Name: Matthew
Birthday: 22 June
Hometown: Billingham
Involvement before joining YMT: Master of Ceremonies, Billingham, Youth Café, School Chaplaincy
Reason for joining YMT: To broaden my experience of Church, to spread the Gospel and to enjoy it.
What are you looking forward this year? Sister Helen!
Testimony: Born and bred in Billingham. As an only child, I always loved Church and my home parish basking in the shadow of industry.
TV Shows: West Wing, New Tricks, Star Trek, QI
Movies: Sister Act, Amazing Grace
Books: What if? America, Bible, Dawn French’s Dear Fatty
Places to visit: Holy Land, Sicily, Florence, Venice
Quotations: “The grand essentials in life are: Something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
Describe yourself: I’m 18, a member of YMT and excited for the coming year.

New Chalet, New Start, New Journey to Travel.

Last modified on 2009-09-26 12:42:22 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

We moved into our new YMT Team Chalet (also known as Suite 1) just hours ago and already I feel like we have all started a very important Journey in our lives. I suppose in the first few weeks it didn’t sink in quite what committing ten months of your life to YMT meant. But a new place to live has provided me with a different perspective, not only on the Beautiful Derwent Valley countryside but also on where we as YMT are heading.

Anticipation is the emotion I think we are all feeling, along with a little excitement and I don’t mind saying a little bit of fear (maybe more than a little bit). But as St. Michaels (my old school) Year 10 retreat approaches this monday the fact we don’t have time to be scared or to think about it much at all, has helped us all deal with the whirlwind schedule. The excitement and eagerness to deliver the message we are here to deliver has gradualy increased, and as the date approaches I think we all feel an increased senseof the presense of God nudging us in the right direction and helping us to see whats infront of us. Which is always helpful when entering a new phase in life, this is an importany time for me, and for the rest of the team and for young people everywhere, so I feel confident that there are many people back home in Billingham and across the Diocese, and indeed across the world praying for me, the team, and our mission, and I want everyone to know I am praying for them too.

Matthew Brannen,

Good Night & God Bless you all.

St. Bede’s Lanchester Mission

Last modified on 2009-10-12 20:37:36 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

It is saturday night, I am watching X – Factor, and my mind drifts back to the past week & a half, to the St. Bede’s Mission,  my first.  It was not easy for me being in front of over a thousand people during the mission. But the welcome we recieved from everyone at St. Bede’s, especially their chaplain Kirsty and the mission control team who were a great laugh and very kind to us all here at YMT made it all very easy. Your warm welcome was the fuel we all needed to keep us going, after all the early mornings don’t really agree with me. But when your greeted us with warm and enthusiastic faces all the tiredness fades away into insignificance. So for that I wanted to thank all the staff & Pupils of St. Bedes. Your Invited! I’ll be there! Thanks.

Matthew

Life: Live it, Love it

We Build Some More.

Last modified on 2010-07-03 15:43:47 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Some people call the end of a day the evening, some people call the culmination of a journey its end, and some people stand on the edge and take a step back. Others call the end of the day a new dawn; the same people call the culmination of the journey a new beginning, and some people stand on the edge and jump.

I have been wandering around the Youth Village today as it is prepared for it’s opening on Monday and as I wandered I pondered, I thought how lucky I am to stand with YMT and the Young people of Hexham & Newcastle as their Village is opened.

A great many people have been a part of YMT, a greater number have supported it, and the number gets greater still when we consider how many lives YMT has changed. As a team member today I stand on the shoulders of the scores that came before me, and I stand with those who serve in the here and now. And those who will come in the future will stand proudly on the solid ground that we build.

And so I say this, Christians are people who call evening the dawn Christians are people who call the end the beginning, Christians stand on the edge and jump, they look to the future as an opportunity to build the kingdom some more. And on Monday the 5^th of July 2010 we build some more.