to hear about Jesus and make up their own mind, and

just improvise. That’s the thing with prayer…in the same

that’s where school groups come in. Our dream is that

way people have different accents and ways of talking,

every young person in Britain will get the chance to hear

people also have different ways of praying, and that’s

the Christian message at least once a year, whether it’s by

totally fine. God hears them all.

getting a Bible from a classmate, participating in a theme week about racism or bullying, or through an everyday conversation with a friend. Don’t leave it to chance, make sure YOU give YOUR classmates and friends the chance to make up their mind about Jesus. So, we think you’re the best possible people to communicate the message of Jesus to your peers, and that setting up a cross-denominational group that meets to pray and reach out in school is a great way to do that. We believe in a generation dedicated to living not just for themselves, but living for others.

WE ARE THE NEW GENERATION.

 The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

This issue, we decided to devote the whole magazine to giving you 101 of the best ideas we’ve got. Some are big. Some are small. Some have been done by groups all over the country, and some by just by one or two young people. We hope there’s something in here for everyone. Before you get started, don’t forget that they’re not just for reading! Let us know how you get on, and send us your photos and stories of any outreaches you do, big or small. We’d love to hear from you!  The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

1 The very best tip we can give you is: START! Start a New Gen eration group! It could be one of the best choices you ever make! Our motto here at New Generation is “My School, My Responsibility.” Even if you’ve heard it before, it’s always good to remind ourselves that we can (and should!) take responsibility for the people around us. It may be true that your youth leader or local schoolsworker knows more about the Bible than you, but they probably don’t know your classmates as well as you do!

So here’s the deal: you...an ordinary young person...can be used by God to do extraordi nary things in your school! God believes in you...He really does! Throughout history God has used young people to do amaz ing things. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a completely normal teenage girl who was terrified when the angel Gabriel came and told her that she was to give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Mary couldn’t work out how it was going to be possible, but she made up her mind to

2 Remember, you have to plan. Being free and spontaneous is not always the best solution. We’re not talking about last-minute panic-planning either. Get a calendar and start looking at what you want to do and when you want to do it, how much your projects are going to cost, and what you need to do to prepare...you get the point. Just make sure you put it into practice!

When it comes to you and your school you might be scared at first to pray and reach out to your friends, but when you make your mind up to do it God will take everything in His hands and bless the initiatives you take! So if you haven’t already done so, then now is the time...join the family and start a group!

IF YOU’RE A BIT OF A HANDYMAN (OR WOMAN), THEN WHY NOT ASK IF YOU COULD REPAINT SOME OF THE WORN OR UGLYLOOKING AREAS OF THE SCHOOL? IF YOU’RE ARTISTIC YOU MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO DO SOME SORT OF MOTIF OR MURAL THAT WILL ENHANCE THE IMAGE OF THE SCHOOL AND BRIGHTEN UP A ROOM OR A CORRIDOR.

3 Be seen, be heard! Do whatever (well, almost) it takes to put your school group on the map. The days of holy huddles in the basement are over. It’s time to let your classmates know that there’s a group of Christians at your school who are proud of being believers, and who are dedicated to standing up for their faith and living out the teachings of Jesus.

4 Are there any decent Christian bands in the area? Ask if they can perform at your school, and share a short message afterwards. If you’d like help finding a good band, why not check out www.message.org.uk or www.ngm.co.uk, or just give us a call and we can point you to some other bands we know.

 The NG MAGAZINE

believe that God could do a miracle through her, and He did!

101 ideas

6 Invite your non-Christian friends to your youth meeting or church service. If you don’t already do this then make sure you start and help the youth team make it as easy as possible for non-Christians to take part.

7 A while ago we heard about a group in Germany who decided to take it upon themselves to ensure there was always an ample supply of much-needed toilet paper in the school toilets, having often found the school had run out by lunchtime! They even put up posters making everyone aware that the Christian group was behind the smooth new rolls, and that they were providing the service simply to make the school a better place. Ok, so it’s a little odd, but they got everyone’s attention!

