Some of the Ebe youth got involved in doing a Noise project in Manor Farm today. A lot of fun was had and they hauled in a few old people to help/supervise.

A group of young people spent the last two Friday afternoons learning how to make edible gifts for their friends and family! This was our first ever Skill Space session (a group that aims to give young people the opportunity to learn new skills and have great new experiences) and we had a lot of fun. After getting to know each other a little and washing our hands, the first Friday session was spent making Caramel Rolo Fudge and Oreo Pops, and playing games. Once the fudge was setting in the fridge, the young people had great fun decorating their Oreo Pops to looks like emoji faces and/or Easter chicks. We used 'Candy Melts' for the first time, rolled out our own icing and together, worked out the best way to split an Oreo without breaking it... it took a lot of practice and unfortunately we had no choice but to eat the broken Oreos! The young people left with their sweet treats in a special gift bag, as well as a recipe card so that they could make the gifts again at home.

The second session was a little busier, and each young person left with three different edible gifts to give away (or not!); Marshmallow Crispie Donuts, Chocolate Tiffin and iced cupcakes. They also had the opportunity to make individual gift boxes for the beautifully decorated cupcakes. The young people enjoyed customising the their own portion of tiffin using the mix-ins that they liked best: raisins, smarties, custard creams, or even toffee popcorn! We also had great fun learning how to pipe different shapes using icing piping bags, and trying out edible spray glitter. Our favourite was glittery, multi-coloured swirl icing... otherwise known as 'unicorn poop'!

For almost all of the young people, it was their first visit to Ebe building. One young person said the sessions were 'the best thing they've ever done on a Friday!', and a number wished that we had more 'Gifts You Can Eat' sessions planned. We're really thankful to anyone who lent/donated kitchen scales, rolling pins, icing bags and any number of other baking-related items... and especially Tupperware containers so we could transport our edible gifts home!

We're looking forward to meeting more lovely young people and learning more exciting skills in our next Skill Space sessions. Keep an eye on our social media pages (facebook and instagram); we'll be opening online booking for our next sessions very soon...

Come along to Ebe building on Sunday 20 November and join us for an evening of worship, sharing and fun. Planned and led by young people, expect sung and creative worship, an opportunity for reflection and communion, interactive talks and more. A time to celebrate Jesus and learn more about Him and what it means to follow Him. We're really excited to see you there; arrive early to bag the sofas!

Everyone is welcome, and feel free to invite your friends. Refreshments available all evening!

Join the Facebook event HERE.

Psalm 116:2 “Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath.”
You’ll notice this verse doesn’t say ‘because [God] always does what I say, I will pray as long as I have breath.’ Or ‘because its really easy and fun all the time, I will pray as long as I have breath’. I noticed that too!

Can you imagine what it would look like if each of our young people (and actually, all of us in Ebe) prayed ‘constantly’(1 Thess. 5:17), ‘as long as they had breath’, no matter what it felt like or what the outcome was? If we prayed just because our Heavenly Daddy is interested and is listening?

A friend mentioned to me recently that she was trying to help herself remember that if she asks God to get involved, He will. If we involve Him in the big and small matters of life, He loves to help us, to provide for us, to show us His grace. I’d love for our young people to put this ‘theory’ to the test this year. My aim is to give our young people more and more opportunities to just talk to Jesus, and hear Him answer. Broken phone? Ask Jesus to fix it. Upset friend? Talk to Jesus about it! Reading something in the bible you don’t understand? Ask the Author to explain it to you! Reading something in a maths text book you don’t understand? Ask the Creator to explain it to you! Can’t be bothered to pray, to read, or to come to church? Tell Jesus how you’re feeling, and ask Him for help! What would it look like if this was the ‘default setting’ for all of us?

I’ll be intentionally making more space for talking to Jesus this year, in our Sunday morning and evening groups, young people’s homegroup, in schools work, and in our Friday evening drop-in. I’m excited to see our young people take ownership of the Ebe 24/7 prayer room this coming term, so please pray for them as they work to create a space where talking to Jesus is easy. During 24/7 Prayer Week, could you commit to an extra hour or two and ask your Daddy to teach you to pray, or talk to Him about the prayer lives of our young people? If you see a young person during a Sunday service, why not offer to pray for them or ask if they could pray for you?

Every (young) person is different, but there’s something that is true for all of us, young or old; we’re loved by our Father and He is always delighted when we speak to Him – however we choose to do that and whatever we talk about. He bends down to listen, so pray!

(Update from Claire Stoney - Ebe Youth Leader)