Source: http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/9715825.Street_Angel_vicar_to_leave_Bradford_post/
 
Colourful city centre vicar, the Reverend Chris Howson, is leaving Bradford after 23 years.

In August, he will become the Chaplain to the University of Sunderland and Associate Minister for Sunderland Minster.

Mr Howson, responsible for creating the Street Angels project, said that after seven years of work at SoulSpace and JustSpace, he felt it was time to move on and put some of the skills he has learned in Bradford to good use in Sunderland.

Mr Howson, who has a wife Catriona and daughters Angela and Clara, has been vocal in his support for the campaign to save the Odeon, the Occupy movement and in opposition to the growing number of betting shops in Bradford, a place he said he will always call home after arriving in 1989 to study social work at Bradford University.

Mr Howson said that the period working in Manningham after the 1995 riots had taught him real change was possible in some of the worst situations.

“Bradford is a place brimming with great people who have vision and courage,” he said. “Sunderland has some lessons to learn from the Bradford experience where there has been a lot of resistance to cuts. The church has got a role in trying to support those people in the community.

“I think the election of the Respect party in Bradford was a good thing for reinvigorating politics in the city. The political classes in Bradford need a shake-up. I think we are going through a resurgence which is something we should be proud of.

“People are feeling better about the city than I ever remember and it would be lovely if Westfield shared the enthusiasm and got on with the job.

“One of the things I am most happy with is building up the work of Desmond Tutu House. It is a place where the church can demonstrate its commitment to the local community and to peace and social justice issues.

“I love this city and it will always be my home town and will always be something special to hold on to when life is hard.

“The people and the hills and valleys are full of spirit and hope and love.”

The Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend Nick Baines, said he was sorry to be losing such a committed and creative clergyman.

“Chris has made a deep impression on many people here and he will be missed,” he said. “His commitment to justice and the common good – especially in support of the most vulnerable people – will continue.”

Mr Howson’s role is expected to be filled with another chaplain to the University and city centre.

Please pray for the work of Aldershot Town Centre Pastoral Team – operating on Thursday day times and Friday and Saturday nights, we are recruiting and training about a dozen Nepalese Christians as we have had an influx of almost 10,000 Nepalese into the borough. Alpha courses and churches now have folk coming where the first point of contact was on the streets late at night. 

We are aiming to make more use of our Blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts to help keep people up to date with news from across the UK - please visit, like and follow!! We will still email a monthly round up of news at the beginning of each month (and the blog is probably the best place to keep this....)


News in Brief:

B&M Bargains are currently selling 2 pairs of flip-flops for £1.50

Secret Dealers - the ITV antiques show - have written to us to ask if any volunteers are interested in taking part in the programme. Experts will value your possessions and you will have opportunity to sell them commission free. Contact 0117 9707674 or secretdealers@rdftelevision.com for details.

Give As You Live - if you ever shop on-line you can make a donation to the work of CNI Network without it costing you a penny! Go to www.giveasyoulive.com to sign up, download the app and donate as you shop!

Congratulations to Sarah Digby from Watford Street Angels and a CNI Regional Coordinator and Iain Mansfield who became engaged over the May Bank Holiday weekend...

Games Pastors - could you be a More Than Gold Games Pastor? If you are involved in a Street Angel or similar project then Games Pastors is an ideal opportunity for you to make the difference to those visiting our nation this summer... Sign up today! 

More Than Gold Music Trailer - Street Angels - CNI are joining with FGBMFI and Share Jesus International to set up a trailer with music, creative arts, testimony, etc in London over the Olympic period. The locations are yet to be finalised so more details soon! 

The Big Society Award plaque and signed cetrificate from Prime Minister, David Cameron, is visiting projects in celebration of the work carried out locally... So far it has visited Halifax, Skipton and Middlesbrough - if you would like a visit from Paul and the plaque email paul@cninetwork.org.uk

John Edwards a former homeless alcoholic and addict is setting off an epic cycle ride from John O Groats to Lands End and is set to promote Street Angels in the towns he visits on the way. 

John has an amazing story of hope and has seen God's grace at work time and time again throughout his life.

He will be setting off in July and would like to visit CNI linked projects on his way down the country - contact paul@cninetwork.org.uk if you are interested in having John either share his life (as an outreach event) or share about street work amongst addicts (as a training event for your volunteers). 

May Diary:

Wed 9th May - Paul is meeting with Neighbourhood Watch to look at increased partnership working and then is at The Cinnamon Network event in Westminster

Fri 11th May - Paul and Jean at the Huddersfield Street Angels Annual General Meeting

Fri 18th May - Isle of Man Street Angels launch evening

Wed 23rd May - Paul at Serve Alliance meeting in Bradford ( Serve is a new alliance of organisations committed to supporting local churches serving their communities; to integral or holistic mission; to greater collaboration and to celebrating the work of the evangelical church within the UK)

Fri 25th May - CNI Trustees morning meeting to look at vision for CNI Network -- if there is anything you would like to see CNI Network doing please contact Paul...

Tue 29th May - Paul and Jean meeting with John from Northern Ireland NightLight / iCNI Network 

Please Pray for:

Whitby Street Angels as they seek to launch in July, for the training and for more volunteers (especially men!)

Isle of Man Street Angels as they hold a launch celebration event later this month

Stockton Town Pastors as they run in Yarm on student nights - also for safety for students everywhere in these last few weeks of term

Belper Street Angels as they make plans to launch in June

John and Trish Edwards as they train for the John O'Groats to Lands End cycle ride and for churches to be inspired to set up night-time projects as a result of visits

The CNI Trustee group (Andy Burns - Dundee, Steve Brock - Stockton, Sarah Barrie - Headingley, Trevor Bendrien - Halifax, Paul McNally - Salvation Army) as they meet in May to pray and plan for the future of CNI Network

The Living Room project in Tenerife and for the links made with Rachel Scott and for clear direction as we look at supporting work in the clubbing spots of Europe in 2012...

More Than Gold and the various strands as the we countdown to the Olympics. We are involved in the Games Pastors strand - pray for more volunteers to serve those visiting our country in summer. We are also working with FGBMFI and Share Jesus International on a trailer outreach in London over the main Olympic period - pray for permissions to be granted and for logistics to work...

Andy Burns as he makes plans for a CNI / Street Chaplains outreach at Edinburgh Festival over August Bank Holiday weekend

Blackpool Street Angels as they look to re-launch later this year

The hundreds of volunteers - the most important part of any project - and for all they invest

WE WANT THE OLYMPIC TORCH Relay to inspire a cascade of prayer and praise through every village, town and city - including yours - between 19th May to 27th July.

Tracking the same places and dates as the official Relay is the More Than Gold 70-day Prayer Relay. The aim is to generate prayer for communities, the Games and the nations.

On your own or with your home group, prayer group, whole church or lots of churches you can -

• Join in the Prayer Relay on the day the Torch comes your way
  
• Pray where you are for the communities the Torch is passing through
  

As a first step, download our free guide to Praying During the 70-day Prayer Relay - link. It has ideas for before, during and after the Torch comes your way.

Then download the Prayer Relay Daily Prayers - link. And request a free prayer poster, with the dates and places the Olympic flame will travel at ucb2go.co.uk/morethangold You will also be able to follow the Prayer Relay on Twitter via #mtgprayer

If you are in one of the 70 towns where the Olympic torch is to stop overnight, join in the Prayer Relay blessing 'exchange'. This day-time event sees church leaders passing on prayers of blessing from where the Torch last stopped. Details will be on our Facebook events at link.

An Olympic athlete for your church?


FANCY AN OLYMPIC ATHLETE to speak at your church? Don't even think about it! Competitors are focused on only one thing - to be at their best when the moment comes.

But there is a great Plan B. Short, sharp interviews with UK International Christian athletes are available from Scripture Union as paid-for downloads £1.50 each or all 10 for £10 from link. There is also a free outline of 5 short talks based on the downloads which is available through the link.

Another Plan B is to run an Olympic-themed sports quiz free from Christians in Sport - details here.

Great resources for youth and schools  

LOOKING FOR A WAY to engage young people with the Games and faith? Look no further -

For schools: 'Team Talk' has 5 Key Stage 2 assembly outlines featuring UK International Christian athletes and dramatically re-told Bible stories. For details and to order go to link.

For 11 to 16s from outside a church community: there's a 'Decathlon' which uses games from 10 different sports to convey some essentials of the Christian faith. For a sample of one of the sessions click here.

For a link to these resources and lots more like them go towww.morethangold.org.uk/webshop  

Get your sights on the Paralympics  

THE PARALYMPIC GAMES gives your church a way to champion the cause of disability and be welcoming to all. And there's lots of ideas and help on hand.

