Youth Alpha is a brilliant course which we run across multiple schools and with multiple churches. This academic year we have delivered the course in Loreto and Townsend, with ongoing conversations on how more schools can be involved next year.

On top of this, this year, we have launched an area wide Youth Alpha, with Illuminate, St Paul's Church and Young Life. We launched this as a 'next step' invitation, off the back of the Illuminate Cathedral event in February.

It has been a fantastic course so far, with around 8 students attending each week, including the majority coming along to the Alpha Day.

The Alpha Day is a chance to spend slightly longer with the young people, looking specifically at the Holy Spirit. Conversations include questions about:

• Fruits of the Spirit
• What image comes to mind when thinking about the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit being a helper

I had a brilliant conversation with 2 young girls, as they asked multiple questions about speaking in tongues, with one of them asking if I could teach them to say ‘Hello’ in tongues! As amusing as this was, it was a great question and opportunity to discuss more about the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The session concludes with an opportunity to pray ‘Holy Spirit, Come’. This again was a beautiful and peace-filled moment, which led to honest and open discussion about waiting on God and being filled with faith that the Bible says, ‘Anyone who asks receives!’

Mary

You may be aware that this year, we have a fundraising campaign called ‘Love Your Enemy for Step’. The premise is to be sponsored to wear your rival’s football shirt for a day. It has so far raised over £6,000 and captured the imagination of so many people. It has also sparked numerous conversations with young people in schools about what Jesus’ instruction to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you mean and how the world needs to hear and respond to this now more than ever.

On Easter Sunday I wore an Arsenal kit for the second and (most probably) last time. As the founder of the campaign, I decided I would emphasise the link to Jesus’ words by undertaking the challenge on both major Christian festivals. After a more private occasion on Christmas Day, where only my family and a couple of friends witnessed it in person, Easter Sunday was a different experience. Walking through Dunstable, chatting to neighbours and attending my own church definitely felt a lot more awkward.

I had a few weird and very shocked looks from people who knew I was a Spurs fan, while others who justifiably assumed I was an Arsenal fan consoled me about Arsenal’s loss to Southampton the previous evening (including a Southampton fan visiting the church). Apparently, I was very brave to wear it had I been an Arsenal fan- but even braver as a Tottenham supporter.

I was very uncomfortable but then loving our enemies can feel a bit strange and uncomfortable. It can be costly - with Jesus’ death on the cross the ultimate example of the sacrifice loving our enemies can demand. Maybe wearing a rival’s kit isn’t that bad after all.

This time, I decided to do something a little bit more. I committed to praying for all the Arsenal fans I knew for the following week, especially those who ‘persecute me’ for being a Spurs fan (friendly banter in my case, but it’s definitely not always friendly in the footballing world). I should also add that a couple of fans from other clubs also got some prayer!

I received specific prayer requests from some and I shared Bible verses or encouragements that came to my mind as I prayed. I also decided to pray for the players and staff at Arsenal, especially those who are following Jesus so passionately and openly. Although I didn’t quite manage to pray for them to win any silverware, I’d like to think my heart has softened towards the people associated with the club. Maybe that’s the aim Jesus had for us as he instructed that we pray for our enemies.

I wonder what would happen if all of us decided to pray for our enemies – not just our footballing rivals, but those who have really hurt us, annoy us or we just don’t like. How might God change our heart if we took Jesus’ words seriously and loved our enemies and prayed for those who persecute us?

Thank you to all those who have already given to this campaign. If you haven’t but would like to, it’s not too late to sponsor me (or another team member who has undertaken the challenge). Simply go to https://www.justgiving.com/team/loveyourenemyforstep 

Geoff

The Journey of an SJL Student

We took some time as a team recently to reflect on the different sessions that we run in our schools, what has worked well and what areas of the work could be done better. As part of this, I reflected on the journey a student might take with Step throughout their time at school and what they learn about God. It is amazing to see the opportunities we get to share Jesus, consistently with them. Each school looks different but here is the example of an SJL students’ journey with Step:

Year 7:
I am Connected – We meet them first in Life skills – a session to help them creatively think about their new classmates, help them recognise their similarities and how important the connections we have and make are. This introduces God as relational.

Who is Jesus/Parables – They then get to have two of our core Jesus Curriculum lessons. Learning all about Who Jesus is and what He achieved. They are also offered a gift of a Youth Testament from Good News for Everyone.

Culture Day – The last time we see them in Year 7 is on our Culture Day! A day full of fun, helping them recognise that differences are to be celebrated. Showing them that God cares deeply for each person.

Haven – Some students come on the Haven Hope course, and we have 6 weeks of encouraging and supporting them. This course has a liturgy at the end of each session, bringing God into the centre of our wellbeing.

Lunch club – We currently have around 8 regular year 7 students coming to our lunch club (mostly those with no faith and some Muslim students too).

Year 8:
Walk through the Bible – They get to start the year off with another fun session – a chance to act and see the bigger picture of the Bible. They see God as creator with a plan and a purpose.

