FILM NIGHT

This week in Latvia being what in the UK you call half term, we ran a film evening in our flat on Friday night.
The idea was for the young people to come round and eat home made 'pizza' and also waffles with chocolate spread and watch a cartoon movie.

As it happened we got it half right.
Not many came as, I guess we were competing with Halloween parties & discos etc.
However, whilst we did all eat a lot of pizza and waffles, the young people didn't want to watch a cartoon, they had lots of theological and also very practical questions to ask about working out our Christian lives. They are a very keen bunch and, mostly not coming from Christian backgrounds have little frame of reference for so many issues.

Later, the 'movie' they chose was actually the 'Transformations' video which details, on location, several modern day 'revivals' from different parts of the world.

A great evening. I learnt a lot!

Third Youth Meeting

Well, this meeting went much more smoothly and with non of the 'drama' of the previous two meetings!
In fact, the people using the main hall kindly vacated it and moved to a smaller meeting room just to allow us the main (larger) hall (which we had originally booked).
All we need now is for the tea & coffee to actually be prepared for us and, all the things we (thought) we'd booked will be in place.

Numbers were slightly down as it was the middle of what in the UK you call half term. So all the schools were closed for a week and several of the young people had gone to stray with friends or relatives in the country.

We had a really nice worship time. I did a little bit of biblical teaching between each song on a different aspect of worship, then we put it into practice as we sang the next song. i.e. clapping, raising hands, using shakers and percussion instruments etc. We even got them dancing a bit, well, gigging about from one foot to the other and back again.

One of the original leaders, who moved to the UK some months ago was back in Smiltene for a week. So, he kindly did some teaching about our witness being more about our daily life than necessarily talking to everyone we meet about Jesus all the time. About being free to be who we are in Christ, rather than just plain weird.

POLICE ACTION

Tonight was the second meeting of the Smiltene YOUTH.
We haven't got a name yet, please be patient.
The main issue tonight was that the guardians of one of the young people who attended last week have been to the police to complain about our meeting!
The police in turn, came to visit the director of the Family Help & Crisis centre where the youth meetings are held and, were we meet as a church on Sundays.

When I spoke with the director of the crisis centre some weeks ago, she had said that, as her organisation is a registered children's & youth organisation then, our youth group would come under that 'umbrella'.
Thus, we would be considered 'official'. It appears that is not the case as we are a 'religious' group.
Christianity is not particularly welcome here in Latvia and most Latvians if asked would not say that they are Christian. Church groups not in one of the 7 denominations 'recognised' by the Latvian government are treated with suspicion by all.
Latvia, quite rightly, wants to protect itself from an influx of cults, sects and other 'isms' and, (on the surface at least) has quite a high regard for 'child protection'.
Add to the fact that as a 'church' we are not registered - we don't have to be - and that the church is officially classified as a 'sect', and that it is run by a foreigner, there is quite a bit of suspicion and antipathy towards us.
Young people in Latvia have many rights. Freedom of speech, freedom to express themselves etc. But, the law states that the religion of a young person shall be that of it's parents!
It doesn't appear that the police are too concerned because, they haven't contacted me at all, nor did they come to our second meeting to see what was going on.

The result of all of this is;
1 - We have the freedom to keep meeting. However, each young person must bring a letter from a parent/guardian giving express permission that they may attend the group. At least one person will not be able to do that. How we handle that is a point for prayer.
There is also a curfew in Smiltene for under 18's so, we will need to end earlier to allow them each to be home by 10pm.
The Bible teaches us to obey the law of the land and pray for those in authority so, we have taught this to the group and are content to comply.
2 - We are going to try to register officially with the Latvian government as a church. The youth group and other 'ministries' we want to be involved with will all then come under that one 'umbrella' registration.
There are many rumours abounding about such a process. Everything from "the process is a piece of cake" to, "noway will you get registered unless you are one of the 7 denominations recognised by the Latvian authorities." And we aren't!

The rest of the evening went very well. None of the teething troubles of last week.
Five young people who had not been last week turned up. One young man got healed right there and then in the meeting. Several others gave testimony to be touched by God.

YOUTH Group - 1st meeting.

Recently a group of local Christian teenagers approached me and asked if I would lead their group?They had been meeting for about a year on and off but, more recently with no specific leader.
Personally, and as a church, we were delighted to say yes.We all felt that for the sake of continuity, it would be good for the group to meet in the same venue as where we meet as a church. We had our first meeting tonight.Despite a chaotic start, 'slow' worship and a struggling interpreter, things finished up very well indeed.Ten young people came, as it happened five boys and five girls.Initially the evening started somewhat chaotically. There had been some miscommunication and the hall we were supposed to have, had another meeting going on in it.Anyway, being given a smaller (and smarter room) we decided to forgo the use of the electric guitar in favour of an acoustic one, to lessen the noise impact on the other meeting.Furthermore, whilst rearranging the room, someone knocked over a large pot plant, spilling damp soil onto the very smart and very pale carpet!
Worship wasn't the greatest. The new environment, leader, and worship team slightly phasing many in the group. Unwisely, I then allowed one of the young people who I didn't know so well to translate for me during the teaching session. They weren't as good as they thought they were. It slowed things down, and led to some more confusion.However, it was all worth it as we ended on a real high. One young man became born again (Jn.3:1-20). A young lady was baptised in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues (Acts.19:6).I am sure that much of the chaos and shyness were simply part of the change of the venue and a new leader. All of which should get dealt with as the first few weeks go by.