Urban Saints

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Urban Saints

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Urban Saints equips youth leaders with the training, resources, and community they need to disciple young people with confidence.

04/11/2026

“These are the things of Heaven. These are the things of God.” 🎓

That’s how Keith, Principal of Westbrook Academy, summed up our first ever in-person graduation, and we couldn’t agree more.

For the first time, we got to celebrate our graduates together in one room: youth and children’s workers who have given their time, energy and heart to growing in their calling. Hearing their stories of how God has been at work in their ministry, and through them in the lives of young people, was a real joy ✨

In the video, our CEO Mark also reflects on the legacy behind the day. For more than a century, Urban Saints has been walking alongside people who share the love of Jesus with young people. It felt special to mark a first within such a long story 💛

Congratulations to every one of our graduates. We can’t wait to see what God does through you next! 🙌

Find out more about training with Westbrook Academy 👇
https://www.urbansaints.org/training/accredited-courses

03/11/2026

“Don’t believe everything you see online.” 📱 Most of us have said it to young people at some point, and most of us know it rarely sticks.

What does help is giving them a habit. SIFT is a simple one, developed by digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield:

✋ Stop before you react or share
🔍 Investigate who’s behind it
🔎 Find whether other trustworthy sources say the same
🧵 Trace it back to where it started

Four questions that work whether they’re looking at a news story, a viral video or a Bible verse someone has shared out of context.

We love that this isn’t a new idea. In Acts 17, the Bereans listened to Paul with open minds, then checked the Scriptures for themselves. Open to hear, careful to check 📖

Scrolling for Truth is our free resource for anyone working with young people. It includes a leader’s article and a ready-to-run session for ages 11 to 18, with a fact-or-fake game and a Bible study. Download it here 👇
https://www.urbansaints.org/resources/scrolling-for-truth

Want to keep the conversation going? 💬 Join our online meet-up on digital ministry on 10 November, 7.30 to 9.30pm: https://www.urbansaints.org/events/meet-ups/online-meet-up-10th-november-2026

29/10/2026

November is shaping up to be a good one, and we’d love to see you at some of it. 💛

Here’s what’s coming up if you’re involved in youth and children’s ministry:

TRAINING
📚 Short courses on belonging, autism, ADHD and disability equality. 3, 10, 17 and 24 Nov, 7.30pm, £20 each.
💻 Free webinar: Connecting with Your Community, looking at the role of the community chaplain. 16 Nov, 7pm.
https://www.urbansaints.org/training

COMMUNITY
🤝 Free Zoom drop-in: Building Teams That Last. 2 Nov, 1pm or 7.30pm.
📍 Youth Leader meet-up & training on digital ministry. 10 Nov, 7.30-9.30pm, £10.
https://www.urbansaints.org/community

RESOURCES
🎄 Advent Promises: a 3-part session series and a 24-day devotional journal for young people. Out now.
📄 Meaningful Ways to Appreciate Your Volunteers: a free guide with practical ideas to encourage, value and keep your volunteers
https://www.urbansaints.org/resources

Know a youth leader who’d love one of these? Share this with them. 💛

28/10/2026

It's a joy and a privilege to work with young people and to help them come to know Jesus for themselves. 💛

Whether you've been doing it for years or only just started, thank you. This note is for you:

Someone is still here because you said yes. Someone is learning to trust God because you kept praying for them by name. And all the small, faithful things you do that nobody sees? God sees every one of them, and none of it is wasted.

Thank you for showing up, for praying, for staying. You're still here, and so is He.

“Be strong and courageous… for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6

Know a youth leader who'd love this reminder? Share it with them. 💛

26/10/2026

Your volunteers give so much. 💛 They're the ones who turn up week after week, run the session, tidy the chairs and head home, and a thoughtful thank-you is one of the simplest ways to show it's noticed and valued.

The most meaningful kind isn't one big gesture a year. It's a steady rhythm: a personal letter that names what someone has brought to the team, a prayer walk together, a moment where the young people themselves get to say thank you.

