Hitchin Beach Party

At work this week, we asked the people on our Facebook fan page what fun thing they were doing for their final youth group night. We got a range of responses but "BBQ on the beach was pretty popular...

We didn't go as far having a BBQ but we did create a "beach" in our church for our final session party. We had loads of games, a bucket-load of craziness & the kids loved it - especially when I got covered in shaving foam and gunge and when they all made ice creams at the end!

Check out our handy-work...

Eating Out

Our Big Lunch was completely different this year but basically we saw the same result. We set up all the trimmings for our 2nd annual Keats Way street BBQ and waited for the crowds to roll in. Well, actually we were just glad that it wasn't pouring with rain this time!

The afternoon got off to a slow start - despite the early games of Giant Jenga - and we were beginning to wonder whether any of the effort - gazebos erected, cakes baked, map-of-the-street-for-people-to-add-their-names-to - had been worth it. We had a few nervous looks from passers-by and even one couple unload their car right next to our grill (but they remained unflinching, even when we invited them to have some food...) But thanks to our neighbour Jim turning up, the afternoon began to turn for the better with a few returning guests from last year and one or two new faces too showing up. And, of course, the ever-reliable local HCC contingent made it a fun afternoon all round too.

By the time the last neighbour headed back to the safety of their own domicile, we had concluded that it had been a success! Perhaps not in terms of numbers, but certainly in terms of relationship-building. During the BBQ, I'd personally offered to film someone's wedding, sold the idea of an Energize subscription to another person, got asked to work on a "movie" and spent longer properly talking to my next-door neighbours than in the whole two years we've been living here. If that's not growing community then I don't know what is?!

I did, however, feel a little frustrated. I'd convinced myself that the reason why we struggled to get people to turn out was the inclement weather. This year, it was delightful and just right for eating out. Truth is, people don't really want to get to know strangers who live near them. They need a prompt and a bit of cajoling, actually. Maybe we left it too late to tell people and they were already busy or maybe they took a look and were put off by our "youthful exuberance" (ahem!)? Whatever the reason, one thing is certainly true - building community is tough, slow and requires the patience of a saint...

But it is SO worth it!

Your street or mine?

We're going to host another street BBQ "round our way" next weekend. It's part of a nationwide project to get people sharing meals with their neighbours and improving communities - The Big Lunch.

Last year, we had a great afternoon - despite the rain!

Raindrops

Our lawn looks like we haven't had rain for months. How quickly "us Brits" forget just how much rain we usually get?! We should never take our rainfall for granted as many communities experience this on a regular basis. This lack of rain takes my mind back to spending a rain-soaked weekend in a tent in May...

I do love hot weather - and long may it continue - but I miss the sound of the rain. It's really therapeutic listening to water falling outside - even more so if you're in a tent! I know that some people never get any rain to appreciate this and others that don't have the shelter to protect them when it's raining, but I do enjoy rainfall. We are very fortunate to have the range of weather conditions to experience these phenomena and I'm very much looking forward to the clouds breaking again at some point...

Live from Studio 1

(Well, not technically 'live' but...)

Last week we filmed our very first edition of 'Urban Saints Leaders TV' - a monthly video aimed at our volunteer leaders to inform, encourage and, hopefully, entertain them. We've covered the walls of one of the upstairs back offices with foam insulation and white sheets and turned it into a mini studio. The first episode featured Dan discussing the finer points of our Energize resources website, the ReBuild video and Esther talking about what is going on with the latest changes to the CRB system. It was a great afternoon - although rather hot in this unventilated room with cameras and lights churning out heat - and we were pleased with what we produced.

Now we have to edit and come up with some title sequences, music and a few fun inserts too. So far we have grabbed some sequences involving putting people in stocks and even me riding the gyroscope! I did feel rather queasy after that one!

If you're an Urban Saints leader, keep an eye out for the first show some time during this next week or the one just after...

Strange days

Someone has just reminded me about some of the odd things that happen in my office - odd things that seem completely normal in context...

Nothing that happens at and in the name of Urban Saints ever surprises me anymore! Over the past few weeks and months, I have:

* Travelled along in a minibus lying on top of a massive pile of tents
* Helped squeeze a gyroscope into a lorry
* Been buried under a pile of hoodies
* Been covered in gunge
* Spent a couple of hours arranging teddies around the office
* Worn a girl's t-shirt
* Built a Scalectrix track

So, life is never dull at Urban Saints!