nCounter 2010: an interview

ON WEDNESDAY I recorded this video with the help of John Coster from Citizen's Eye community news agency in Leicester.

In it I talk a litte bit about what nCounter is and its aims and then talk to three young members of the team.

Happy viewing!

Chris and his mini-me!

ONE of our great youth leaders here at nCounter Summer 2010, a certain Mr Chris Newlyn-you know who I mean...interesting facial hair-is, along with all our other leaders, doing a great job.

Except, that is, when he decides to (I'm sure in the nicest way possible) take the mickey out of me for doing or saying something, or whatever reasons he finds.

Now I'm old and, yes, ugly enough to take it on the chin, but now he's recruited a little mini-Chris.

Young Jake has taken to bemoaning my spelling errors and calling me 'Mathew with one 't'' as if that is my whole name :)

Oh well, fair comment I guess.

Sun shines over a deflating day on Hillsborough Park

SO, I'm typing this at the Youth Zone of the Salvation Army Centre in South Wigston.
We've just got back from a fun day on Hillsborough Park in Eyres Monsell, where local children have enjoyed playing soccer in the football cage.

They had also been enjoying playing on the bouncy castles until...doh, the generator powering them stopped, well, generating any power! (naughty generator supplying company!) and both the 'castles' rather deflated. Boo!

But one thing many of the children did have the chance to enjoy was having their faces painted (no power needed for that.) Yay!

But all in all it was an enjoyable first day of social action as part of nCounter Summer 2010.

Tomorrow I'll be reporting from Netherhall where our team there are also engaged in some fantastic work.

Do, please, join me then!

Some pics from the first two days of this year's nCounter Summer...

nCounter Summer is back!!!!!

HELLO FOLKS!

Yes, the best week of the entire year is back...nCounter Summer!

This year it sees around sixty young people, from twenty or so churches throughout Leicester and Leicestershire, coming together to take part in social action projects in the city and county.

Among the churches/Christian groups represented are: Whetstone Baptist Church, St Andrew's in Countesthorpe, Meadows Community Church and Heartland YFC.

The action kicked off yesterday with a welcoming service and gorgeous barbecue at the Salvation Army Centre in South Wigston.

Today is seeing the first day of training take place, looking at intimacy with God, then tomorrow the Reality Youth Project leaders will be leading the young people in training about 'involvement.'

These are two sides of the same coin or, to mix my metaphors, two peas in the same pod.

Without 'intimacy' with God, our good deeds later this week will be just that good deeds but with little meaning beyond that and, equally, 'intimacy' without 'involvement' means we have the theology and the meaning but aren't putting it into practise.

We, of course, need both; intimacy with God that leads on to involvement in our communities.

Then Wednesday sees the young people and their leaders (and this roving reporter) going out into the city and county...to be precise, Blaby, Netherhall and Eyres Monsell...to paint fences, tidy up gardens, run sports events, etc.

It's going to be awesome!

I'll be blogging, tweeting (www.twitter.com/mathewhulbert) and writing for the Leicester Mercury...make sure you buy a copy each night this week!

Thanks!