The Hartlepool Youth Ministry blog was set up in April 2008 under the name of EMS Mission 2009. The idea was that we could use the blog in the build up to a Youth Mission being led by YMT at English Martyrs School & Sixth Form College in Hartlepool. We wanted to raise awareness around the school, encourage people of the Parishes in Hartlepool to participate and have a place to document the actual Mission itself so that people could look back on all that had been achieved.
Since the Mission, Youth Ministry in Hartlepool has gone from strength to strength with many events being held to encourage the young people in our church to keep moving forward together. Retreats to Ampleforth and the Youth Village, remembrance services, Slum Survivor, Mini-Mission team training and a pray-over are just a few of the events that have been arranged for the young people and the adults of our parishes. Many youth groups have been set up across the town, confirmation training has been developed and we also launched our very first town-wide Youth Sunday event in November 2010 which saw people of all parishes across the diocese enjoying sharing in the experience together.
Where can we go from here? All we can do is continue to provide the chances for our young people to grown in their faith by supporting them, encouraging them and then hopefully allowing them to pass on their experiences to those who follow them. Thanks for taking the time to read this, now check out some of our work on the main blog!
Well the Mission itself certainly was a success with all that YMT were able to bring to the school as well as the events held by our very own Mission Control team who contributed massively before, during and after the Mission week in February 2009 not just in English Martyrs but also in the Primary schools too. The theme of the mission come from John 10:10 to 'Live Life to the Full' and the young people of Hartlepool embraced that vision with enthusiasm.
Once the Mission was over, the Parish Co-Ordinating team looked to harness all of the good work that had been done by the Mission and see how Youth Ministry in Hartlepool could now move forward. After such a massive event it's sometimes difficult to keep up the positivity but everyone involved realised that the opportunity of an ongoing mission across our Diocese was one that must be taken. The blog was kept open and we have continued to provide opportunities for our young people ever since which are all documented here.
Where can we go from here? All we can do is continue to provide the chances for our young people to grown in their faith by supporting them, encouraging them and then hopefully allowing them to pass on their experiences to those who follow them. Thanks for taking the time to read this, now check out some of our work on the main blog!