Prejudice – A chance to look outwardly and be challenged to love our neighbours. Showing God as someone who cares deeply for humanity.

Year 9: 
Ultimate questions – Is God real? How was the universe created? What is the purpose of life? Is there an afterlife? Some huge questions and brilliant conversations happen, challenging the young people to have a reason for their beliefs.

Christianity through Art – An opportunity to reflect on how art and culture around us can be a way to worship God.

Year 10:
Church Visit – The students have now chosen to study RS and get to come for a day at Verso church. They are shocked at the start of the day with Secret church, recognising that people die for believing in Jesus and then throughout the day learn what it is people are so passionate about. This day helps students see God as present, not just stuck in an old building but relatable to them today.

Christian worship – We help them take Worship out of its box! Broadening their view of what it means to worship God with our whole lives.

Stress – The students are given a session to wind down and find ways to manage their stress. This reveals God as someone who cares for them in their lowest moments and provides comfort.

Forgiveness – A challenging lesson to help them think through what forgiveness means. They get to see God as just, fair and forgiving.

Year 11:
Identity – We help the students engage inwardly, recognising and learning more about who they are. This shows God as creator, caring deeply for each person.

Grill a Christian – This session helps them see how much God is relevant and alive for Christians today!

Year 12:
Job – They experience a session on suffering, grappling with these questions and seeing God as someone who is judge but ultimately has a plan for the world.

Year 13:
Grill a Christian – We finish with the students with another grilling. We show that God can handle their doubts and questions, that this is a good thing and He wants them to understand Him more.

Ultimately, a young person’s journey with Step introduces them to a picture of God that is loving, kind, just, relational and revealing Him as someone trustworthy, logical and who cares deeply for every single one of us.

On 5th March 2026, exactly one year after our Christianity Day last year, we had a fantastic day with the new Year 7 students at Verulam, supported by a team of 16 Step staff and volunteers, who delivered 24 lessons before lunch.

Our Who is Jesus lesson asked the question whether Jesus was telling the truth about his claim to be God or whether he was lying or crazy. Together, we examined the evidence, including fulfilled prophecies and miracles that demonstrated his authority over nature, illness, sin, and even death. One of the joys of working with young people is they see perspectives I've never considered before. In one lesson, a boy reflected about Jesus turning water into wine and said "I bet he was invited to lots of weddings after that".

The remainder of the day was filled with a variety of engaging activities. During the Parables session, students explored the stories of the Lost Son and the Good Samaritan, reflecting on ideas such as forgiveness, grace, and the importance of loving others. In the interactive Fairtrade lesson, they considered issues of injustice around the world and discussed how Christian faith encourages people to respond through their choices and actions - even in something as everyday as shopping. The programme also included an Alpha Taster session and an inter-form Kahoot quiz, where a team of four boys from Brampton House took first place and won the prestigious prize of a Cadbury Creme Egg each.

Every student was given a copy of the Good News for Everyone New Testament (formerly Gideons) to use during the day, and as was the case last year, almost all of them chose to keep their copy as a gift.

We’re excited to continue journeying with this year group throughout their time at Verulam starting with a series of lessons next week on Jesus' resurrection through the story of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

We are super excited about the upcoming Illuminate Big Questions event, where two fantastic speakers from the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics will be coming to answer young people’s big questions about faith and life.

Starting with a short talk exploring cancel culture, we will then dive into two sections of Q&A where young people can send in their questions via a platform called Slido and then vote for the questions they would most like to be answered in the time. There will be a break between the Q&A times for the young people to discuss and process what they’ve heard.

The speakers from OCCA are always phenomenal and these events have always gone down very well before.

Tickets are just £5 and will include snacks. Please book any interested young people via the link below:
https://illuminateyouth.co.uk/@illuminate/e/bigquestions

The Step Leadership Conference has now become a firm fixture in the Step Calendar and whilst the past three conferences have been brilliant, there was something special about this year’s event, and it really did feel like God was with us with in an extra special way.

Not only was it an exceptional year because we reached several new schools for the first, time, two of which were from schools beyond our usual remit of St Albans and Harpenden, but also because we had an increase in the number of students attending, growing from around 70 young people to over 90 this time.

We also grew in the number of sessions students could attend – with five exceptional speakers and topics to choose from instead of just four. This year, students were able to learn about servant leadership, conflict management, how to find your tribe, The Careers Equation and how to use your influence to make an impact.

All the seminars were delivered by highly experienced, inspirational Christian leaders and we are so grateful to all them for giving up their time to pour into our young people. A particular highlight was the keynote speaker at the end of the day, a third-year student from Warwick University, Isaac, who brought so much joy, laughter and energy with him. Isaac spoke about the key qualities of great leadership, before explaining how and why he chooses Jesus as the best leader ever to follow.

There was so much energy throughout the day, and we all commented on how friendly and mature the students were. I met a student who had attended the conference a few days later when I was visiting her school and she enthused eloquently about how much she had got from the day, how she had met over twenty new people from other schools and how much fun it had been.
 
