Soul Survivor: The latest news!

















		What about checking out this summer's seminar programme now? 27/06/2008 Fancy checking out every single seminar that will be happening at any of this summer's Soul Survivor events? Well, why wouldn't you? We've just uploaded the seminar programmes for each week on the relevent bits of the website so you can have a look and what sort of stuff we'll be looking at. Just follow the links to have a gander: Soul Survivor A seminar programme... Soul Survivor B&C seminar programme... Momentum seminar programme... Our new vlog is up! 27/06/2008 We got ourselves a little vlog. That's really just a cool interweb techie name for a video dairy, but don't tell anyone as vlog sounds more futuristic and cool (sort of). Every week we're updating the vlog with a little thought from one of the Soul Survivor posse, so check it out! Watch the vlog... Our online booking system broke and caused no end of problems... 27/06/2008 So, if you tried to book online in the past week or so, you probably noticed you couldn't. We're really sorry about that. Our old, old system that was built at about the same time people still rode around on penny farthings and wore monacles, decided to finally leave this life and go to world wide web heaven. So, after a few manic days, we've managed to pull together another online booking option. You can use that now (and we reckon it works ok), or book over the phone (on 0303 333 1 333) or via the post (with the forms here: GO>>). To try the new system just head to secure.soulsurvivor.com... Recycle your old phone and make a bit of cash for yourself and Soul Survivor too! 10/06/2008 Got an old phone that you never use that's just sitting in a random drawer going mouldy? Don't worry, most of us have some ancient bit of technology lingering around the house that we no longer know what to do with. But wonder no more. Your old phones can now be both recycled, and used to help raise money for Soul Survivor too! We've teamed up with ShP Charity who sort out how to reuse and recycle old phones and they'll give you and us some cash for sending in your old telecommunications devices! Sound fun? It kind of is. Find out how to recycle your old phone here... Who ate the most burgers? (The teams BBQ and Holy Spirit day) 06/06/2008 Just last weekend we had our annual Holy Spirit and His Gifts training day and also we ran our first ever teams BBQ lunch beforeheand. Loads of chaps turned up to eat a burger, sausage or just enjoy the smoke, and we loved having you with us... it was fun. Maybe we'll do it again sometime. Anyway, the event was great fun, with loads of practical stuff on praying for others and inviting the Holy Spirit too. Just have a look at our little gallery below to catch up on what happened if you couldn't make it! Just click on the images to see if you can spot yourself! We're getting there! 12/05/2008 We're sorry if you've had a wait, but we've now cleared the backlog of bookings made for this year's Soul Survivor Week A. So, if you booked for our week up in Stafford, you'll be hearing from us very soon with a booking reference number. Hooray! We're focussing on clearing the pile of bookings for Week B this week and will then move on the Week C and finally Momentum, so please bear with us, we're getting through as quickly as possible! Sorry for any delay! The bookings are coming in! 07/05/2008 We've just had our final payment discount deadline and have received over 4000 new bookings for the Soul Survivor summer events in a week, which might just be a new record! Just so you know, if you have booked on, but haven't heard anything from us, then don't worry. Because of the influx of bookings, we're struggling to get all of you inputted onto our database as quickly as usual, but have no fear, we haven't forgotten you. You should get an acknowledgement email with your booking reference number within a month. We hope that's ok, sorry for the delay... Oh, and thanks for booking on early! They did have a lot of fun running... 07/05/2008 The Watford 10K run just flew us by, with 8 of the Soul Survivor team (and a few extra friends too) blazing their way through Cassiobury Park, Wippendell Wood and apparently some nice fields of bluebells too. Jess (our accountant) came in the quickest of our bunch, with Deano, Si, Sarah, Wil, Dave, Vanessa and Andy all putting in a great effort too. Some of them were getting sponsored for their part in the race, helping to raise some cash for Soul Survivor too. We think they are all great and chuffed with their commitment to the cause! The Soul Survivor Catalogue pose... 25/04/2008 We couldn't stop him. When we realised we needed to give a quick overview of 'appropriate dress' for teams going out to serve in Durban this summer, our little man from Oz was the first to volunteer. Luke stepped up to the challenge, pulling shapes left, right and centre, posing beautifully for our visual explanation of what we recommend you can and can't wear whilst in serving on a team in South Africa. Formerly a wannabe Littlewoods catalogue model, Luke is now involved with Durban stuff for Soul Survivor. When the opportunity came up to get in front of the camera, he jumped at the chance and wowed us all with his signature looks. Scarily he didn't look too bad as a lady either! We thought you might enjoy the pics, so here's a few... just click on the boxes to view the full body shots and see if you can tell why some might not consider his attire 'appropriate'... A new member of the Soul Survivor team! Added 16/04/2008 Here he is! Little baby Daniel... he popped in to the office the other lunch time to come and say hello. He bought his mum with him too, which was nice, as we haven't