GET SOME TAPE AND MARK OUT A HUG SQUARE IN THE SCHOOL CORRIDOR. IT’LL CHEER PEOPLE UP TO GET A SPONTANEOUS HUG, ESPECIALLY RIGHT AFTER MATHS CLASS. JUST DON’T HANG ON TOO LONG, OK? THAT MIGHT BE SENDING THE WRONG MESSAGE.

9 Come dressed as a Bible character on non-uniform day. If that doesn’t start a conversation, nothing will!

Ring local churches and let them know about your group. Explain what you’re doing and ask if they can pray for you.

10 Let people know what you stand for. Have a dis cussion or debate about Christian views on sex, evolution, the environment or other relevant top ics. If you’re unsure, you may want to have your youth leader sit in on this one for reinforcement.

Wash the teachers’ cars!

Get in contact with an organisation like STOP THE TRAFFIK or HOPE FOR JUSTICE. These organisations fight human trafficking, and both have resources tailored for use in schools. Maybe you could organise a fundraiser in your school?

 The NG MAGAZINE

14 Write a questionnaire on faith and hand it out at your school or college. Use questions that will get people thinking about faith and open up the way for good conversations.

101 ideas

MAKE PRAYER CONCRETE:

GO ON A PRAYER WALK. PRAY AGAINST BULLYING AND OTHER NEGATIVE ISSUES YOU SEE IN YOUR SCHOOL, AND PRAY THAT GOD WOULD MOVE IN YOUR SCHOOL GROUNDS.

16 If you’re a member of NG (which you probably are if you’re reading this!), every time we print one of our magazines you'll get a copy completely for free. We produce mags several times each academic year, and they're jam-packed with testi monies from schools around the country, updates on what the NG Team has been up to, info on resources and more. We also post online mags, so it’s possible to read them on one of those slick devices of yours (or your Dad’s). Smooth!

18 Organise a “Jesus-quiz” with some sort of prize. One school wrote questions about Jesus and Easter and printed them on t-shirts. The group wore them all day and walked around the school with the messages on the front of their shirts... and they even had the answers to the questions on the back.

17 19

Get proactive! As a group, commit to asking your nonChristian friends if you can pray for them when you hear about negative things happening in their life.  The NG MAGAZINE

Organise a welcome party for all year 7 pupils at the beginning of the year.

20 Hand out Easter eggs or chocolates with a short note about the true meaning of Easter.

101 ideas

24 Try getting onto the school council. You’ll be in a place of influence and hopefully in good standing with the school staff.

HAVE AN “ACTS OF RANDOM KINDNESS DAY” ONCE A WEEK WHERE YOU AND YOUR GROUP CHALLENGE EACH OTHER TO SPEND THE DAY BEING NICE AND ENCOURAGING TO YOUR CLASSMATES. DON’T JUST GO FOR YOUR BEST FRIENDS,

Why not ”Grill a Christian”?! Just put together a panel of confident Christians and allow pupils to ask questions about the Christian faith. If you’re all new Christians or you just don’t feel confident enough, then you might want to get your youth leader to help you on this one, but it’s a real opportunity to break down barriers and address some of the preconceived ideas non-Christians may have about our faith.

BE ADVENTUROUS

AND COME UP WITH NEW WAYS OF SHOWING KINDNESS AND BEING A LIGHT FOR JESUS! 26 Start a lunch club! You could play table tennis, pool, or a bit of Guitar Hero...all depending on what you’ve got access to. Every now and then you can take a few moments to share a testimony or explain a little bit about the gospel to the people who come.

22 National Teacher Day is a great day to do something special for your teachers! You know how hard it can be for teachers; so let them know that you appreciate them and that they’re doing a great job!

23 27

If you’re sporty, arrange a FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT and invite the whole school to join in on the fun. The football pitch can be a great place for working on your sanctification(!), and a football event will be great publicity for your group.  The NG MAGAZINE

MAKE A BLOG OR A FACEBOOK PAGE FOR YOUR NEW GENERATION GROUP. YOU CAN BLOG ABOUT YOUR FAITH AND ALSO UPCOMING EVENTS. WE HEAR TWITTER IS ALSO POPULAR?!

