Inspire Spring 2024
Welcome to the Spring 2024 edition of the Spinnaker INSPIRE newsletter
Hello and welcome to the Spring 2024 edition of the Spinnaker INSPIRE newsletter. We hope you will be encouraged as you hear of our plans for an exciting new resource series, as we take you on a tour of 'Eastbourne encounters' with our spotlight on a schools' worker there, as we hear about the journey of a new Spinnaker recruit, and bring you some schools stats from last term. We are so grateful for all that God is doing...
NEWSFLASH
The all new ‘Beyond Belief’ worship series
We wrote 'It’s Jesus' because we wanted everybody to know what Spinnaker is about, and this has proved incredibly popular. Looking ahead, we recognise that schools really speak the language of 'values' - so for our next pack of resources we are following in the footsteps of Jesus and making heaven incarnate in the language and culture of schools today.
'Beyond belief: values into action' will bring a Christian perspective to all the popular and common school values, encouraging staff and children to look beyond just the idea of the words, and actually live in a holistically heavenly lifestyle.
- Mike Harrowing, Spinnaker CEO
Spinnakers' verse for the term!
With each edition of the INSPIRE Newsletter, we like to share our verse for the term with you. This term we are being encouraged and inspired by Psalm 89:1-2:
I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
Spotlight on a Schools' Worker
Spinnaker’s Mission from an insider’s perspective
We are only half way through the term, and our Eastbourne team have already visited 16 schools and delivered 37 assemblies. Eastbourne Schools’ worker Chrissie, shares some of her experiences........
JESUS IS THE EXACT REPRESENTATION OF GOD: I had one girl come and ask me afterwards how I knew God is real because her Mum says if you can't see something then it's fake... I answered by encouraging her that Jesus is the exact representation of God and Jesus says in the Bible that if you know him then you know God. I said that as we get to know Jesus better through our worships and listening to stories about him, we're also getting to know God better too!
FAITH AND HOLY SPIRIT POWER: I had Gillian and Jackie (new recruits) watching me this morning, along with the Headteacher.
The children were all engaged with this amazing story and gave some great answers when I asked them what amazed them about this story. One boy was amazed that Peter thought he could walk on water like Jesus, then he did!
Another child thought Jesus used special magic to help Peter walk on water - a great
opportunity for me to talk about God's power at work through Jesus, which is not magic, but faith and Holy Spirit power!
READING MY BIBLE AT HOME: One girl stayed behind to tell me that she has a Bible at home and wants to find out more about Jesus by reading it.
JESUS' JOY AND PRESENCE: I thoroughly enjoyed doing the ‘It’s Jesus: Jesus Walks on Water’ assembly this morning. Everything seemed to come together, and the children were hooked from the song to the intro, story, and prayer. First time I have prayed in this Community School too! Thank you, Jesus, for your joy and presence! All You!
TRUSTING JESUS: The children LOVED the song ‘Walking on Water’ by Elevation Worship, so much so, that a teacher asked if I could find the song with the words on so they can use it in their regular assemblies. Also, after telling the story of Peter getting out the boat, I asked, "What made Peter think he could walk on water like Jesus?" A confident answer came back from a year 5 girl: "He trusted Jesus with everything!"
THE CHILDREN WERE FULLY ENGAGED: The School Hall was out of action after a big light fitting crashed down overnight, so it was a new experience for me today. I sat in the Head's office and presented my assembly on Teams, streaming live into every classroom! A strange experience but the Head did not want to miss out on a Spinnaker Assembly, so we went for it and the children were fully engaged. Thank you Jesus!
IMPACT OF 'IT'S JESUS': A new potential volunteer and former Headteacher came along again today. I got her involved with the introduction and afterwards she said she's all-in and “What's the next step?” Thank you Jesus! Wonderful to see how the ‘It's Jesus’ assemblies impact not only the children but also an ex-secondary Headteacher who is so taken with what Spinnaker does she's excited to get involved and take that step of faith!
New Volunteers
We are very excited to have five new volunteers who have recently joined our School Missions Teams to get involved in various ways – assisting with assemblies, helping to run clubs, playing the piano, or assisting with fundraising and admin – it all makes a big difference, and we love working together with a shared vision of talking to children about ‘It’s Jesus’. If you would like to join us, email Clare Holl on [email protected] and arrange to have a chat!
CLARE'S STORY:
My journey with Spinnaker began on a September morning last year, when I met Heather Hawthorne at a coffee morning at my church. I listened with anticipation as she explained her job and mentioned the need for volunteers to go into schools.
I was excited at the possibility that God might be about to open a door to something I had wanted to do for many years. Alongside that, since moving to Lambeth four years ago, I have been praying for more connections in the local area.
Fast-forward five months. I have now observed Heather taking assemblies in three different schools within walking distance of my home and helped with three other assemblies. I am still in training, but have really enjoyed talking to the children about Jesus.
This morning, as I was waiting outside a school I have visited a few times and feeling a bit nervous, a little girl recognised me and stopped as she was passing with her mother and siblings. She said “Are you coming to do an assembly?” I nodded and looking pleased, she continued, “Again?” I said “Yes” and she responded “Cool!” I nearly cried. God is good!
Last term, the Spinnaker Schools' team...
- Ran 38 Club
- Visited 78 schools across 10 Hubs
- Delivered 338 ‘It’s Jesus’ assemblies
- Ran 26 Lessons
- Completed over 400 school visits in total
We hope you have enjoyed, and been inspired by this term's updates from the team. Our hope is that we can give you a real sense of the impact of our work together in schools, that is our whole team, together with each one of you, our supporters. THANK YOU!
other ways to donate:
ONLINE: acct no - 71407937 - sort code 40 36 17
CHEQUES: Spinnaker Trust Ltd, Christ Church Chislehurst, 40 Lubbock Road, Chislehurst BR7 5JJ