At the end of January, the young people at St Leonard’s Church, Hythe, along with Rev Michael Darkins, took part in a winter sleepout to raise money for the Rainbow Centre.
The Centre, a Christian charity operating in the Folkestone and Hythe District, offers a variety of services to give assistance and bring hope to individuals and families facing deprivation and adversity.
The event exemplified the role young people can play in addressing societal challenges, as well as the importance of ministry for children and young people.
Our diocesan vision is to ensure that every child and young person in our diocese is at the heart of mission, having the opportunity of a life-enhancing encounter with the Christian faith and the person of Jesus Christ; that they reach their God-given potential and are an integral part of church life.
This aligns with one of the for our diocese, to double the number of children and young disciples.
Jen Tobin, Lead Officer for Children and Youth Ministry in our diocese said: “Those at the sleepout actively showed what it looks like for young people to be leading mission and ministry within their church. As a diocese we can all feel encouraged by engaging with children and young people and this is echoed in the gospels too with Jesus' example when he said 'Let the little children come to me'.”