101 ideas

30 If you have any problems with bullying or violence at your school then why not start a group to voluntarily patrol the school?

YOU AND YOUR GROUP COULD HAVE A ”SERVING WEEK” WHERE YOU DEDICATE A WHOLE WEEK TO SERVING THE SCHOOL.

THINGS LIKE REMOVING GRAFFITI FROM WALLS

28 Have a non-uniform day to raise money for a charity. It’s a great opportunity to pull out one of our t-shirts with thought-provoking images, messages and cool designs.

OR CHEWING GUM FROM UNDER DESKS ARE GREAT WAYS OF TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR SCHOOL. LET YOUR HEAD TEACHER KNOW ABOUT YOUR PLANS, THEY’LL MOST LIKELY BE MORE THAN HAPPY FOR THE HELP.

Wash some friends’ bikes. Just make sure you dry them so people don’t accuse you of vandalism if their wheels go rusty!  The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

GROUP GROWTH IN BOURNEMOUTH “I’m now in Sixth Form and I’m starting up a CU. I’ve managed to get 5 other students helping me and we’ve got the school chapel every second Wednesday..."

CANDY CANE MADNESS The group at Bristol Grammar School bought LOADS of candy canes to hand out in their school. We got a text from Michaela, the leader of the CU, with this testimony and picture.

We met Kathryne when she was in year 11 at St. Peter’s School, Bournemouth. She was all alone and it was hard and nerve-racking for her to start something in her school. One of the challenges Kathryne faced was that being in a Catholic school, many of her friends thought they knew everything about Christianity and often weren’t interested in hearing more.

“Thank you for praying on Monday! The outreach went really well! =) We handed out 1000 candy canes...one for every pupil and member of staff. The reaction was really positive, everyone read their Bible verses and hardly any were found lying about, so they must have kept them! One pupil stuck them all to his locker for all to see, while another stuck some to his jacket. Several from year 8 said that they found their Bible verses really significant. The best thing is that in less than half an hour we exposed everyone to the Bible and because of Hebrews 4:12, it will surely have effect! Thank you for supporting us through it, we absolutely loved doing it! =) Michaela”

We were so pleased to get this email from Kath ryne: “I’m now in Sixth Form and I’m starting up a CU. I’ve managed to get 5 other students help ing me and we’ve got the school chapel every second Wednesday… after the first CU meeting we have now about 10 very keen people to help which is AMAZING!!!” We want to encourage you to have the boldness to do something in your school/college even if it seems like nobody is interested. It’s not always easy (in fact it’s often the opposite) but what you do does make a difference.

Brilliant!

 The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

CAMPAIGNING FOR FAIRTRADE

PRAYER WORKS!

“As Christians we believe God’s all about setting people free, and because of that, no one should be in slavery!”

”When we started this year we had about 20 people. Then we started to pray and meet up, and decide what our group should do, and all of a sudden..."

The group at Bilborough College in Nottingham have 40-50 people who come along to their group, and their great organisational skills are really helping them! They have a core team over seeing the group, and a 4 week rolling schedule with 4 different areas of focus for their meetings each week of the month.

We asked Jonty and Jacob from the Christian Union at St Mary Redcliffe if they could share a bit of what’s been happening in their group. ”When we started this year we had about 20 people. Then we started to pray and meet up, and decide what our group should do, and all of a sudden we had 59 people! It’s really exciting what God has done, and he has been really faithful to us”, says Jonty.

Not long ago, for one of their “outreach focus weeks” they organised a social action project about Stop the Traffik. The group set up a stall to get people to sign up to campaign for Fairtrade Nestle chocolate. When people questioned their motives, they said, “As Christians we believe God’s all about setting people free, and because of that, no one should be in slavery!”

Jacob continues, “A few weeks ago we had a theme about ‘God’s love’. We put a big sheet of paper in the middle of the room and got everyone to write down their testimonies. We divided them up and now they’re hanging on the wall so that people can look at them and be encouraged”.