seen her since Christmas. Lorna (his mum) is one of the Soul Action team and has been off for a few months bringing little Daniel into the world. And he's a legend... he was only here for an hour, but in that time he advised us on a new health and safety policy, sped up our IT network processes and managed to dribble all over the carpet... so that's nice! Sponsor the team as we go running! Added 14/04/2008 It's not long now 'til the Watford 10K run! Hooray. Some of the Soul Survivor office team are taking part and doing their bit to raise some cash for Soul Survivor in the process. The run is taking place on the upcoming Bank Holiday Monday in a nice park. We'd love it if you wanted to sponsor us... you can donate online or download a sponsorship form here (GO>>). We'd be really, really grateful for any support you can give (plus if anyone knows a physio, then get in touch as most of the runners are likely to need 2 weeks off with blisters, sprained ankles and non fatal heart attacks). Want to work for Soul Survivor? We need an IT girl or boy... Added 14/04/2008 Not like Tara Palmer Tomkinson. More like Bill Gates, but a bit younger and less of a money grabbing capitalist. We're actually looking for someone who knows quite a lot about computers to be our new IT Systems Manager. Sadly our techie hero Mark is leaving for pastures new, so we need to find someone to fill his boots quick! Along with being a very good laugh, knowing how to make a cup of tea and bringing in cakes you'll also need to know what acronyms like BIOS, KPI and EKMS mean (if they mean anything at all). Benefits of the job include being able to see what all the rest of the staff team do with their computers all day and you'll be able to hack into everyone else's email, which would be no end of fun. Interested? Find out more... Our new looking newsletters Added 14/04/2008 We generally like to tell you what's going on with us, and so we have a few email newsletters that we send out now and then. Just last week however, our template enewsletter decided to break... and it didn't want to work again. That was a shame, but it also gave us the chance to design a brand new look enewsletter, which we like, and think does the job a bit better than before. To have a look at last week's news just click here (GO>>), to sign up to receive the enewsletters then click here (GO>>) or to go nowhere don't click anywhere. Keep your eyes on your inbox as we'll be rolling out the new cleaner look enewsletter to our Momentum, teams, SoulNet and Soul Sista mailing lists in the next few weeks too! Oooo, that's news for you! Soul Survivor hits your doormat! Added 04/04/2008 Check your letterbox! That's right, we've sent you something in the mail (if you're on our database!). Over the next few days, Postman Pat should be knocking on your door with a little update from us. Unfold it, read it, see what we're up to and stick it on your wall. We hope you like it... and, if your game, take it to your youth group, show your mates and badger your youth leader to get you booked in to one of the events! We'd love to see you! Subscribe to our news feed... Added 04/04/2008 We've added a little news feed to our homepage. It's basically going to list things from this page and a few other bits and pieces we're thinking about, but the best bit is, you can subscribe to it! It's an RSS feed which (if you're clever) can be posted on your blog, used in a desktop widget, or just subscribed to with something like Google or a web browser (like Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox). Just go to the homepage to see the feed. Find out more about how to subscribe... Soul Survivor down under! Added 01/04/2008 Guess where Mike P is right now! Here's a clue. Gday mate. Throw a shrimp on the barbie! That's right. He's in Australia. Globe trotting again, this time Mike and a small team are out in Melbourne for the Soul Survivor festival held on the outskirts of this very trendy city.The event just finished, but early reports say God did some great stuff and met with loads of guys and girls who went along! We'll give you a bit more info when we hear exactly what happened! In a few days the Mike and the chaps are off on a quest to see the home of Bilbo, Frodo and Sam, avoiding the Orks in ~~The Shire~~ New Zealand for the first ever Soul Survivor tour down there. After that it's back to Oz with a turn at Soul Survivor Sydney SOULINTHECITY Canberra events. They will be tired! No postcard has arrived to us stuck back here though... April fools hits the office... Added 01/04/2008 Good old Chris. There's no stopping his northern banter. In an effort to bring some April fools day magic to our sunny bit of Watford, the ginger haired SoulNet man pulled all the stops out this morning! Forging an email from Carlos Monter, a make believe Austrian pastor, he managed to convince Emily and Emma that a whole Church were coming over to the summer events to serve on the catering team. After they spent a good while searching for Mont Filier Church in Austria on google, Chris fessed up to faking the email, which is good as we were about to order a load of Austrian cuisine for them to cook. Good lad. He did lie though, so he's been sitting in the naughty corner as punishment all afternoon. Oh, and if you are a Austrian pastor (or a pastor of any nationality for that matter) who'd like to bring your congregation to work on the catering team this summer we'd gladly have you! Soul Survivor TV is here (sort of)... Added 20/03/2008 Yo! As an early Easter pressie we've just launched our trial Soul Survivor online TV channel (well it's not really a TV channel, just a place where you can watch some talks from the Soul Survivor posse!). So