Connections made through Local Ministry Hubs.
Praying together with other churches is always a good idea!
“I’ve had the opportunity to gather with others to pray at Trinity Academy Local Ministry Hub in the north of Edinburgh, facilitated by SU Scotland. These have been special times in which we have prayed together and shared dreams and stories about what the Lord is doing in this area of the city.
At one of these gatherings, as we got into twos and threes to pray, I remember sharing a prayer request for our local youth group at Leith Baptist. I explained that we had been running a youth group with a few faithful young people who had even attended Magnitude for the first time last year. We were praying for opportunities to grow the group and connect with more young people in Leith.
As I spoke, a dear friend, Pastor Malcolm Isles from 3Ci Church, mentioned that they also had a youth group that was looking to connect with more young Christians in the area. That seemed like a promising connection worth exploring. As we began to pursue this opportunity, I was really encouraged by the excitement among our young people at the prospect of getting together with the group from 3Ci.
Before one of the Magnitude worship nights, we arranged to meet at our church for some food and a chance to get to know one another before heading along to the event together. It was their first time attending a Magnitude worship night, and they thoroughly enjoyed joining us and other young people from across Edinburgh to worship Jesus together. The next thing you know, as our partnership grew, they booked a number of their young people to attend Magnitude Festival. We are so thankful that a simple conversation and prayer request at a Local Ministry Hub sparked such a valuable connection and created an opportunity for young Christians to build friendships and encourage one another in their faith.
We at Leith Baptist are looking forward to joining the young people from 3Ci Church at Magnitude and seeing what the Lord will do in their lives. This experience has reminded me that when churches pray together, God often does more than we expect. A simple prayer request can become a new partnership, a new opportunity, or the beginning of something that blesses His people and advances His Kingdom. Who knows what connections God might bring through your church getting involved in a Local Ministry Hub? Praying together with others is indeed a good idea, and God is at work through it.”
Andre Barbosa
Pastor
Leith Baptist Church
Daisy Belton from SU Scotland shares more about the vision, heart and impact of Local Ministry Hubs. She says:
“Local Ministry Hubs are a key part of SU Scotland’s current strategy. A Hub is at the heart of every high school and its associated primaries, a group of local Christians from churches and Christian youth organisations with a heart for children and young people in the local community. It is made up of people praying for the schools in the high school cluster and working together to serve the local schools.
As you see from Andre’s story, a Local Ministry Hub opens up opportunities for gathering local Christian young people from different churches to connect, socialise and gather around God’s Word. This could be SU Groups or Bible Alive. It could be chaplaincy. It might be something else that builds relationship and opens a door. Missional opportunities can be part of the conversation too, whether for a day or a week.
For more about this vision you can watch a video from Zonya Bewick, Director of Local Ministries for SU Scotland, here: vimeo.com/1006653048/6ef0591965
Our prayer at SU Scotland is that every high school cluster will be served by a Local Ministry Hub. Out of the 360 high school clusters in Scotland, 202 are currently served by a Hub.
If you are interested in getting involved in your Local Ministry Hub, find out more here: suscotland.org.uk/localministryhubs“