I even had the unexpected joy of walking into the youth auditorium at lunch time to find a group of students singing “hallelujah” round the keyboard Isaac was playing, another on the drums, and a further group gathered round a lad with a guitar – it was like a worship jamming session!

It is hard to sum up this event in just a few paragraphs, so many “God conversations” happened, so much “God networking” occurred and so many seeds were sown. It was a wonderful day.

And I can’t finish this article without mentioning the huge team who helped make the event happen – too many amazing people to mention by name, but without such a collective effort this kind of event simply can’t happen. I am so grateful to everyone who served so willingly, whether by collecting over £400 worth of sandwiches from M & S, moving a lot of tables and chairs around, leading seminars, taking photos, welcoming students, serving refreshments, to hoovering and sweeping, to name but a few roles. Everyone’s contribution was essential in making the day the huge success that it was. Thank you all and thank you God for blessing us so much!

Amy

Over the last 5 weeks we have been with a great bunch of Yr12 students at St George’s School doing the Leadership Foundations course. I have been so impressed with the students so far, they have been enthusiastic and engaged, really wanting to learn as much as they can about being a great leader.

We have done 5 sessions so far. The topics have been teamwork, skills and qualities, influence, identity and character. This week we will be looking at the topic of perseverance. Each week they are not just learning tips on how to be a good leader or how to give a good speech or reflection, but we are encouraging them to learn about themselves to help them be the best leader that they can be.

The week that really stood out to me was the identity week and the activity that we did with the hats. During this week we were looking at our beliefs about ourselves, others and the world around us, our values and our personality and how these things can impact how we show up in the world and as a leader.

The students absolutely loved the activity where they had to choose a hat for each person in their group and tell them how it represented that person. They were so good at encouraging one another and thoroughly enjoyed receiving these positive words. The insight that they had about their fellow students even though they may have only journeyed with them for a few weeks was very perceptive.

One of the students exclaimed ‘This is such a good activity!’. This excitement reminded me that we often need encouragement just like a plant needs to be watered. Young people (in fact all people) really thrive when they are spoken to with words of encouragement and truth.

Sadly, we tend to remember the negative words spoken about us more than the positive (negativity bias), so I love that we get the chance to build the students up with our words and that they also get to practice this vital skill with each other.

One of the most important things about identity that I hope the students took away with them was to stay in their own lane - we shared this quote with them from Brené Brown:
“Stay in your own lane. Comparison kills creativity and joy.”

It is so hard when we are talking about who we are not to look to the left and the right to check out the competition but hopefully after these wonderful students have finished the course they will know that we have all been designed in such a unique way and that they are all a perfectly shaped piece in a puzzle and this knowledge will help them to stay away from comparison and be who they truly are.

Steph

Last February, Young Life launched their new St Albans club hosted at Marshalswick Baptist Church and a year on, it is going from strength to strength. It currently meets fortnightly as well as engaging in Illuminate events such as the Cathedral event at the end of the month.

For those who aren’t aware, Step has been working with Young Life to help them establish a link here in St Albans. Their new worker, Gizzy, is also a Step volunteer and joins us in our two lunchtime clubs at Sandringham and other activities. The group is blessed with many leaders including two from Step and we are regularly getting nearly 20 young people attend.

Last week, I got the privilege of leading the talk for the first time (Mary’s already done two!). I was asked to look at the Incarnation of Jesus so kicked off with a question- how would you explain a smartphone to someone from Roman times? It definitely sparked a lot of engagement and was the perfect hook to exploring how God would help his creation, whose brain couldn’t comprehend the complexity of a divine being, know him better.  

The talk focused on Jesus healing the paralysed man and how this account provided evidence that Jesus was God in human form (power over sickness and a claim to have power over sin) but also revealed what God was like (caring, compassionate and merciful).

Conversations flowed as we finished with discussions in groups about what they thought God was like considering all the stories they knew about Jesus.

Our hope is that more young people from local schools will become connected with this group and that the relationship between Step and Younglife continues to be positive.

Geoff 

Step recently supported the Head Boy, Head Girl and student leadership hustings at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School, followed by a leadership morning hosted at Verso.

We listened to 15 candidates deliver thoughtful and courageous speeches, outlining their hopes for the school community if elected. Students spoke passionately about greater support for SEND students, expanding sports spaces and clubs, developing charity weeks, and faithfully being the voice of their peers. The care shown for others and the desire to serve was both clear and encouraging.

Following the hustings, the candidates joined Step for a Leadership Bootcamp, exploring leadership through a Christian lens. Practical challenges - including a scavenger-style team activity, drawing without touching the pen, and building structures from spaghetti and bagels - created space for collaboration, creativity and problem-solving.

The building challenge became a powerful picture of leadership. With limited and imperfect resources, students had to decide how to create something strong, balanced and dependable. Those who succeeded did not rush to take control, but listened, tested ideas, noticed the strengths around them and adapted when things didn’t go to plan. It echoed a key truth of Christian leadership: leaders do not build alone, and influence is shaped by how well we steward what we have been given.