We've put together a free one-page guide with an idea for every month of the year, so you're never scrambling for something thoughtful.
📄 Download it here: https://www.urbansaints.org/resources/meaningful-ways-to-appreciate-your-volunteers

And if you'd like to talk through how to grow, support and keep a volunteer team, we're running a free Zoom drop-in, Building Teams That Last, on Monday 2 November at 1pm or 7:30pm. Bring your context, your challenges and your questions, and swap ideas with other leaders: https://www.urbansaints.org/events/zoom-drop-ins/zoomdropin-building-teams-that-last

23/10/2026

What can you do when a young person is carrying big questions about relationships, going through a family breakdown, or is ready to start leading in their faith? 🤔

On the Walk With Them podcast this season, we’ve talked with leaders on the ground who are walking with young people through exactly these things, and a few things really stood out. 👇

🙏 Domnique Penny (Prayer Storm) reminded us that there are young people with a real passion for prayer and sharing their faith with their generation. Notice who in your group is already keen, and give them a real way to lead.

💛 Rachel Gardner (Youthscape) talked about creating a safe, faith-rooted space where questions about relationships and other taboo topics are welcome, so young people don’t have to carry their fears alone.

🤝 Ulrike Hunt (The Feast Youth Project) asked, “How can we ever be a witness if we only witness to people like us?” and pointed to Youthscape’s 'Disruptors + Peacemakers' game as a way to help young people practise talking with people they may disagree with.

🏡 And Erik Castenskiold (Restored Lives) reminded us what a privilege it is to be a trusted adult in a young person’s life. If you know a young person whose parents have separated, Your Direction offers free online workshops for 12 to 30-year-olds.

You can listen to any of the episodes on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts here: https://www.urbansaints.org/resources/podcast 🎧

22/10/2026

Here to walk with you. 💛

We recently spent a few days together as a team at the Urban Saints Westbrook Centre on Isle of Wight. We prayed, worshipped, planned, strategised and shared stories from the ground, all with one thing in mind: how we can better support you as you work with young people and help them come to know Jesus for themselves.

Every resource, training session and community event we create starts with conversations like these, and every one of them has you in mind. It’s a joy and a privilege to walk alongside you.

Whether you’ve been serving for years or have only just started, thank you for everything you do. We’re cheering you on, and we’re praying for you. 🙏

If there’s something you’d like us to pray about this week, you’re very welcome to comment below.

20/10/2026

It's not even November. We know. 👀

But we also know what the lead-up to December does to a youth leader's diary. 🎄

So we've got you. Advent Promises is a ready-to-use Christmas discipleship resource to help young people discover God's promises fulfilled in the birth of Jesus, and what it means that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us today.

📖 A 3-session youth series, with the games, activities, videos, Bible exploration and discussion already done for you, plus a downloadable Christmas quiz presentation

📓 A 24-day devotional journal for your young people (aged 11–17) to keep going between sessions and through the Christmas holidays, with Scripture, doodling, creative journalling, practical challenges and prayer. It makes a lovely Christmas gift too.

One less thing to plan when December arrives. Run the sessions, hand out the journals, and keep young people exploring God's promises all the way to Christmas 🎄

Getting journals for your whole youth group? The session series is included free when you order 20 or more.

Have a look when you've got a minute:
🎄 Session series: https://www.urbansaints.org/resources/advent-promises-a-3-session-youth-series-for-advent

📓 Devotional journal: https://www.urbansaints.org/resources/advent-promises-a-24-day-advent-devotional-for-young-people

15/10/2026

What if the first place a young person encounters faith isn't a church, but their feed?⁠
⁠
Digital spaces are often where faith conversations start, even if it's real relationships that carry people the rest of the way. That's why showing up online, confidently and well, matters more than ever for anyone working with young people.⁠
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Check out our website for more on navigating digital ministry, and keep an eye out for our community event this November, we'll keep sharing what we're learning either way. 💛

Is there something about digital ministry you wish you felt more confident about? Let us know 👇

14/10/2026

Last Saturday, youth leaders came together for our London meet-up, and what a day it was. 💛

We shared stories, had training on sustainable ministry from Ruth Stephens CEO of Join the Dots, swapped ideas and prayed for each other.

Working with young people involves a lot of giving, and it's easy to feel like you're doing it alone. Time with others who understand is a reminder that you're not.

A great highlight from the training was the reminder that we have three buckets (and more): a spiritual bucket, an emotional bucket and a physical bucket. How are we refilling those buckets each week in the midst of our ministries? We’d love to hear what works for you in the comments 💛

Thank you to everyone who came, shared and prayed. We loved spending the day with you!

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Ryde

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