St Barnabas Chapel
- aka Barnies Youth Centre - 
at Nativity Church Blenheim

I am so excited by this development. We have 2 exciting youth developments planned for next year, but they need your prayer and full support! Yes "It takes a village to raise a child."

24-7 Youth Programme.
A small team consisting of Gerry Mead, Joe Keighley, Richard Dyer, Keith Buck and Mike Wentworth has been working for some time to introduce 24-7 Youth Workers to the Colleges. The 24-7 programme had its beginnings with the youth arm of the Spreydon Baptist Church. In 2008 the 24-7 YouthWork Trust was established, and now has Youth Workers in 76 schools throughout New Zealand. It is a programme which is about building relationships, role modelling, being accessible to young people and being around to help young people make good choices.
The team has raised the finance necessary to operate for the first year, is talking to the Colleges and the 24-7 Trust and is planning to employ two Youth Workers next year. They have asked if Nativity will administer the programme until a specific trust can be set up to undertake the administration. At the Vestry meeting on 19 October Vestry agreed to support the programme and to administer the programme until a trust could be put in place. There will be no financial impact for Nativity.
 
Nativity Youth Worker:
Vestry has also been working towards employing a Youth Worker for some time. It seemed sensible to Vestry that it should co-operate with the 24-7 team who will be looking to employ a Team Leader for 15 hours a week. If Nativity employs a Youth Co-ordinator for 25 hours a week it could make a 40 hour job which would attract a wider range of applicants. At its meeting, Vestry agreed to work with the 24-7 team to employ a Nativity Youth Co-ordinator who will also be the 24-7 Team Leader. The position description places the Youth Co-ordinator as part of the Ministry Team. It is anticipated that the position will be advertised shortly with a start date about mid-January. Vestry proposes to use a legacy which is tagged for Youth Worker’s wages to fund the position for the first year.

This Sunday night we have the amazing Steve Maina preaching, a passionate Man of God, visionary and encouraging - don't miss out. Originally from Kenya, he has spent the last few years as NZ Church Missionary Society's CEO, and helping the church get excited about God the mission God has for us to join Him in.

Some of the 50 local people praying for Marlborough and life in the face of suicides - especially youth suicide. There were about 20 Nativity folk there.

Here you are, some pictures
from this morning as promised.
What a great team...

Thanks to those who helped this morning with the annual (sometimes twice a year) Street Intensive in Rata Place. That includes David James who provided the truck and chipper that the Nativity team worked with, and a qualified operator.
It was good fellowship and a good act of blessing a local part of our town. We've got photos up on the closed Church of Nativity Facebook Group so hope to get them up on the open page in the next day or two.
These street intensives are proven for years after the Street Intensive 1 - to lower crime in the streets they happen in , and 2 - create better community between neighbours.
It only takes a few hours on a Saturday morning - though there is opportunity to do more - so watch out for the next one! Blessings on you all
Bob Barnes
Vicar

I believe it's rightly said that local Government affects us in our day to day living far more than Central Government. Both are important, but it troubles me when people don't vote - especially in local body elections.  Over the centuries people have suffered and died to secure our right to have a say in the government of our community.
Neither the church nor the Kingdom of God (yes they're different!) are democracies. As Sir Winston Churchill is reputed to have said: "Democracy is a very poor system of government, but it's the best we've got."
So what does this have to do with us as Christians? Or the Bible? Or the church? The Bible is very clear that we're to respect political leadership, however much or little they deserve it.  Therefore I call us as a church to honour and pray for our new District Council - and to challenge them when Godly principles are at stake. 
There are several Christians on our new Council. including Jenny Andrews and Mark Peters who are active at Nativity and St Christopher's. Therefore I have posted on our Facebook page the following: