europe fellowship
Website Links
Northern Ireland - www.gbni.co.uk
Ireland - www.girlsbrigadeirel.com
Scotland - www.girls-brigade-scotland.org.uk
To help companies with any International badgework, European Fellowship leaders have put together some upto date material - please feel free to download and use this material in your companies.
Vivienne Aitchison is the Fellowship Chairman and
International Vice President for the Europe Fellowship.
europe fellowship
England & Wales
Ireland
Northern Ireland
Romania
Scotland
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www.gb-voice.blogspot.com
Log onto the new GB Europe Blog and tell us what you think!
Encourage young people to get involved.
Find out what's happening in GB across Europe and beyond.
Hear peoples' stories and share your own.
Add your voice to all the latest debates.
Become a regular contributor or just visit when you like.
GB Voice - it's YOUR voice, so don't stay silent!
Find out more at www.gb-voice.blogspot.com
Linsay Cunningham
European Fellowship – Youth Rep.
Greetings to all my friends in EF!
Dear EF Friends,
Christian Greetings to you all.
As your new Autumn sessions begin and your GB life once more resumes its cycle of meetings and activities I have a question for you. It is a very simple question:
‘What have you pruned?’
Let me explain……
In June some 75 members of GB’s European family met together in Northampton for our annual Leaders’ Conference. Who was there? Well, there were leaders from your National Boards and Executives and leaders who work week by week in companies and districts. There were experienced leaders and young emerging leaders there too. The purpose of this gathering was to enable leaders to network, grow and support one another. They did just that but, in addition, they had fun, laughed a lot, sang the night away and ate chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate – but that’s another story.
The theme for our weekend was:
‘Faithfulness and Fruitfulness’
GB leaders throughout Europe are faithful workers for the Lord. They give time, expertise, skills and passion to the work of GB week in week out. You, who are reading this, are part of that faithful army and I am sure that God’s words to you would be, ‘Well done thou good and faithful servant.’ But, scripture tells us that as Christians we have a responsibility not only to be faithful but to ‘bear fruit’ as well. If we want our work to fulfil God’s purpose, if we want it to be successful, if we wish to ‘bear fruit’ then we need to allow God to prune us. (John 15)
In a key note address from Matt and Juls Hollidge, our visiting speakers, we were encouraged to look at the culture within which we live and work and to respond to its demands and changing needs. If we are still doing things in our companies, districts and national bodies which we were doing 5, or even 10 years ago are we still relevant? The world has moved on, have we? If we want to be fruitful we MUST allow pruning and this will doubtless mean changing things and doing things differently. Our reward, however, is ‘more fruit’, so let’s be brave! The message of pruning was reiterated by Ruth Chikasa, our International President . She challenged us in many ways to be willing to give up those things that are no longer relevant.. Her recurring message was that we must remember that Girls’ Brigade is about the girls NOT the leaders.
So I challenge you again with that question:
‘What have you pruned?’
What is happening differently in your company, in your district, in your board meetings this year? If the answer is nothing, if you are just doing the same (because it works), you need to beware – before long we will be providing an irrelevant programme which interests no-one and GB will die. So, be brave - prune something, move on, do things differently, be relevant and ‘bear much fruit!’ In so doing you will fulfil our purpose of bringing young people to a knowledge of the love of Jesus. WOW!
When you’re joined with me and I with you…the harvest is sure to be abundant!
John 15:5 (The Message)
Christian Blessings
Vivienne Aitchison,
European Fellowship Chairman