far we have two 45 minute-ish talks from some events Mike P spoke at last year. There's some of the usual banter with Tim Hughes and a rather flattering set of poses with a photographer thrown in too, so check them out if you get a spare hour! Don't say we don't love you... Check out the TV here: GO>> New speakers and bands confirmed this summer including Starfield! Added 18/03/2008 Although there's still four or five months 'til the start of the Soul Survivor summer conferences we've been really busy confirming who'll be coming along to hang out with us. We've got some great additions to the programme including the likes of Mike Erre from Rockharbour church in California, J John, Andy Hawthorne, the Crays (not the criminal brothers, but Bishop Graham and Rev. Jackie) and loads more too. In addition to these we're well chuffed to be able to confirm that Canadian rock outfit, Starfield will be with us during our two Soul Survivor weeks in Somerset. The Momentum menu is looking well tasty too, with Elaine Storkey putting out the academic vibe and super funk family 'Our Dad' coming back to bless us with their soulful grooves.... which is very nice indeed. Unfortunately, not everyone can come to every event, so check the links below to see who's at what! Check out who's confirmed at week A in Stafford: GO>> Check out who's confirmed at weeks B & C in Somerset: GO>> Check out who's confirmed at Momentum: GO>> It's Mike's Birthday (and Emily's)! Added 07/03/2008 The old trooper has turned yet another year. That's right, it's Mike's birthday! Back when he was young people still rode on horseback and traded in shiny pebbles, but still, he has the youngest mind of all of us! He's currently in Durban, South Africa on Soul Survivor business, but he's been told to take the day off to relax and celebrate... he does deserve it! It's also Emily's birthday today as well, which is nice as we get to have cake and a cup of tea before finishing off the last hour of ~~Facebook~~ work before the weekend. Soul Survivor Watford Easter evening service with 29th Chapter! Added 07/03/2008 If you live near Watford and don't have any plans for Easter Sunday evening, then pop along to our special Easter service. Ben Cantelon will be leading with special guests, hip hop all stars 29th Chapter. The service is taking place on a local estate (by the Meriden community centre) and they'll be a really simple introduction to the meaning of Easter as part of the proceedings. If you're around then pop along, we'd love to see you! It starts at 7.00pm on 23rd March. Mike becomes a theologian... Added 29/02/2008 Yesterday Mikey P was in Ohio at the Columbus Vineyard offering his pearls of wisdom at one or two events that were going on. The church runs a leadership and theology course that Mike spoke a bit at. Judging from the photo's he sent back to us it seems he reckons he'd make a decent theologian. He looks like he'd fit right in there with Jurgen Moltmann, Karl Barth and the rest... it's just that Pilavachi doesn't have the same kind of academic ring to it! What do you think of the blue? Added 29/02/2008 The new blue look of our web site went live last night. What do you reckon? We've added a few new bits, dusted off some of the old classics and generally made everything a bit more streamlined, easy to find and colour coordinated. So far, the response from you is alright (so thanks). Our homepage poll currently says that 53% of you love the new look more than food, so that must be quite good. Saying that, a couple of you aren' t that keen either stating 'you wouldn't feed it to your dog', which is good, because there's no way on earth a dog (or any other living thing\|) could physically eat a web site. Anyway, we'll keep our eyes on the results and try harder if necessary! Mike's now lost 5 stone... Added 20/02/2008 Mikey P has gone and done it... he's been dieting since summer and has now lost 5 stone in weight (if anyone saw where he left it, email us!). He's done an amazing job and not only is he immensely proud of himself, we're all we'll inspired by him too. If you see him, make sure you tell him well done, and don't offer him any chips, kebab, cake or ice cream (he might scream 'get behind me satan' at you and that's just a bit scary). SOULINTHECITY Durban 08 teams... Added 20/02/2008 We're still looking for a few people to fill this year's 2 week SOULINTHECITY Durban teams. If you're up for it, and have time spare in July and August then we'd love to hear from you. Just check out www.soulinthecitydurban.com for your chance to get involved in this initiative to serve and work with Durban's amazing churches... It's all gone pink over there! Added 20/02/2008 The new Soul Sista site is up in and full effect... it even has the most girly looking radio you could possibly imagine that's streaming songs and seminars for all the ladies to get stuck into. There's also a look at what happened at the last Soul Sista day (earlier in February), some galleries and loads of articles in the archives! Check it out at www.soulsista.co.uk! You're all a bunch of Slum Survivors! Added 20/02/2008 You guys are awesome. Over 230 groups around the country have now registered and have or are planning a Slum Survivor event. This means by our guesses around 2000 of you around the country have limited your lifestyles for a weekend and slept in a shelter that your youth leaders probably thought was a massive health and safety disaster! If you've done an event, then thanks, so far you've helped to raise over £115,000 for Soul Action... (yes that's three zero's). If you want to find out more, or read some of the stories from Churches who've taken part, just head over to www.soulaction.org. Back to top...