Happy Easter! – I hope and pray that you had a happy and holy Easter and were able to attend some of the wonderful services here at St Francis Church during Holy Week. I was able to come to the beautiful Easter Vigil service with its reflective and light filled atmosphere.

Bournville Youth Film School – At the end of last term we came to the end of our film school with a whole day of filming. Over the afternoon we finished the various scenes, finalised the script and even dressed up for a big finale! I’d like to thank Richard, Joanne and John for taking us through the last few weeks and for all their hard work. I hope that everyone will have the opportunity to view the film soon and see the effort that our young people have put into this venture. Thanks to everyone!

Breathe Youth Retreat – breathe is a Contemporary Youth Retreat designed to help young people learn about God in a NEW BUT OLD WAY. It’s for young people aged 13-17, with a student stream for 18-21 year olds. Activities (subject to confirmation) may include archery, climbing, mountain biking, fencing and hiking alongside times for prayer and reflection. breathe encourages an emphasis on community living, so be prepared to make friends for life! Speak to me if you’d like more information about this holiday – 22nd – 28th July 2012.

Andrea’s Baptism – On Low Sunday, at our family church in Bearwood, our son was Baptised in the presence of lots of family and friends. We then welcomed people back to our house. Thank you for all your good wishes and prayers since Andrea was born.

Paul Northam

Palm Sunday falls on April Fool’s Day

1^st April 2012

A reflection on Mark 11.1-11; Mark 15.1-39 and 1 Corinthians 1.18-29

At first glance Jesus might seem to be a fool…  riding into Jerusalem on a donkey;  honestly, what kind of king rides a donkey?

Yet take a deeper look:  see the crowds lay their cloaks down like rolling out the red carpet;  see them wave branches like we wave flags;  hear them call out ‘Hosanna! God saves!’  And you might not know this but King Solomon, the son of King David, rode to his coronation on his father’s mule.

Perhaps Jesus is a king – but a different kind of king.

At first glance, Jesus might seem to be a fool… standing before Pontius Pilate and saying nothing in his own defence.

Yet as the story unfolds it seems somehow like it is Pilate who is on trial
and we hear Pilate call Jesus the ‘King of the Jews’ and declare Jesus to be innocent.

Perhaps, Pilate didn’t mean to speak the truth;
but perhaps Jesus is a king – a different kind of king.

At first glance, Jesus might seem to be a fool…  the soldiers certainly wanted to make him look like one:  they dressed him up as a king with a purple cloak and his own crown and they mocked him as the king of the Jews as they beat him and spat on him.

Perhaps, like Pilate, they knew not what they said:
perhaps Jesus is a king – but a different kind of king.

At first glance, even at second and third glance, you have to admit that Jesus does seem to be a fool:  nailed to a wooden cross, dying in agony and abandonment, with a sign above him that reads: ‘The King of the Jews’.  It is not much of a coronation; not much of a throne.

But perhaps, the Centurion, who did not turn away but stood, facing him, sees something that others did not:  truly this man was God’s Son.  Perhaps Jesus is a king – but a different kind of king and more…

At first glance, we might appear to be fools – calling Jesus our King, calling him the Son of God.

Perhaps those of us who took part in the Palm Sunday procession felt a little bit foolish walking through the park this morning, singing and waving branches.  And perhaps we are.  Perhaps the story of Christ crucified is foolishness…

And maybe it is as it says, that God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are.  Perhaps it is true, this foolishness, that God saves.  And for those of us who do believe we come to see that through all this God’s power, life and love is at work.

So let us be fools for Christ… and happy to be servants, friends and followers of him who is a different kind of King.

I pray that you are having a holy and peaceful Lent.

FAITHFUL on Ice – After a straw poll of the young people at FAITHFUL (our youth group for school years 10+) we decided to make a trip to the Leisure Box on Pershore Street in Birmingham for some ice skating. I’m a bit of a Bambi myself, and many of the young people made me look very ordinary! Unfortunately, the night didn’t pass without incident as one of our young people broke their wrist following a fall and we ended the evening in Q.E. A&E. However, she is on the mend, and I very much hope that I can behave with the same dignity she displayed, should I ever break my wrist!

Training our Young Leaders – On Monday 12^th March I took two young leaders from the Wednesday Youth Club to some Child Protection training at the Diocesan Office. This continues our ongoing effort to equip our leaders to work safely and effectively with our young people and to give them skills to take on into their future employment.

Relax. It’s Catalyst: Calm – On 24^th March some of us from the parish attended Catalyst: Calm, a youth event at Birmingham Cathedral held three times a year. This month’s event drew on the deep spirituality of the contemplative and meditative traditions in Christian prayer, encouraging young people to practice skills that they can incorporate into their own prayer lives.  Please keep an eye out for further Catalysts this year.