Throughout the morning, students had moments to reflect on Jesus, whose leadership was marked not by status but by service, humility and sacrifice. Candidates were encouraged to name good character in one another, recognise their own limitations, and consider how leadership is expressed in everyday faithfulness, not just visible roles.

Reflecting back to the school was genuinely challenging because the standard across the group was so high. Some students will make excellent Head Boy and Head Girl, while many others will form a strong and balanced leadership team around them. While it is natural to hope for the top roles, Christian leadership reminds us that the body is made of many parts, and that significance is not defined by title.

Our prayer is that every candidate - whether appointed to the most visible positions or not - will recognise the value they bring, continuing to lead with faith, integrity and generosity wherever they are placed.

We refer to it as our Volunteer Training Day, but it’s much more. Once a term we make a date to gather our volunteers together for a day, with our latest being on Tuesday 13th Jan. We tend to have a ‘soft start’ to help everyone navigate traffic, so the coffee is on from 9.30am and the first session begins at 10am, with a warm welcome and a reflection.
 
Each time we meet the pattern is roughly the same, but the content is variable depending on the time of year. In September we run refresher courses for Safeguarding and Cultural Awareness, as mandatory before volunteers go into the new school year. In May we will run a refresher course for Step Up Days (transition from Primary to Secondary School) that will be delivered in the Summer term.
 
For this Spring term day, we opened with a session on Christian Nationalism. For some of our team this was new, for others it provided additional information, other perspectives, an opportunity to begin an ongoing discussion and signposting to other resources to upskill ourselves.
 
This was followed by participation in our Christian Worship lesson which has been updated and we have bookings to deliver it in schools up to Easter. After lunch we ran two seminars at the same time. One was Identity as part of our Blueprint lessons for year 12 and 13 (6th form) to showcase the content and how it is delivered in school. The other was investigating lunchtime engagement, specifically themed cafes and their potential impact.  
 
Our volunteers are good at letting us know what they think. They have told us how much they enjoy being able to gather (fellowship), share food, have the time to chat to Schools Coordinators about what is coming up and to chat with each other about what they have been doing with Step.

They felt it was helpful to have the updated lesson run for them, challenged by the discussion about Nationalism, and encouraged by how much Step can do in school. Lots of the team appreciated the jacket potato lunch on a cold day!
 
If you are interested in joining us as a volunteer, please contact our Volunteers Coordinator on Terrie@stepschoolswork.org.uk

We have some exciting news that we are looking for an additional member of the team to help us grow our work in local secondary schools. Don't worry, no one is leaving!

More information about the job, including a job description and application form can be found here. We are keen for as many people as possible to hear about this exciting opportunity, so please pass this on to anyone you think would be interested. The deadline for applications is 1pm on Wednesday February 11th.

We would welcome anyone who is interested to speak to us or offer them the opportunity to visit to help them decide whether to apply.

Thank you for your support and please get in touch if you'd like more information about this post.

The last few weeks we have been loving running our latest Wonderland space all centred around Christmas! With ten activities all Christmas related it has been a perfect addition to many of our recent Step Days. Students get to spend five minutes at each of the stations which have a range of different activities from deigning a decoration with the theme of joy to matching the prophesies of Jesus to their fulfillments. Along with immersive dives into the gifts given by the Magi to matching Christmas traditions to their country of origin. There has been something that can engage everyone and all have found different parts they’ve enjoyed most.

We have also loved seeing some wonderful heartfelt messages for people in Care Homes, Asylum Seekers and Food Bank Guests which were written in one of the activities. These messages aim to bring light and hope to those who receive them. 

It had also been fantastic to run some of the stations as Cafe spaces during lunch times at schools as part of a themed week. I was in Marlborough in the first week of December and then have been in Townsend this week and have had some fantastic conversations with students whilst running the activities and it’s been really nice to get to know some of the young people better.

It has been an enjoyable space to create. I particularly enjoyed creating the track for the immersive space looking at the gifts given to Jesus and painting all the little boxes for the gold, frankincense and Myrrh to go in. Mary has done a fantastic job at creating all the other spaces with an incredible attention to detail. We look forward to running the last one next week and will be excited to see how many more schools we could run a themed week cafe in next year. 

Helena :) 

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at Verulam’s annual Abbey Thanksgiving Service. The focus this year was kindness, which tied in beautifully with Step’s own mini-theme of loving your enemy.

Alongside mentioning my upcoming challenge of wearing an Arsenal shirt on Christmas Day - something that will feel very unnatural for a devoted Spurs supporter - I also reflected on the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. Despite the way his brothers treated him, Joseph responded with love, kindness, forgiveness, and a deep desire for reconciliation. In the photo, I’m holding the gift that contained our multicoloured “Joseph coat” from our Walk Through the Bible lesson, which I ended up wearing for most of the talk. If any photos surface, I’ll be sure to add them here.

