An Extreme Summer of Tuesdays

NB: Click on the photos above to scroll through the slide show

Summer 2007 saw the Love Southend Youth team in Southchurch pioneer a new idea called “Extreme Tuesdays”. The plan was simple, to devote one day a week during the school holidays to bless the people of Southend.

Previously, LSY has invested in the St Luke’s Ward, the Kursaal Estate (and nearby Southchurch Park), and the Newington Avenue area. We wanted to revisit as many of these areas as possible, to continue to develop good relationships with the churches and communities operating in those areas.

And so, a plan was formulated:

Tuesday 24^th July – Kursaal estate: games, activities, fun, acts of kindness
Tuesday 31^st July – more of the same!
Tuesday 7^th August – Community Beach Party
Monday 13^th August – Community Tea Party in St Edmund’s Community Centre
Tuesday 28^th August – Work parties and acts of kindness in St Luke’s ward.
Ongoing project – painting, decorating and other jobs in a local nursery.

We had decided to dedicate the whole day to God, and so from 10am to 10pm volunteers from churches and youth groups across Southend were invited to come and spend the day together; worshipping, having fun, receiving Biblical encouragement, guidance and focus, eating and most importantly seeking to express and demonstrate God’s love to our local community.

We received a pretty decent response, with an average of 20ish young people attending each Tuesday. The idea was also that those who were away on holidays at various points would be able to attend at least one “Extreme Tuesday”.

Many good works were achieved by the team. The Tea Party was a massive success, our teenagers worked so hard and always with a smile. As a result, we have been asked to hold these Tea Parties more often and in other areas too.

The Beach Party was good fun, not as many children as we had hoped for wandered over to say hello and to get involves, but those who did have much fun with us. There is definitely scope for repeating the event, but maybe in a different area next time.

The Work Party in St Luke’s ward found that many local residents were eager to put their efforts and endeavour to good use. To the extent that Love Southend Youth now has a database of local residents (mostly elderly or disabled) who have asked for assistance with every-day activities such as gardening, painting etc that they are simply unable to do by themselves.

Most importantly, those who volunteered were able to take something of God’s love and servant-heart into each area that they invested in. Whether at the nursery or on the beach, the teenagers of Love Southend Youth were able to show something of God’s love for their neighbours and community.

Well done guys, and massive thanks to all those involved.

Steve Dalley, on behalf of the Love Southend Youth planning team.