Confirmations 2012 – If you have not yet been Confirmed – and would like to be – there is an opportunity to join a group in preparation for this Sacrament in the coming months. If this is you, then please give it some thought and prayer and if you want more information speak to myself or to any of the clergy or readers.

Paul Northam

The First Station – Jesus is Condemned to Death

Consider how Jesus Christ, having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned to die on the cross.

Jesus knew what it was like to be condemned!

The Second Station – Jesus is made to Bear the Cross

Consider how Jesus, as he walked this road with the cross on his shoulder, was thinking of you and offering  for you to God, the death he was about to suffer.

Jesus knew what it was like to carry a burden.

The Third Station – Jesus Falls

Consider how Jesus Christ, weak and exhausted, fell while the cruel executioners tried to make him walk faster, though he hardly had the strength to move.

Jesus knew what it was like to fail!

The Fourth Station – Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

Consider how his persecutors, fearing that he might die on the way, forced Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross after Jesus.

Jesus knew what it was like to need help!

The Fifth Station – Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

Consider how Jesus, thrown down on the cross, stretched out His arms and offered His life for our salvation. Then they nailed His hands and feet, raised the cross, and left him to die.

Jesus knew what is was like to Suffer!

The Sixth Station – Jesus is placed in the Tomb

Consider how the disciples carried away Jesus’ body for burial, while his mother went with them, and arranged it in the sepulchre. Then they closed the tomb.

Jesus knew what it was like to die!

]]> http://www.bournvilleparishchurch.org.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&p=665 0 http://www.bournvilleparishchurch.org.uk/blog/?p=658 http://www.bournvilleparishchurch.org.uk/blog/?p=658#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:32:46 +0000 Youth http://www.bournvilleparishchurch.org.uk/blog/?p=658 This week we began the major work of writing some music for the movie. Young people we able to use the Mac-based ‘Garage Band’ to look at loops and effects which would help to set the scene for our movie.

Other young people spent time tightening up the individual scenes ready for filming over the next few weeks – and in preparation for the day of filming on Sunday 1st April (1-6pm!).

Still others worked on storyboarding the opening scene, looking at the best shots and angles, locations and effects they might use.

Bournville Film School Photos

Retreat for Holiday Leaders – As you may know, I help to run a youth holiday called breathe. Every year we have a leaders conference for all the holidays under YFC, and this year we were asked to lead a short retreat in the style of breathe! We led a time of reflective Bible study called Lectio Divina and introduced people to the practice of using silence in prayer. PS Don’t foget breathe this year!

New Bowling Lane at Stirchley – You may remember that the last time we use the bowling alley in Stirchley we arrived to find it closed and boarded up! Well it’s been reopened and FAITH, our group for school years 6-9, used it for the first time in February. We had two games and the prices were very good – we’ll be going there again, I think!

Bournville Parish Blog – If you’ve not discovered the St Francis blog you can find archived Youth Round-up’s all the way back to when I started in November 2007! Read about…
•    my love of Cadfael (April 08),
•    the night we spent in a cardboard box (June 08),
•    the launch of our life-size Nativity and BBC Interview (Dec 08),
•    our Sleeping Beauty Pantomime (Jan 09),
•    my trip to Snowdonia, plus a beautiful panoramic photograph of the area (Sept 09),
•    witnessing an Orthodox Baptism (Oct 09).

“Timeless Approaches to Prayer” for Sale – The short booklet on prayer and youth work that I wrote last summer is available for purchase from me at £3 (almost £1 off). Please speak to me if you’d like to buy one

Paul Northam

Suffice it to say that everyone will be able to have their ideas included and the hard work starts next week for writing and storyboarding.

I also need to let you known about an up-coming day of filming which will be happening before Easter (date to be confirmed). This is needed so that the film can be edited together and premiered soon after Easter in a special showing.

Paul.

On our third week we split into groups again and looked at the three disciplines of film making we have incorporated into the school.

I was able to look into each of the groups as they worked and was privileged to see each of the young people’s fantastic ideas. One significant moment was when we all made what’s called a ‘pitch’, where an idea for a film is made and the whole group votes on it. This was done by a number of small groups and we were then able to put lots of good ideas together that we can go forward with – the results of which we will be seeing in the coming weeks.

Just to finish, I am hoping to be able to upload sound and video to the website soon. So please keep checking back and you might hear the, now famous, zombie sheep!

Paul.

For more photos, click here!

It’s our second week at the Bournville Film School we’ve been starting to get our teeth into things!

The young people are now working in three different groups with Richard (music, sound effects), Joanne (dramatic skills, writing) and John (camera work, scenery). Richard helped the young people to think about creating effects for different sounds that we might want in our finished film; Joanne looked at delivering lines and what difference posture and emphasis can have on the viewer; John explained about framing shots and setting up scenes to best communicate what is going on.

The evening ended with a reconnaissance of the centre and church with the view to using them for possible story lines. Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday!