BarNBus event March 2016 2Tim Harrold

Members from the two Thurrock Bar’N’Bus teams gathered last Saturday morning, 12 March 2016, at Manor Mission in Laindon, to hear from the board of trustees broadcast the new vision for this vital outreach to young people on the streets of our borough and across South Essex.

Present were also Colin Baker as pastor of Grays Baptist Church and chairman of Transformation Thurrock; Tim Harrold of Transformation Thurrock and former Thurrock Bar’N’Bus Teams’ Coordinator; and John Freeman from Thurrock Christian Fellowship. Both Grays Baptist Church and Thurrock Christian Fellowship have been funding the local teams and providing members since their inception.

The teams from Grays Beach and Corringham Town Centre were represented by the majority of their team members. Other teams present are based in Rayleigh (this has been going for over a decade), South Woodham Ferrers, and Laindon.
BarBBus diagram
The event opened with a short time of worship, word and prayer.

It was explained by Steve Currell, Chairman of the Trust, that the teams at Maldon and on Canvey Island have recently shut down at very short notice, citing their moving into other means of outreach. The Basildon team has closed for a temporary period.

The Trust were concerned that both their buses have had mechanical difficulties in recent weeks, resulting in the buses not being to get out at all. Obviously, this lets down the young people being reached, and can result in a dip in numbers of attendees that then need to be reached out to all over again.

Consequently, Bar’N’Bus have decided to buy a new bus, which is in fact the last Leyland Atlantis ever built, and which has been kitted out and used only in charitable work, so the mileage of the vehicle is very low and its considtion excellent. The only problem is the way in which it is kitted out, which is not entirely in keeping with the ‘style’ of previous Bar’N’Bus buses.

There was some discussion about raising funds for Bar’N’Bus and the relationships that exist between the three sides of the Bar’N’Bus triangle (see diagram).

BarNBus event March 2016 1Steve explained that while the relationships between the teams and churches and the teams and the Trust were good, the relationship between the churches and the Trust was not so effective. The Trust have determined to work at making this good again.

Transformation Thurrock have offered help with publicity for Bar’N’Bus in order to help with recruitment of volunteers and to raise the local profile of this wonderful and rewarding work that touches the lives of many secondary school aged young people a week.

Steve Currell will be visiting the Thurrock Leaders’ Prayer at St Mary’s Rectory in North Stifford on Thursday 14 April.

>>> Lower righthand picture shows in the foreground Harold ‘H’ Hoyte, his wife Bev, Iain Sears, with Mary & Len Stockwell of the Grays Beach team; and in the background Brenda Van Dungey with others from the Corringham Town Centre team.

For more info see http://www.barnbus.org.uk/