I ended by reminding everyone that God has never stopped loving His enemies - humanity - and that through Jesus, He demonstrated love, kindness, forgiveness, and a reconciling heart.

The talk was very well received, but the true highlight for me was watching many of the boys from our lunchtime group and our Leadership Foundations course step forward with confidence to give speeches, readings, and prayers.

Geoff

The wonderful Step team recently spent a weekend at Youthscape’s National Youth Ministry Weekend (NYMW) 2025, themed The Upturn — and we came away feeling both refreshed and quietly challenged.

It was wonderful to be worshipping together as a team and with so many others too. It was so good to find space in our busy diaries serving young people in schools, to find space to stop, listen, sing, and simply be present, it was exactly what we needed.

The weekend programme offered a good mix of main talks, seminars, and interactive sessions. I was most inspired by Justin Brierley, who spoke during the interactive keynote for The Upturn. He reflected on what he’s learnt from years of interviewing people across all kinds of belief systems - about faith, doubt, the church, and young people. His gentle probing and humility really resonated, reminding us of how rich and messy faith conversations can be.

We also benefitted from the richness of the wide-ranging seminar tracks. From trauma-informed youth ministry to evangelism, contemplative prayer, leadership, and one-to-one discipleship - there was something for everyone. These specialist-led sessions stretched us in different directions, and reminded us that youth ministry isn’t one-size-fits-all.

One of the most practical take-aways came from the three give away resources and also the conversations in the exhibition hall, where the generous offering of free resources gave us fresh ideas for our work in schools. We’re already thinking about how to weave some of them into our lessons.

Beyond the sessions, we loved the relational space the conference created. It was wonderful to reconnect with people who genuinely feel like family — even if we don’t see them often — including Andy and Emma Winmill, Charlotte Barton, and Yener Yenerenski. Those conversations of encouragement, shared vision, and friendship are always a powerful part of NYMW.

Of course, none of this would have felt as restful or freeing without our incredible Terrie Bourner. She managed every single detail of the trip — organising transport, booking, amazing food, logistics, and more — so that we could simply receive. Her leadership allowed us to come without the usual burden of responsibility, and it meant everything.

We came home from The Upturn tired from high energy weekend, but very encouraged, equipped, and reminded of why we do this. We’re now looking forward to putting into practice the insights and resources over the coming months.

Chris

We’ve been trying some different approaches with re-launching our Christian Explore lunchtime group in Katherine Warington School.

In an exciting moment before half term, the group conversation was unfolding as we discussed some of the potential discrepancies between Science and Faith. One of our work experience students asked a younger participant:

“What caused you to become a Christian when all of your family are atheists?”

The young person took a deep breath, I think she momentarily considered the depth of what she was about to share, and the cost of sharing it with relatively new acquaintances and then proceeded to tell us her heartfelt testimony of how God had broken through into her life at a point when she needed him the most.

It was amazing and wonderful to hear, not just a sincere reminder of the faithfulness and power of our God, but a young person put into words in front of a handful of their peers, just what the Lord’s work had meant to them and how much it has changed their life.

Our work experience student was stunned at the honesty and eloquence of the words and noted how just one question had led to this. They’d seized the moment to do something a youth leader typically would, and seen the powerful results.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…

It was these wise words from 1 Peter 3:15 that I read to Year 11 students at Samuel Ryder at the start of our Grill a Christian lessons last week. I made it clear that as Christians we are called to speak to others about our faith, but always in a respectful and peaceful manner. It helped set the tone for the rest of the lesson, and from there myself, Graeme and John asked the students to write down any questions they had about the Christian faith.

The students were brilliant, asking questions that ranged from deeply theological (around the nature of the Trinity) to practical ones about why there are four gospels in the Bible about Jesus, to personal ones where we were asked why and how we chose Christianity over other faiths.

Here is a sample of the questions we were asked:

How is God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Do you believe Jesus will come back to earth one day? If so, do you think it would be for a specific time/reason or come at a random time?

What was the main thing that brought you into Christianity and not any other religions?

Does God give us control or control us?

Do you think life is always a gift or do you think it can be unfair at some points?

It was amazing to see the young people thinking deeply and pushing into topics that are weighty and profound, and it was a privilege to be given a chance to speak to them about what we believe. John, Graeme and I took turns to give answers to specific topics, as well as chipping in when we felt we had more to add to each other’s answers.

My favourite moments were when I was able to share how I encountered the Holy Spirit for the first time, and also a one to one conversation with a student who told me they were a Christian, but they were struggling with accepting themselves. I was able to share Ephesians 2:10 with them and encouraged them to listen to a particular song that has helped me in the past. It was a precious moment within a profound lesson.

Our final encouragement was when the teacher who had been with us during one of the sessions told us afterwards that one of the students in the class told her that last year they had read the entire Bible, and that they were changing and growing in their faith. The teacher said that she felt our lesson with him would hopefully help him on his journey! What a wonderful way to affirm the value of these sessions!

