GSUS Live works with Youth For Christ in Gloucestershire
In 2016 he first encountered GSUS Live as a youth worker at a Baptist Church in Hillingdon, West London. Since then, he’s been involved with GSUS Live every three years.
In Hillingdon, it was vitally important that I worked with other youth workers and other churches to make GSUS Live happen. This way, we weren’t just pulling resources from one church, but many churches across the community.
It’s the same here in Gloucestershire. Youth for Christ desires to work with local youth workers and churches in the area. It was no different when we decided to bring GSUS Live to Gloucestershire.
Local churches get involved in two ways: Financially, as you don’t want to go to a school, and offer them a resource they must pay for. So, we reach out to churches we already have connections with or churches looking to build relationships with local schools.
Secondly, GSUS Live relies on volunteers. You can’t take it to schools without them. You need a couple of people per session to help with the lesson, so they can see GSUS Live in action and connect with the schools. Also, there may be 25 lessons a week, which is a lot for just a couple of people to do, so a good number of local church volunteers helps.
Schools will always be receptive to GSUS Live because it’s a free resource and fits into the RE curriculum. The key is having good connections in the school or speaking to the right person at the school who will make it happen, especially when they know they don’t have to do anything extra. The whole of GSUS Live comes as a package; they are just there to observe.
Helping non-faith-based schools understand that you are not coming in to preach the Gospel is a challenge. You have to be sensitive in how you communicate your intent. I had this with GSUS Live’s last visit, where I had to go into a school and be very clear about how we would pitch each lesson and what language we would use when talking about Christianity. It’s essential.
Churches are receptive to GSUS Live because they always want to connect with their local schools. Youth workers are always keen to get a ‘foot in the door’ of local schools, and GSUS Live is an obvious way to do this. One school in Gloucestershire has opened its doors to a local church since we visited.
GSUS Live works on many levels because it is an interactive lesson that uses tablets. Students love that they don’t have to use a textbook with pen and paper, and they don’t get to do this in an everyday lesson.
Students put on headphones, watch what’s happening on screen, answer questions, and talk to each other in pairs.
Also, it just works because the volunteers can top and tail the session. They set the scene. Then they talk a bit more about what Jesus had to say about fear, forgiveness, and rejection, and how He faced those issues. We also chat about how these issues have impacted our lives as Christians and offer an opportunity for questions. When you put that together, it just works. It’s great stuff, and I recommend churches try GSUS Live in their community.
If you are interested in booking GSUS Live visit the website here or contact Dave Thomas at: gsuslive@countiesuk.org.
GSUS Live helps secondary school students explore the themes of fear, forgiveness, and rejection through Jesus’ teachings. It’s an interactive classroom experience for the statutory provision of RE for Key Stage 3 students.
The program includes Bible story animations, contemporary songs, and short films on historical and famous public figures.
GSUS Live is available for Churches and organisations to book for 3 or 6 weeks