benbell

Shrinking Childhoods

Went to the Shrinking Childhoods exhibition at Tate modern this afternoon. This exhibition is probably the best and certainly the most powerful exhibition I have ever seen, although using the word ‘seen’ actually seems inadequate, ‘interacted with’ or ‘experienced’ would be better descriptions.

The exhibition, housed in portacabins round the back of the main building is put together by young people living in London, with the main contributions from members of the kids company. It’s intent is to to initiate a national debate on the nature of childhood in Britain today.

Installations depicting their experiences of home are almost too distressing to cope with. I was completely overwhelmed and rendered speechless for sometime after standing in a room of a crack house, reading torn out pages of exercise books telling of how this is real life and of one young persons desire to kill themselves. As you enter each building, each with a different story to tell, a different aspect of abuse is encountered and I wondered whether this relentless assault of truth would break me to the point of having to leave and return at a later date to see the rest. But the compelling storytelling of real people held me there, telling myself that out of respect to each person who had made themselves vulnerable, I would look at, think about and try to hear every single piece.

Camila Batmandghelidjh, who founded Kids Company in 1996, said in a recent interview ‘There is a huge discrepancy between the numbers of children on Child Protection Registers and those on Youth Offending Registers. Too many children are criminalized before they are protected.. I hope Shrinking Childhoods will be a call to action for society to recognise how lack of quality adult care causes havoc in children’s lives. Children cannot be held responsible when adults fail them.’

I look forward to visiting again with some of the young people I work with and am now wondering how we can use art more in the context of our work with young people here in Islington.

alternative gifts

sorry to go on about christmas but ....

Further to my comments in my last post about not needing any more stuff, I have been reminded that there are plenty of people who do.

World Vision have an alternative gift catalogue that enables you to buy pigs, chickens, education and loads of other stuff for those you need it! You can buy a gift from world vision instead of getting your friends and family a gift and you get a card to give to your loved one telling them what you spent your money on instead. This is a brilliant idea – lets get buying chickens!!!

and as I always say a Pig's not just for christmas ........    they do wedding lists too!

Christmas presents

This year Gemma (the mrs) and I have decided to seriously reduce the amount of shopping, expenditure and stress that feature in the lead up to Christmas. Firstly we’re not going to buy each other presents, and secondly we are suggesting to family and friends that they partner us in doing this and so we don’t buy them presents and vice versa. The idea has come from a desire reduce the consumerist aspect of Christmas, to find some more time to reflect on the mind blowing event in history that we hold up as the reason for all the celebrations and also because we recognise that we DON’T NEED ANY MORE STUFF!

Anyway I am now amazed at the different responses we are getting to our proposal. It’s fair to say that some people just love the idea of not buying presents but others are finding it really hard to get their heads round.

A pint is more popular than the pulpit

thanks to Margaret who cut this article out for me from the times last week.

I wonder what would happen if everyone who helped run alpha courses got a job in a pub for that evening every week instead.

Signs and Dave Tomlinson

Had a great service last night.

A number of years ago, the artist Gillian wearing produced a piece which invited people to say what they wanted to say, by writing on a piece of paper and holding it up to be photographed. In a similar way I invited people to write something about themselves on a piece of paper and hold it up, it may be how they felt, it may be why they were there, what they wanted, hoped for, what was on their mind? We placed all the statements in the middle of the floor and offered ourselves and each to God. This exercise of self reflection calls us to choose how vulnerable we are prepared to make ourselves at a specific time, and people I encouraged people to reflect upon that and silently bring those feelings to their prayer. It was a very special experience to be part of such an honest exercise.

DT – I invited Dave to come and speak after hearing him at greenbelt earlier in the year. He spoke on the subject of spiritual gifts particularly tongues and prophecy. His talk focused on the Human dimension of these gifts that are often solely attributed to God’s spirit at work, almost in isolation of us. Dave suggested that very often the language of tongues is gobbledegook, but still a response of our hearts to the working of the Holy Spirit. As our congregation represents a wide spectrum of theological positions there was mixed opinion about what Dave said, however in my opinion it was one of the best services we have had as many people sat around in groups after the service discussing and debating the talk. Now how often does that happen?