Graeme, John and I left feeling Samuel Ryder feeling encouraged, uplifted and certainly not as though we had been “grilled” by the young people, despite the title of the lesson!

Amy

Is loving your enemy an optional extra?

This is the question that helped launch our apologetics event, introduced by myself wearing a Manchester United t-shirt (as a Liverpool fan!) in aid of our ‘Love your Enemy for Step’ fundraising campaign running this year.

We welcomed our friends Cristo and Victoria from the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA) to Townsend, for an event with around 50 sixth formers from 3 different schools. The event helped students bring their big questions of faith to the table, with experts in theology answering their questions.

We had questions about the differences between the Catholic and the Anglican churches, the trustworthiness of the Bible, the God of the Old Testament, Sin, Sanctity of Life and much more.

As the event finished, we heard one boy say ‘Well, that was much better than a free period’ and Chris was able to have a conversation with a group of students about what they would be willing to give up their life for.

As I mentioned at the start of this latest news, I was wearing a Manchester United t-shirt, as we introduced the event with thinking about loving your enemy. I shared that although I felt uncomfortable wearing the shirt, for me when I first put the shirt on my thought wasn’t how much I ‘hated’ Manchester United, it was how much love I have for my friends and family who support the team. Because although we are different and don’t always agree or have everything in common, they are deserving of my love and respect. This led to a further thought later in the session about how we can disagree well with people of different viewpoints, by honouring them as individuals first.

Phillip Ioannou, as a Manchester United fan also joined in the campaign this weekend by wearing a Liverpool shirt on Sunday to church and while watching the Liverpool v Manchester United game.

If you would like to sponsor either Myself or Phil (or one of the other team members completing the fundraiser later in the year) please follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/team/loveyourenemyforstep

Mary 

I made the slightly bonkers decision to run two Leadership Foundations Courses in the Autumn term but what an amazing time it has been so far! After the success of last year’s Leadership Course at Townsend it was a definite we were going to run one this year but we also got the exciting opportunity to run one at Marlborough for the first time. This has meant putting together two fantastic teams, remembering which team I need to email which information to and making sure I’ve worked everything out with two sets of teachers. What could be a recipe for disaster has been an absolute blessing so far. Watching the students growing, improving and developing each week, in both schools, has been an absolute pleasure. The Leadership Foundations course has become one of my firm favourites and working with a fantastic team of experienced and dedicated volunteers at both schools is a pure delight.

Helena :)

It was such a blessing to gather with lots of our volunteers last week at our volunteer training day, getting ready for the year ahead.  Even though I don’t normally work on a Tuesday I always come in for these days, as I find them such a valuable space to get to know the team a little better and to learn some new skills and remember why we are all part of Step.

After a bit of breakfast and refreshments we started the day with a wonderful, calming guided reflection led by Daniel from High Street Methodist Church based on the scripture in Mark 6:30-46. We also focused on the parts of the story where Jesus takes himself off to a solitary place to be with God and we were encouraged to practice this as often as we can.

In September we always do our safeguarding refresher, which Helena is an expert at delivering. I have worked in schools for years and have lost count of how many safeguarding trainings I have done, however I still learnt something new. Now safeguarding isn’t always the most popular session as it deals with very sensitive and sad topics, but it is essential so that we can continue to work safely and be helpful to the school communities and young people that we work with. After the refresher as part of our cultural awareness training we looked at some aspects of youth culture that might be helpful for us to be aware of as we work with the young people in our care.

Next up Geoff led us in an excellent session about apologetics and the Grill a Christian lesson. We were split into groups, and each group prepared answers to some questions as part of a mock lesson. We took turns at being on the Grill a Christian panel and part of the audience. Some of us really got into the role of being a teenager asking tricky questions rather too well. I think this session was a real eye opener to many of us. It helped us see that it’s not as scary as it sounds and that we could be a part of it. We were encouraged that not everyone has to answer every question and that sometimes you might get a list of the students' questions before the lesson to help you prepare. I would certainly feel more confident to be part of this lesson now and as Geoff simply said ‘just give your reasons for why you believe what you believe.’ You don’t have to be the philosopher of the year to be able to join in with this lesson but what is helpful is taking time to think through some of these topics so that you are ready to give an answer for the hope that you have.

After a tasty lunch provided by Terrie more fun was had learning the ins and outs of the Fairtrade Lesson. Jez was able to bring the Fairtrade lesson to life and gave us some great guidelines and tips on how to run the game. I also helped in this session by advising the bankers on what to do (which isn’t a sentence I ever thought I would say with my dislike of anything to do with maths!). After being given an overview of the game we were split into teams of about 4 people and Jez led us through a shorter version of the game to give us a taste of what it is like.

There were also 2 bankers whose role it was to add up all the scores and keep on top of the fast-paced game. The aim of the game is to make as many trainers (with paper) as you can so that your team/country wins. However the game is unfairly favourable to the UK and the USA and so by the end of the game the other countries really feel the injustice of the situation. The teams that we created were surprisingly competitive and only a few people cheated (mentioning no names). A lot of fun was had and again I think the session helped us to feel more confident to lead or be part of a session in the future. It is so good to be able to experience some of these lessons and workshops before we commit to being part of them.