 The NG MAGAZINE

Well done Bilborough College!

101 ideas

ASK IF YOU CAN TAKE AN ASSEMBLY TO TALK ABOUT YOUR GROUP AND THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. YOU MAY WANT TO LINK IT TO A DAY IN THE NG CALENDAR. YOU CAN USE EVERYTHING FROM

32 Organise a carol concert. Christmas is an excellent time to share the gospel. You could even SHOW A JESUS PRESENTATION, which you can get from us if you ask nicely.

33 Bake your head teacher a cake on his/her birthday! Find out when their birthday is and you can either bake a cake or you can buy one and then give it to them in person. Just make sure they’re not allergic to dairy products or nuts, because then it might not have the desired effect!!

WORLD BOOK DAY TO COOKIE MONSTER

35 If your group is going well then why not run a Youth Alpha course? It’s a great way to both disciple new Christians and to get other people interested in the faith. Just contact us or go to NG+ for more info.

DAY...ONLY YOUR IMAGINATION IS THE LIMIT!

Make a Prayer Hit List! Basically, this is a simple list of people in your school that you want to see get to know Jesus. Some groups start praying for number 1 and don’t move on until they become a Christian. Others pray for the whole list at once. Either way, trust us, this is a great way to pray concrete prayers and see change in your school. We’ve seen several groups grow and impact others to make a decision to follow Jesus thanks to the Prayer Hit List idea.  The NG MAGAZINE

If you have group members from several denominations you’ll probably find that you pray differently. Don’t worry; there’s no right or wrong style to pray in. The important thing is to show respect for each of the group member’s wishes. Remember, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS NOT HOW YOU PRAY, BUT THAT YOU PRAY! Why not talk about the different styles of prayer in your group and the positives of each style or method?

101 ideas

CHANGE A SCHOOL FOR A FIVER ●

As you’ve probably realised by now, New Generation is a movement of young Christians passionate about seeing Jesus at the centre of British schools, and

ultimately, British society. With hundreds of groups praying and reaching out in schools, colleges and universities across the UK, we're seeing lives changed through young people just like you, but there's so many more who need help. For £5 a month, we can resource and support 1 Christian school group, and reach hundreds more young people every day with the message of Jesus. Why not talk to your parents about supporting New Generation so we can keep resourcing you with visits, online resources, and magazines full of ideas like this?

So what do we do with the fiver? £5 a month provides 1 peer-led New Generation group or CU with:

Magazines full of

Downloadable

inspiration, tips & ideas.

resources including

Regular school visits from our trained

posters, presentations,

volunteers providing

devotionals and videos.

encouragement, support and prayer for the group.

Our dream is to see a Christian presence in every school in Britain, and to make sure every young person has the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel at least once a year. Your help puts us one school closer to that goal.

 The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

Try getting in contact with other New Generation groups in your area. If there aren’t any NG groups near you then you could call some local youth leaders and ask them if there are any other Christian school groups or CUs nearby. It’s a great way of networking and pulling together resources to really impact your town or city.

Make prayer concrete by getting a prayer journal. Write down what you have been praying about, and which prayers have been answered.

Arrange a fashion show. We’ve got some snazzy gear on our webshop you might want to wear.

Organise a big festival with other NG groups in your city. You could get some bands and performers together and

ARRANGE SOME PERFORMANCES

in a local square downtown. One group did this in Sweden and it’s turned into an annual citywide festival drawing thousands. Wow!

BAKE MUFFINS GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO SPEND WITH BIBLE TIME WITH PEOPLE WHO VERSES IN THEM.

MAY NOT HAVE MANY FRIENDS.

You could even divide them into different categories, with plates for happy people, sad people and tired people. Then everyone will get a muffin and a Bible verse that suits their mood.

GET YOUR WHOLE GROUP INVOLVED IN THIS AND YOU CAN MAKE A REAL IMPACT ON YOUR SCHOOL.