The Olympic movement has taken the issues of disability to its heart. The time has come for churches to do the same. This can be through -

• Being welcoming to everyone through all your 2012 Games activities - see resources at link and link.
  
• Holding special events highlighting the Paralympics - ideas at link
• Celebrating the Paralympic Torch relay
• Marking a Sunday a Paralympic Sunday

News in brief

Mission Teams seek London churches. Over 1,000 people from overseas have now signed up to be part of mission teams - most with London in mind. So we need to hear from London churches that could use helping hands and willing hearts this summer. To see what's involved go to - link.

Games Pastors deadline approaching. The deadline is Friday 1st June to apply to serve the thousands of travelers, sightseers and spectators involved with London 2012. For information click here.

Free event pack for churches. Still available is our 48 page publication full of ideas to help churches engage with their community during the Torch Relay and the Games. Created by Traidcraft with an emphasis on acting justly. To request go to www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/churcheventpack

Prayer

Please give thanks for:

• The thousands of churches planning to serve their communities during the Torch Relay
• The Get Set tour - where over 1,500 were trained across almost 20 locations
• The way so many Local Authorities have welcomed the support and involvement of churches
  
• God's continued protection over our nation
  

Please pray for:

• The team involved in the 70-day Prayer Relay as they pull the final plans together and get ready for 70 days on the road from 18th May
• The need for more Games Pastors and hosts for our Athlete Family Homestay programme.
  
• The need for more churches in the Greater London area to host an international mission team
  

For daily prayers during the Torch Relay download at link

Street Angels project takes big step forward

Plans to set up a Street Angels project in Belper have taken several steps forward over the past fortnight following a successful open meeting to discuss the idea.

More than 30 members of the public attended the meeting at the Queen’s Head pub on Chesterfield Road, including representatives of Belper Town Council, Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire police.

A management committee to oversee the project has also now been formed and we are close to reaching our initial target of 16 volunteers.

All being well, it is envisaged that the first group of Angels will be taking to the streets in early June, with a public launch planned for later that month.

For those who are new to the idea, Street Angels is a network of local organisations across the country whose common purpose is to make a difference by helping to improve our night-time culture.

Working alongside the police, they are trained to be a visible presence amongst the nightlife that congregates on the streets and estates of any town on a weekend evening

The idea is that teams of two or three would walk agreed areas in Belper’s estates and town centre between 8pm and 12pm every Friday night, with a focus on the needs of young people in particular.

We hope they will become an increasing presence at some of the town’s events and throughout the year, particularly as evenings become busier over the course of the summer with the many attractions Belper offers.

Further information about the project can be found on this powerpoint presentation which was given to Belper churches during March.

There has also been coverage of the project on local website Belper People, while project co-ordinator the Rev Rachel Marszalek will be writing about it in the June edition of local magazine All Things Local.

Anyone over the age of 18 who has a heart for their community can become a Street Angel, and training in areas such as first aid, safeguarding and drug and alcohol awareness will be provided.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Luke Norman onbelperstreetangelsvolunteers@rocketmail.com

You can access the latest edition of Stockton Town Pastor's ‘Across Town’ newsletter by clicking on the below link:

http://stocktontownpastors.co.uk/documents/Newsletter_Issue_22.pdf

Paul and Jean Blakey along with Steve Brock had the pleasure of attending a celebration of the work of Middlesbrough's Boro Angels. The evening included a thanksgiving celebration with speakers including the Chief Executive of the Local Authority, volunteers, church leaders and the trustee body. 

The evening finished with supper and the opportunity for volunteers to be thanked informally by the invited guests for the valuable work they do in the town.

The Halifax Street Angels May Newsletter which includes a job advertisement is available here

Rachel Scott, a worker at The Living Room in Tenerife, visited Halifax Street Angels to learn more about the work of Street Angels - CNI Network. There is a big need in the European clubbing spots for nighttime work and it is hoped to work with Rachel to explore this and link with organisations already at work...

The Living Room web site

Paul and Jean Blakey were part of a celebration of the work of Skipton Street Angels which included welcoming of new volunteers from the Mayor, prayers for those who volunteer and a challenge to others to be more involved in the needs of the wider community.

Paul said "It was great to be part of this evening and hear how Skipton Street Angels are impacting the town and making a real difference. Chatting to the Police and Mayor following the event it is clear that the project has the respect and admiration from the wider Skipton community"

Below the Skipton Angels are pictured with the Big Society award.