We are always looking for new ideas about what would be helpful for our volunteers to learn or do on our volunteer training day, so if you have any thoughts on the matter please don’t hesitate to share them with us.

Thank you to everyone who came along to the day it really does make a difference and we can’t wait to see you all again at the next one!

Hot on the heels of the Year 7 Christian Basics Day with St Columba’s (see last week’s 'Latest News') the Step team ventured into another school to spend the day with a further cohort of new Year 7 students! This time we had the privilege of being in Loreto and our theme for the day was 'God and Me.'

Students began the day with some high energy games and snacks, led by Pippa, a fabulous Year 13 Loreto student, who did work experience with us last term.

We also gave them something to ponder - an image of a swimming pool with a number of different people around it, alongside the question, “If the water is our relationship with God, who are you in this picture and why?” There was no right or wrong answer, just a chance for them to take a moment to consider where they were at with regards to faith.

It was a thought-provoking start, and we then led the students through the following sessions:

- Who is Jesus? Our classic Step session that helps students consider for themselves the claims Jesus made.
- Walk through the Bible – our fun packed drama session where student enjoy acting out a variety of Bible stories.
- The Space Mat, an interactive, reflective space for students to consider God and the universe.

And for the first time ever the Loreto students experienced an Alpha Taster session. One hundred and fifty students watched videos from the first Youth Alpha session and received a warm and invitation to join me Monday lunchtimes to continue their Alpha journey. It was so encouraging to see fifteen of them signed up.

And so  just a few days after their first experience of Step, it was really exciting to be welcoming twelve, slightly nervous, Year 7s to Youth Alpha. It was such an encouraging time! I am delighted to have work experience Pippa and her friend both leading a small group, as this is a wonderful opportunity to develop their leadership skills. In addition, I also have two Year 9 students helping them, one of who attends my church. And to top all this, the Year 7 students who have joined us are a wonderful bunch – they quickly found their feet and after a few rounds of Uno and some cake, their nerves evaoprated and they began chatting comfortably about God, Jesus and beyond!
 
I am so excited to see where God takes this new venture within Loreto – please pray for me and all the young people involved in this new venture!

Amy

Last Thursday and Friday, we had a wonderful time with Year 7 students exploring the essentials of our faith in our Christian Basics Step Day. The days were full of energy, curiosity, and rich conversations as students encountered four distinct workshops designed to help them understand who Jesus is and what following Him means.
•The Space Mat invited questions, exploring the vastness of God’s character, the world we live in and our place in His story.
•Who is Jesus? offered students a chance to examine the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Christ — asking the tough questions and discovering the meaning for themselves.
•Walk Through the Bible, created and performed by the students themselves, brought Scripture to life in a way that moved many.
•Finally, Pottery gave a hands-on metaphor for being shaped and formed by God — with messiness, beauty, and purpose all part of the process.

We were also blessed to hear Father Fidelis’ wonderful reflections, reminding students not to let anyone look down on them because of their age, race, or gender. His words brought both encouragement and challenge, reinforcing the truth that each student is valued and called by God.

It was a joy to see the students engage, ask deeply, and respond seriously. Nicola, the Head of Catholic Life at the school, shared how pleased she was with the day, and it was clear to all of us how much the students gained from the experience.

We were especially encouraged to hear that several young people — including one of our team member’s son’s best friend — chose to attend church on Sunday following the Step Day. What a joy to see the seeds beginning to take root so quickly!

We are so grateful to our amazing volunteer team whose passion, preparation, and love made the day possible. From delivering inspiring sessions, caring for logistics, serving refreshments and showing real diligence in cleaning up — your contributions mattered deeply.

Please join us in praying that the seeds sown will grow — that many of these students will continue to follow Jesus, not merely having heard about Him, but truly living for Him.