45 Make sure you advertise the school group on the school notice board or TV-screens.

When it’s cold outside, hand out hot drinks when everybody arrives in the morning. It’ll warm everybody’s hearts...literally! =)

 The NG MAGAZINE

Give out love hearts or sweets on Valentine’s Day. It’s a great day to share the love...of Jesus, that is.

101 ideas

PUT UP WEEKLY BIBLE VERSES ON THE NOTICE BOARD. AS ALWAYS...DON’T FORGET TO

Sit next to a lonely person you normally don’t hang out with in the canteen.

ASK FOR PERMISSION.

APPROACH YOUR HEAD TEACHER AND ASK IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU OR YOUR GROUP COULD HELP OUT WITH AT SCHOOL.

51 Give free guitar lessons. All Christians can play guitar, right?! Other instruments work as well of course, except perhaps tambourine.

52 Teenagers are notorious for their often expen sive yet scruffy school shoes. Why not start a shoe-shining stall at your school. After getting permission from your teachers, set it up in the playground, and get polishing! Just try to avoid the temptation to break into the old chorus “Shine Jesus Shine”! That might be slightly cheesy.

49 Concrete Prayer: ask your head teacher for school photos of all the years, or a roll with every one’s name. Then you can pray for all the students personally, and hopefully put a face to the names of those you are praying for.

 The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

PICK A LESSON NOBODY REALLY LIKES, LIKE

MATHS ON FRIDAY. THEN ANNOUNCE YOU’LL GIVE AWAY A CHOCOLATE BAR EVERY WEEK, ALWAYS TO SOMEONE NEW. PEOPLE WILL BE EXCITED EVERY WEEK!

Call the New Generation Teamers and tell them what’s happening at your 54 school. That way they can God has blessed us here in the UK with lots of pass on your stories and rain. Maybe He did it so that New Generation groups could bless their fellow pupils by handing encourage other groups out umbrellas in the lunch breaks?! Maybe He and members around the didn’t?! Either way, potentially wet people will appreciate an umbrella. country.

Why not show The Passion of Christ? You could show it every lunch for a week before Easter, with a time for questions afterward. Just make sure that everyone attending is old enough to see the movie, and get permission from your head teacher.

Invite a New Generation Team to come and speak at your church. If there are several groups in your town or city then you can all meet up and try to see if there is anything you can do together in your area.

 The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

61 Make sure there’s Christian literature in your school about abortion, sex and other issues that young people struggle with. You could speak to the school nurse or counsellors to see if you can give them any leaflets or books.

62 Embrace the rejected! Adopt the mentality as a group that no-one in your school will have to feel rejected or isolated. As a group you can to commit to embracing those who’ve been shut out by others.

If you’re sporty then you could start training one of the school teams. It’s a great way to build relationships and be a positive role model for younger pupils.

DO WHAT ONE SCHOOL IN NOTTINGHAM DID AND HAVE

A LOAD OF CHOCOLATE FOUNTAINS IN A ROOM

Bring the slum to your school for a day by doing Slum Survivor, and let people know how 1 billion people live their lives. For more details check out http://www.soulaction.org/slumsurvivor

DURING THE LUNCH BREAK. 60 ONCE YOU’VE GOT YOUR PEERS If you hear people gossiping, IN THE ROOM YOU MIGHT WANT CONFRONT THEM TO SHARE A SHORT MESSAGE about what they are doing. Ask them if they’d like ABOUT WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT other people talking about YOU BELIEVE. IF NOT, JUST BLESS them the way they talk about others. THEM WITH FREE CHOCOLATE!  The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

64 Get visible by setting up a YouTube channel for your group and uploading short videos about what you’re doing.

65 Put chocolate powder next to the milk in the canteen. Write “From the Christian Union”

HAND OUT NEW TESTAMENT

BIBLES

TO EVERY STUDENT WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVE AT SCHOOL AND LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN GROUP.

If you’re any good at drama, why not ask permission to do an outreach and use your finest drama skills to share the gospel message?  The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

68 Make sure that you and your group spend time together. Get to know one another, especially if you’re from different classes and/or churches.