Support those with 'proper jobs'!

Lyrics from Beverley Knight's song ‘under the same sun’

Running about in a daze in the heart of London

I'm on a mission to make it to work on time

How many people around me begun their day like mine?

So much confusion would mess with your mind

Do you feel the pressure To make a change

Can't go on living the same?

My neighbor told me his boss had served him his notice

He had no choice but to change all his future plans

Now like so many he's hustling away every dime he can

Too much frustration can break anyone

I believe it's up to us to stop and make a reconnection

Can't go on living the same Do you feel the pressure?

To make a change Can't go on living the same?

Hope springs eternal Where faith is done

We all live under the same sun

Frost and Hirsch write about the church being dualistic. Separating the sacred from the profane, the holy from the unholy, the in from the out.

‘This dualism has created Christians that cannot relate their interior faith to their exterior practice, and this affects  their ethics, their lifestyles, and their capacity to share their faith meaningfully with others.’

I wonder how many people feel that Beverley’s lyrics resonate with their feelings about working ‘out there’, from conversations I have with friends I would conclude that many feel this way.

‘I believe it’s up to us to stop and make a reconnection’

come on church leaders lets think about how we can support, resource walk with those who don’t work within the church – remember them?

A Colourless God

Pete Brierley is nudging us to keep thinking about God and colour, race and identity. We must engage with these issues if our youth ministry is to be effective.

Let me introduce you to the youth workers best friend. This is Mille, she is four and has lived with us for just over three years since we went to Battersea dogs home to ‘Just look around’ and came back with a much loved and troubled member of our household. Ever since we have had her people have stopped us in the street to talk to her and sometimes us. We have recently started some new pieces of detached work on a couple of local estates and without Millie we would be struggling! All the initial concerns and hesitancy of doing Detached youthwork vanish when your with Millie. She is street wise, super cool and has more street cred than anyone I have ever met. Young people cross the street to come and talk to us about her, they just love her and she loves them too! Millie is the most effective missional tool I have come across in years. I’m now off to write a book entitled ‘the complex Dog; missional animals and the emergent church’. 

The Grey Album

Respect to Matt who saw that I am listening to Jay-Z ‘the Black album’ an almost permanent feature in the ‘Listening to’ section, not because I never get round to updating this section but as it is, as some of my boys say ‘standard’. Matt sent me a copy of the 'Grey Album' created by Danger Mouse, it mixes up the lyrics from the Black album with samples from the Beatles ‘White Album’. It’s pure genius and criminal that EMI have banned it’s release. Google it and you will find plenty of places to download it from.

Ibrahim Ferrer

Went to see Ibrahim Ferrer of Buena Vista Social Club fame at the Royal Festival Hall the other night. He and his 18 strong ‘too cool for school’ band must have had a combined age of around 1000 years but played with the enthusiasm of youth combined with the depth and innovation of old masters.

We fell in love with the Cuban music whilst on our hols there earlier in the year. Music is in the souls of the people and is everywhere, you simply can’t do anything without doing it to the accompaniment of their own brand of Latin infused jazz. Their often unfathomable rhythms very often left me awe struck and feeling like the most incompetent dancing robot! My only niggle about this concert was that it was in a concert hall! Putting people in rows of seats to watch this performance seemed criminal this is the music of the people and should be participated in – why not have it at Brixton academy, or would the pretentious suits that the festival hall attracts have stayed away (good!)?

Then again we do church as if it were a concert – line up the pews or if we think we are being innovative and up to date line up the chair’s on the carpet! Make sure they are all facing the front where a band will perform some songs and get frustrated that people aren’t joining them and then someone will get up and speak and I will count how many people fall asleep.

Cuban music and the gospel are both to be participated in not used as material for a concert to be viewed, listened to.