The team and I had such an encouraging time working with the year 7 students at St George’s for two days. They were such and enthusiastic and fun year group. I have to say that the Step team were amazing. They worked on some of the hottest days of the year during a week that had a Step day on every day and they remained enthusiastic and engaging throughout! What a week of opportunity for Step. Chris tells me that 700 young people got to spend a whole day with Step during that week.
The days at St George’s were part of their activities week and so the aim was to give the year 7 a fun and interactive day but as it turns out they got so much more. They played games and got to visit a local church whilst learning lots about why they matter, they also received an iMatter journal as a gift.
In fact, over half of the sessions were games and yet they looked at some important topics that seemed to leave a big impact on the students and the staff. In our Fairtrade game some of the students (depending which country team they were) felt the sting of injustice as the game is rigged to favour the UK and USA team. Some of them were incensed at how unfair the game was, and they were challenged to remember how this feels as they go through life making decisions that may affect others.
In the refugee experience they have an activity where they are putting themselves in the shoes of a refugee. It is a hard hitting and thought-provoking session where the students hear real life stories often from one of our guests. We found that the sessions were very impactful this year and that many of the students later wrote in the iMatter session that they were thankful that they lived somewhere safe.
The other activity that the students did was the Justice mat, in which, they get to listen to different tracks about issues of justice whilst engaging with the activity on the mat. From the feedback it seems that the facts they were particularly surprised by were things like the possibility that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish, and that refugees only possessions were those that they can carry with them. They were also impacted by the stories of forgiveness. Many of the prayers that they wrote were expressing gratitude for things that they would normally take for granted.
Normally we try to keep Step days to one theme but we had Identity and Justice as our theme at St George’s, and it was lovely to see how these two themes fit together so perfectly. I heard the phrase throughout the day that ‘today you have found out not only that you matter but that if you matter then so does everybody.’ This link between the two themes seemed to come together naturally as we went through the day.
The fun just kept coming right up until the very end of the day when Jez and Yan did an illusion that illustrated what Jesus has done for us and what we can go and do for others. The audible gasp from the students really made my day.
Thank you to everyone who was involved!
Steph

Why Join the Step Gap Year?
✅ Hands-On Experience: Work in schools, inspire students, and help young people navigate life’s challenges.
✅ Personal Growth: Develop your strengths, explore your faith, and discover your calling.
✅ Leadership Development: Get equipped with skills that will set you up for life.
✅ Community & Fun: Join a supportive team, make lifelong friends, and have a blast along the way!

Make It Yours
The programme is flexible: live at home or make other arrangements, and balance your time with part-time work if needed. Step is here to support you every step of the way.

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Know someone finishing their A-levels or returning from university? Share this post and encourage them to apply. Let’s spread the word and make 2025 a year to remember!

Interested?
Contact Terrie at terrie@stepschoolswork.org.uk to find out more. You can even arrange for a taster day to see if this is something you'd like to do.

Learn more about the Step Gap Year on our designated Gap Year page here.

Don’t wait—applications are open now!

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I have for several years been captivated by the word Encourage, the word when brought literally from the French means to “put heart into”. As the temperatures warm for Summer, the Step team have been busily putting heart into year 6 students, helping them to prepare for the big change to their new schools.

I can remember from my days as an 11 year old, the anticipation of starting my new school looming on life’s horizon like a black cloud. Many positives were to come of course, but during the 3 months prior to the change, it felt difficult to relax and keep my mind away from the worry of the unknown. I wonder what difference a Step Up Day might have made to my 11 year old self.

During the activities during the morning each child considered the moments and people they had encountered along their life journey so far and what these had contributed to them becoming the young people they are today. Then a bracelet was made by each to represent those moments. Please pray for each student that they will take heart from the day and that these moments with each class might contribute a lasting seed towards faith and wellbeing in their futures.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
Matthew 6: 26-27

Jesus used these stunning words to encourage his listeners to look around them and learn from His creation. He knew that there was beauty and truth to be found, and a greater knowledge of the character of God. And it was this passage that I read out loud to Year 8 Loreto students as we sat in Clarence Park as part of their retreat day. I wanted them to spend time in nature, away from the demands of a classroom and unfettered by their smartphones. I wanted them to connect with each other, with nature, and hopefully even with something (or someone) bigger than themselves.

I confess it wasn’t my idea to run a retreat session outside, it was Chris’ suggestion, but as I pondered it, and worked through the logistics of how to make it happen, I realised it was too good an idea to pass up. So much of Jesus’ teaching took place outside, and so many of his stories, parables and teaching were based on looking at the world around him, Jesus instinctively knew that creation is good and that we all benefit when we spend time in it.

Science of course has now caught up with this idea, and many a wellbeing guru now espouses the benefits of being in nature. And with the weather forecast looking promising and the theme of my Year 8 retreat being iMatter, with the goal of helping students with their wellbeing, I realised taking the students into nature was exactly what was needed.

Each of the five Year 8 classes spent almost fifty minutes at Clarence Park. I had a few simple activities planned for them including a nature spotting tick list, a grounding exercise involving all five senses, and the suggestion to get crafty with leaves, twigs and flowers.

It was so rewarding to watch the students outside of the classroom. Some couldn’t stop themselves from running around, turning cartwheels and handstands and enjoying the wide-open space. Others sat in small clusters and made daisy chains, chatting quietly. Others diligently gathered leaves and twigs and created bug huts and 'nature sculptures' and some enjoyed walking round looking for sycamore trees, and magpies! I was amazed to see how much they relished being outside.

And as each session ended, I wrapped up by asking them to “check in” with how they were feeling having been outside. They said things like “happy”, “relaxed” and “chilled” . And it was then that I read them the passage above from Matthew’s gospel and invited them to ponder what Jesus was really meaning when he encouraged his listeners, then and now, to watch the birds. It really was the perfect way to end each session – it felt profound and meaningful – perhaps even a holy moment.

Amy