Off To Tonga

I am off to Tonga tomorrow for the launch of our Youth Yeah! Should be great fun, but hard work too. 6am Eucharist every morning except Sunday. And no food when we arrive or before we leave and we are flying Pacific Blue - a no frills airline with no food except what you take with you or buy on board.

the importance of all this for me is that we have an opportunity to get the church as an institution, and for the leaders within this church to take young people and ministry among young people seriously. Sometimes it feels like I am pushing stuff uphill. And I am realistic about this coming year, but it is an opportunity. For me this is the test of how any church takes seriously the Gospel - are thy willing to live that gospel out among young people, and to take those young people seriously? You can have all your future church stuff you like, but living out this stuff is what matters. And unless we are willing to take young people seriously, anything we do is for the short term and comfort, rather than for the long term and gospel based.

Till after Tonga.

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