DON’T FORGET TO GET IN 72 CONTACT WITH THE NG TEAMERS IF YOU NEED SOME ENCOURAGEMENT. THEY’RE HERE TO HELP AND WE 73 for some strange reason CAN ASSURE THAT THEY’RE Ifyou’ve missed this, then we’ll say it once more. VERY VERY FRIENDLY. Don’t forget the New GenIf you’ve got a knack for music, then you could play some songs in the common room. It might be a bit scary, but it’s definitely going to be a good conversation-starter.

eration website! It’s full of resources just for you, so be inspired, and get surfing!

Let the R.E. staff know that you’re Christian and volunteer yourself to help in lessons. You could suggest that you talk in class about your faith and what Christianity means for you. Take it easy though, save your “Turn or Burn” message for another day. :)

YOU CAN USE SPECIAL DAYS IN THE CALENDAR TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. MAKE IT AN EXCUSE TO LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOUR GROUP AND ABOUT JESUS. “WHERE DO WE FIND THESE SPECIAL DAYS?” I HEAR YOU SAY...NG+ OF COURSE!

You can even make a point of going to one another’s churches. Get to know the whole body of Christ, and don’t be alarmed at the way other denominations do things. You’d be surprised at how good our God is at surprising us by showing up in different packaging and places.  The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

75 Not everything you do has to be BIG or extravagant. A lot of small things can mean a lot over time.

A group in a university in Finland knitted 150 pairs of gloves to hand out to their friends and classmates. That’s quite a lot of work...but maybe you can make at least a handful (oops, that’s a bad joke!) and give them away for the cold winter.

IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU

KEPT A TESTIMONY JOURNAL OF EVERYTHING GOD IS DOING

IN YOUR SCHOOL. SEND SOME EXCERPTS THROUGH TO US ONCE IN A WHILE, JUST TO REMIND YOURSELVES AND US HOW GOOD GOD IS.

Pray for your local authorities and the school leadership. These people make all the decisions that will directly impact your school; they can be a real blessing, or a real hindrance. So pray that God would use them in your favour.

OFFER TO DECORATE THE SCHOOL AT CHRISTMAS. YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO THROW IN SOME NEW GENERATION POSTERS, AND HELP MAKE SURE PEOPLE GET TO GRIPS WITH THE REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS.

Be brave and courageous! Have a week of evangelism at your school where you decide to talk to 5 new people about Jesus in one week. Just remember to back it up in prayer.

78 Help the dinner ladies (or men!) tidy the lunch hall after break.

79 Take a look at the NOOMA videos over at www. nooma.com. They’ve been around a while, but chances are your classmates haven’t seen them. Nooma makes short films that you can use to present the Christian message or address Christian topics.

 The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

TRY A SPORTING DAY LIKE A GROUP DID IN ICELAND. THEY ACTUALLY HELD A MUDWRESTLING EVENT, BUT THAT MIGHT NOT GO DOWN TOO WELL WITH YOUR HEAD, SO WE SUGGEST YOU TRY SOMETHING A BIT MORE CONVENTIONAL!

ď&#x192;&#x2019; The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

Set up a massage salon at lunch, to help ease the stress of the school day. But remember stick to shoulder massages with clothes ON! No full body massages, ok?!

85 World Aids Day is a really important day. Try raising awareness and even raising money for charities. Check out: worldaidscampaign.org

86 Get your dance shoes on, bring out your parents’ clothes from the 70s and organise a dance mat competition or jam it up with Rock Band.

Ditch the holy 88 huddle mentality. Write encouraging messages to all the people in your class, and Try having your post them on the notice board. group meeting in Make sure you don’t miss any the busiest plac- one out though! That might be a little counter-productive. =/ es in your school, such as the lunch hall or in the 6th form common CARRY ON ONE OF OUR NEW GENERATION room. TRADITIONS BY MAKING A POSTER WITH A

90 Toilets are a good place to put up encouraging messages, especially the girls toilets. You could put up hearts with mes sages like “You are beautiful!”. That ought to cheer up the saddest of classmates.

