The Lion, The Witch and The Goodbye
I started at Step as an intern, keenly aware of the struggle faced by teenagers as I was one myself. Serving alongside others who were seeking to share something of their faith and put it into practice was just the environment I knew I needed to spend time. There were things I could learn from them and I would be putting myself in a workplace where I would face challenges but never alone. What words will even capture the last almost 12 years… I will give it a go.
A stand out memory from the early years was wonderfully brought back to me this last week. In my time as an intern Chris and I ran an assembly series on the theme of Narnia.
There were three weeks of assemblies and we themed them, the Lion, the Witch and the Edmund. Over the series we unpacked the story and shed new light onto a familiar story. Dressing up as these characters each assembly, Chris walked up the driveway of the school turning many heads, not just the students but the passers by. It struck me at the time that I wasn’t brave enough to do that. What strikes me now is that this is one of many memories where fun, laughter and creativity has been masterfully used to communicate complicated things. I knew I was going to have a lot of fun with this team. We chatted about how we might make memorable assemblies for the young people and the result of that creative thinking is still in my mind today a decade on!
There is something phenomenal in the process of facilitating and watching volunteers engage with schools in our area. More than this, connecting with young people in such a wide range of ways. I have learnt so much from others in the team, seeing them model what it means to follow Jesus every day, living like His opinion matters. One story in particular stands out to me. I had the honour of meeting a member of a church in Harpenden in Costa. They introduced themselves to me and I heard a little more of their story. They are part of the growing community of families who have left Hong Kong to call Harpenden home. It was evident that she had so much experience to share and stories of living a life with faith to bring to our team and the young people we connect with through Step. After training, preparation and prayer she is part of the volunteer team. This term she began to mentor two students in Sir John Lawes and participate in a Haven Course that we offered to 5 students at the school. She is meeting 1:1 and able to contribute to these individuals' journey in a way that no one else in the team can. She is growing and being challenged to hone her listening skills every time she goes into school, that is equally exciting. This is just one story of many I could share of the privilege it is to connect local Christians with their local schools as part of Step.
To bring it full circle, in my last weeks at Step I was part of a Resurrection Narnia lesson in Roundwood. Joe and I had the honour of spending an hour unpacking the story with a group of year 8 students. We walked them through the difference between hope and trust, followed the story of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and ended sharing our testimony of how we discovered faith and when we began to trust Jesus. I shared my journey of asking questions about what is after this life and discovering that the Christian faith was the only faith that addressed this with love and sacrifice. I was compelled to follow and still am today by this truth. The class asked us questions and we felt that they had created another memorable moment for them.
If discipleship is as Chris reflects – the process by which an individual learns to feed themselves – then I have truly spent my formative years within Step. For that I am grateful.
Thank-you team, I move on to serve within the Trinity Project knowing - I am Loved, I am Responsible, I am Connected, I am Created and I am Eternal.
Blessings,
Charlotte B
A stand out memory from the early years was wonderfully brought back to me this last week. In my time as an intern Chris and I ran an assembly series on the theme of Narnia.
There were three weeks of assemblies and we themed them, the Lion, the Witch and the Edmund. Over the series we unpacked the story and shed new light onto a familiar story. Dressing up as these characters each assembly, Chris walked up the driveway of the school turning many heads, not just the students but the passers by. It struck me at the time that I wasn’t brave enough to do that. What strikes me now is that this is one of many memories where fun, laughter and creativity has been masterfully used to communicate complicated things. I knew I was going to have a lot of fun with this team. We chatted about how we might make memorable assemblies for the young people and the result of that creative thinking is still in my mind today a decade on!
There is something phenomenal in the process of facilitating and watching volunteers engage with schools in our area. More than this, connecting with young people in such a wide range of ways. I have learnt so much from others in the team, seeing them model what it means to follow Jesus every day, living like His opinion matters. One story in particular stands out to me. I had the honour of meeting a member of a church in Harpenden in Costa. They introduced themselves to me and I heard a little more of their story. They are part of the growing community of families who have left Hong Kong to call Harpenden home. It was evident that she had so much experience to share and stories of living a life with faith to bring to our team and the young people we connect with through Step. After training, preparation and prayer she is part of the volunteer team. This term she began to mentor two students in Sir John Lawes and participate in a Haven Course that we offered to 5 students at the school. She is meeting 1:1 and able to contribute to these individuals' journey in a way that no one else in the team can. She is growing and being challenged to hone her listening skills every time she goes into school, that is equally exciting. This is just one story of many I could share of the privilege it is to connect local Christians with their local schools as part of Step.
To bring it full circle, in my last weeks at Step I was part of a Resurrection Narnia lesson in Roundwood. Joe and I had the honour of spending an hour unpacking the story with a group of year 8 students. We walked them through the difference between hope and trust, followed the story of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and ended sharing our testimony of how we discovered faith and when we began to trust Jesus. I shared my journey of asking questions about what is after this life and discovering that the Christian faith was the only faith that addressed this with love and sacrifice. I was compelled to follow and still am today by this truth. The class asked us questions and we felt that they had created another memorable moment for them.
If discipleship is as Chris reflects – the process by which an individual learns to feed themselves – then I have truly spent my formative years within Step. For that I am grateful.
Thank-you team, I move on to serve within the Trinity Project knowing - I am Loved, I am Responsible, I am Connected, I am Created and I am Eternal.
Blessings,
Charlotte B
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