Into the Urban

Hi all,

Some of you might have been hearing things about this "Into the Urban" that I have been quietly talking about. So I wanted to share about it, what it is and how you can keep in touch.

What is Into the Urban?

In short (because there is a whole website you can check out about it...) Into the Urban is a vision that Jacqui (a YWAM colleague) and I have been discussing. It was one of the big reasons for me returning to Vancouver was to work with the pioneering of this "urban ministry".

Basically it is an Internship with YWAM Vancouver and technically I am the first intern... Although there are no official procedures in place yet and it will look a lot different for future interns. We have pioneered this ministry from scratch as they have never run anything like it here in Vancouver. We are wanting to encourage people to give 10-months to living, serving and being a light in Vancouver. 

I am unable to say too much at the moment as we are still working on a lot of what it will look like and how the programme will run. But i just wanted to tell you that it is a real ministry/programme and will, if all goes to plan, be running officially in the new year. So watch this space!

For more information check out the Into the Urban website where I will be posting some of my experiences with being part of pioneering a new ministry and how it has all been going.

field based School of Biblical Studies

Hi all,

While I was praying and seeking the Lord about what to do while I am in Vancouver and how to keep working towards some of my dreams and visions I felt convicted to spend more time studying His Word. I had heard a lot of amazing things about the School of Biblical Studies (SBS) run by YWAM and I wondered if I could do one while in ministry and it turns out I can. So I will (hopefully) be starting a field based School of Biblical Studies (fbSBS) which is run by YWAM through the internet. I have a big heart for this program because of the skills I will gain from it such as how to do an inductive Bible study and more. These will really give a good foundation to starting a theology degree at Bible college. This is taken from their website:

The nine month SBS is one of the most exciting schools in YWAM’s University of the Nations. This school is now accessible to many more people through this Field Based e-learning format. It uses the powerful inductive approach to Bible study. On completion of the school the student will not only be proficient in using the tools and skills of effective Bible study, but would have applied those skills to every book of the Bible. Understanding the significance of the various kinds of biblical literature and the original setting and culture of each book are an integral part of the inductive approach. The application of scripture, both into one’s personal life and ministry, and into the wider spheres of society are the purpose and specific goal of all of our study. Studying the course alongside base/team responsibilities brings the added dynamic for immediate application of the study into ministry situations. [http://home.ywamelearning.com/?page_id=14]

I have been accepted onto the school and the leadership team here in Vancouver support my decision to do this along side the ministry I do with YWAM here. The only thing that is stopping me from starting is the money. It costs £117 every three months so I am trying to raise that money. If you are able to provide anything towards me doing this school then please use the donation button on the right hand side and specify what it is towards.

Thank you so much for your support, for reading and for praying.

Please never hesitate to write to me with any comments, challenges, encouragements, anything, I love to hear from you.

November update

hi readers,

I hope that you are doing well? I am writing to you from the office space that YWAM Vancouver is currently renting. This is my November update. Thank you so much for your support through reading these updates and for praying for me, it means so much to me.

I guess I will get writing then! Since I last wrote to you at the beginning of October so much has changed... I spent 24 hours in the hospital with a collapsed lung, started really working on a project, discussed visions and ideas, and signed up for an online School of Biblical Studies. I'll break some of this down for you.

God first. I have really been experiencing God's heart over the last month as I look at what it is I am doing in Vancouver. He has been faithful in sharing with me some of His plans. It has not always been easy for me to sit a listen, as you may know I can get quite restless and I like to stay busy. But in the quiet times I have really heard clearly from God. This is how I have been lead to the ministries that I am starting to get more and more involved in. Maybe this was why I spent 24 hours doing nothing but lying in a hospital bed, it was very challenging from me but God is good and His goodness shines through.

Part of what He has shared with me is that I need to spend more time in His Word. I have always loved reading the Bible but recently I have found it challenging to keep a regular study of it. I felt called to start a Bible study of some sort, so I looked around and found that YWAM offer one that I can do on the side of the ministries I am involved in. It is called a field based School of Biblical Studies (fbSBS). When you do the course full-time at a YWAM base it takes 9 months to complete but I am doing it part-time which means it takes closer to three years. I will be doing it a module at a time and seeing how it goes. A module lasts 3 months. Over the whole school you read the whole Bible about 5 times and pretty much write your own commentary on it. I am very excited to do this. It will really help me to develop a skill for inductive Bible study which will be very useful when starting Bible College.

Simply living.  God has really been faithful in providing. When I last wrote I had just moved into a basement suite with another guy, it is a great place with lots of room and for location and size it is reasonably priced. However rent between the two of us was starting to look a bit steep and at about the time I was starting to get concerned about having enough for November I was approached by another guy looking for a place to live. On the 1^st November Taylor moved in with me so there are now 3 guys living in the basement suite. This makes rent do-able. Plus it is a great blessing to have Taylor there, he is a great godly guy and I enjoy the extra company. God also provided for me this month with a small babysitting job for the family that live above us. It is great to build relationship with them and even though I insisted they shouldn’t, they paid me for my time, it went straight to rent! I have really been blessed.

Fighting justly. Working in Vancouver is great, I have really started to get into my role here with YWAM. I am working closely with a lady called Jacqui, who was heading up the Olympic outreaches, and her husband Stu. They are a great couple with a real heart and passion for Vancouver. They returned from a long road trip around the USA and Canada a couple of weeks after I arrived here. Since they have been back I have been meeting regularly with Jacqui and together we have shared vision and are currently pioneering an intern ministry called “Into the Urban”. It is a 10-month internship where a person will commit to spending the time in Vancouver focusing on urban ministries. It is basically what I am doing. I am the first intern, it is really exciting to be part of the pioneering of something new. As “Into the Urban” we will be serving in homeless ministries, supporting prayer ministries and churches, hosting teams, working with others on social justice initiatives. Our heart is to learn from each other and encourage each other’s dreams and ideas. Being part of this team will really help me and others to develop leadership skills through the creation of new projects and ministry opportunities.

One last thing before I leave you to get on with your date, I would love it if you told me your mailing address so I can send you a Christmas card or postcard from Vancouver. If you could and don't mind me having your address please click here.

Many blessings as you continue to seek to bring glory to God in everything you do.

Stay in touch!