PICTURE OF YOURSELF OR YOUR GROUP ON IT WITH THE TEXT ”I’M A CHRISTIAN...ASK ME WHY”. THEN PUT THEM UP AROUND THE SCHOOL. THERE’S POSTER TEMPLATES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ON NG+.

Do a theme week on racism. Invite people from various ethnic backgrounds to come and speak in your school, or even better, get some pupils from your school to do it. You can also bring foods from different countries, play foreign music or get people to dress in national costume. All these things can help show people how interesting different cultures are and that every nation and ethnic group has something to offer.  The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

92 Write a newsletter to the local churches and let them know what you are doing as a group. If you want to do the Bible Project then you could ask if you can collect money towards it in one of their services.

93 Make a big banner saying ”Thank God it’s Monday” and hang it in the corridor. NB: In our experi ence this idea works best when actually done on a Monday.

95 If you’ve got the contacts then organise a debate about Christianity and science with someone who’s an expert in the area. Put it on during lunch break and make sure to advertise.

GIVE A PERSONAL HAND-WRITTEN CARD TO A FRIEND, TEACHER, OR MEMBER OF THE CLEANING STAFF.

 The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

Create a New Generation email address. Set it up as a way for pupils to both ask questions about Christianity but also as a place where students can seek advice on different issues.

GET YOUR THINKING CAPS ON AND GET CREATIVE. TRY WRITING DOWN AS MANY IDEAS AS YOU AND YOUR GROUP CAN THINK OF AND THEN TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU WILL PULL THEM OFF! IF YOU’RE HAVING ANY TROUBLE WITH THIS THEN DON’T FRET, THIS LITTLE BOOKLET IS JAMPACKED WITH CREATIVE IDEAS AND WILL HELP GET YOU GOING!

100

Arrange an Anti-Bullying Day. Set up a room where pupils can come confidentially and report that they are being bullied or ask for support.

If you haven’t found anything you can use in all the previous points then we’d just like to say one thing: stop finding excuses and get on with it!

101

IF YOU TAKE THE BUS TO SCHOOL, THEN ASK GOD EVERY MORNING IF HE WANTS TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE THROUGH YOU, AND WHEN YOU FEEL HE’S GIVING YOU SOMETHING TO PASS ON, WE

Why not talk to your RE teacher about setting up a Prayer Room in your school. It evens ticks some of the boxes fin the cur riculum, so a lot of teachers love the idea. For more info, check out prayerspacesinschools.com

DARE YOU TO BE BOLD AND DO IT.  The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

 The NG MAGAZINE

101 ideas

Theology for Life Theology, Urban Ministry, Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ministry, Cross-cultural Ministry, Youth & Community Work

International Christian College 110 St James Road, Glasgow, G4 0PS 0141 552 4040 www.icc.ac.uk college@icc.ac.uk

www.swym.org.uk E: admin@swym.org.uk T: +44 (0)1392 273560

PLANNING A

GAP YEAR?

Stretch Yourself!

Join us for twelve months of intense youth ministry and training and discover just how much you are capable of. Visit www.swym.org.uk for more details. 2,3 & 4 YEAR COURSES ALSO AVAILABLE

CAL I T C A R P YOUNG S LEADERG TRAININ DO YOU hAvE INfLUENCE?

“LEADERShIP IS INfLUENCE - NOThING mORE, NOThING LESS” – JOhN mAxwELL FRESH is practical leadership training for 15-21 year olds. It combines solid theological training and relevant, exciting experiences of leadership. Whether you’re at school / uni / work or doing a gap year, the FRESH journey can be part of your year. We’re seeking to raise up young leaders who have a heart for God, walk with God and change the world as a result.

fOR mORE INfORmATION CONTACT: CATh@ShAREJESUSINTERNATIONAL.COm OR vISIT OUR wEbSITE: www.ShAREJESUSINTERNATIONAL.COm/fRESh

WWW.NEWGENERATION.CO.UK

scan this SNaZZY qr-CODE for posters, videos, presentations, leadership tips, icebreakers and much more