cartoonchurch.com

Check out this cool site that has loads of cartoons related to church life. It's great. The Christmas ones are especially funny! Now all you need to do is pester your minister to sign up with cartoonchurch and you can enjoy them every week on the service sheet/notice board/newsletter/prayerletter/church mag etc etc!

advent calendars

Hey folks! It's nearly advent, which means it's nearly Christmas-hurrah! But more of the C-word later. If you're off to get yourself an advent calendar this week, make sure you get yourself a Divine choc one complete with fairly traded choc hearts, yum. You'll be making sure that the people thousands of miles away who have been slogging it out all year growing the cocoa pods to harvest to make you the choc, will get a fair price for their work, rather than being ripped off.

So come on, get in the Chrimbo spirit, pull on the hat and gloves and get yourself down to your local oxfam to buy up their stock. One for you, one for your sis, bro, mum, dad, gran, best mate, worst mate, minister, youth leader, great aunty mavis... the list is endless!

very funny!

crazy laws

Did you know that...

in Alabama (USA) you must not carry an icecream cone in your back pocket at any time.

in San Francisco (USA) elephants are not allowed to stroll down Market street, unless they are on a lead.

in Maine (USA) if you leave your Christmas decorations up after 14th Jan - you may get a fine!

in Switzerland it is against the law to flush the loo after 10pm if you live in an apartment.

wierd eh?

christmas @ cliff

Just want to let you all know that we are holding the College's Annual Carol Service on Wednesday 14th December at 7.00pm and all are welcome to come and share with us in a great celebration of the true meaning of Christmas - "Love Came Down". If you live near cliff you're welcome to come down and join us!

Find Your New Name

What is your new name? Follow the instructions to find your new name. My new name is Snickle Dippindunkin!!! Have fun finding your new name!!! Jo (Joanna Sankey)

The following is excerpted from a children's book, Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants, by Dave Pilkey, in which the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names...

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:

a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
i = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:

a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = potty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:

a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = doodle
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

Thus, for example, George W. Bush's new name is: Fluffy Chucklefanny!

i am a hobbit

i am a hobbit, that's right, a cute, slightly fat, hairy toed, fearful, rhyme singing hole dweller. i must admit, i always identified with sam in the story and finally i had the hobbit hunch confirmed when i did a this funky quiz online. forever more i can rest easy in the knowledge that if i were ever to find myself in middle earth i would get a warm welcome at bag end!

why don't you guys have a look and let us know what you would be and whether you are happy with you middle earth race. come on you hobbits join with me and we shall rule the earth!

rave safe, matt

festival 05 pics!

feeling like winter is here complete with dark nights, colds, freezing mornings at the bus stop etc etc? well, here are a few pictures of festival 05 to get you feeling like spring is not so far away! we'll be uploading some from time to time, so if you have any send them on an e-mail to us and we'll publish the best!
Yaz
x

bullying

Joss Stone wearing an anti-bullying wristband

It was so sad to hear the story this week in the news about Natashia Jackman, 15 who was attacked with a pair of scissors at her college and needed surgery on her left eye. Bullying is a huge problem in the UK, here are some stats...

• Every seven seconds someone in Britain is being bullied
• One in five secondary school pupils have experience of bullying
• Bullying can happen anywhere; one in four people are bullied at work
• Bullying can make you feel depressed, shy, isolated, insecure and even suicidal
• Most people who bully have been bullied themselves
• In many cases the effects of bullying aren't visible at all. But this doesn't mean they're less hurtful.
• 20,000 young people got help last year when they spoke out against bullying.

So that's where it's at peeps. If you are being bullied, or know someone who's being bullied, you're not alone and there's loads of people around to help you, you just need to ask. There's loads of info and stuff here if you want to look into it more.

Anti-bullying week is 21-25th Nov 05.

billy elliot

Matt & i went to see Billy Elliot The Musical for Matt's birthday treat on Thursday. After a bit of a trauma walking round aimlessly we found the right theatre and it was amazing! The film's great (if you've not seen it - then do!) and the musical version had a lot to live up to. The story is basically about a northern lad who's dad is a miner. Billy wants something different out of life, he wants to be a ballet dancer, which is unheard of where he comes from. He has a rough time, everyone is against him, but in his heart he knows what his dream is.

Sometimes following Jesus can feel a bit like that. Your mates think you've just arrived from Planet Zog and your sundays feel like you've joined the local Old-Lady Club. It's not easy sometimes, but those are the times we need to be faithful to who we really are. Life will never be one long Christian festival, we have to find a path for our faith out there in the scary world. But we know that we're never alone and that in all the craziness Jesus will get us through.

Keep the faith,
Love Yaz
x

lookin good

now, now girls. i know you all want their phone numbers, but there's just not enough of them to go round. sorry...

welcome

welcome to the festival youth blog! make yourself at home, post a comment, send us an email, help yourself to biscuits (virtual of course!).

Yaz and Matt