It means reaching into 152 schools – some of them for the very first time in 20 years.

Missions director Ian Henderson explains: ‘Our dream is that every young person growing up in Greater Manchester will hear the gospel from one of our bands or theatre company at least once in their school career. That’s a big challenge from where we are now, but we’ve got the people and the passion to do it.’

As a step towards reaching the goal, The Message is trying to get in contact with every Christian working in education – as a teacher, learning assistant or support worker.

If you’re a Christian working in education we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Abi Sewart on 0161 946 2300 or by emailing schools@message.org.uk.

The tour will take them across the UK and further afield, to festival stages and local venues. Many of the gigs will be end-of-week shows topping off evangelistic schools weeks.

The band released their third album Light in October. ‘Light is the sound of now,’ wrote Jono Davies of Louder Than The Music. ‘The album is jammed-packed with anthems that ooze truthful and honest lyrics.’ Jeremy Williams of The Kaje magazine went even further, dubbing it ‘without doubt one of the strongest pop albums of 2010.’

But the accolades mean nothing compared to the impact the chart success and mainstream airplay is having on their face-to-face work in schools.

Lead singer, evangelist Lindz West, explains: ‘Our heart’s desire in releasing the single was to give us a bigger platform to speak to more young people about Jesus. It’s done exactly that! We are finding that as we go into school after school young people are recognising us from MTV. That level of credibility is going before us so the young people know the songs and know who we are even before we get there. It’s another level entirely!’

Two amazing schools weeks at the end of last year bear witness to the effect. In November, LZ7 visited Maidenhead, where Lindz himself grew up. They took lessons and performed lunchtime concerts in five local schools, including Lindz’s own high school. By day three, every single ticket for the end of week show was sold out – the venue had to be redesigned to take the demand for tickets.

At the Friday night show, not only did nearly 1000 young people pack into the venue, but over 600 young people made first-time commitments to Christ following Lindz’s preaching. ‘We were over-run!’ remembers Lindz. ‘God is good and showed up in a big way.’

The next week saw LZ7 in Northern Ireland as guests of Crown Jesus Ministries. The band spent four days in schools and performed gigs in Ballymena and Belfast, each to crowds of over 500. Once again, the response was exceptional, with many making first time commitments.

‘We have been so blessed with this increase and can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next few months,’ adds Lindz.

All tour dates, including how to get tickets, are available on the LZ7 website.

Message theatre company In Yer Face are bringing a groundbreaking new show to Greater Manchester high schools this spring.

‘The Rough Guide To Staying Alive’ is a new interactive performance which works as a hard-hitting guide to drugs, sexual health, relationships, peer influence and crime.

‘The show pushes the boundaries of what theatre is and what it can mean for young people,’ comments the show’s writer and cast member Matt Britton. ‘It stares its audience in the face challenging them to be a part of the drama and a part of the solution.’

The performance is structured as three separate stories which intertwine to become one whole story, exploring issues relevant to healthy life development and citizenship.

The audience is constantly invited to bring their own thinking into the issues raised, with specific breaks in the narrative to enable this to happen. This process creates a safe environment for students to explore their own behaviour and choices and acts as a catalyst for promoting personal development and change.

New In Yer Face actor Emily Lawson joins Matt Britton and Brenda Noble in the three-strong cast.

Find out more about In Yer Face

Message band LZ7 has swept the board at this year’s Louder Than The Music awards, winning no less than three trophies – Best British Album, Best British Artist and Song of the Year for This Little Light.

It crowns a breakthrough 2010 for the band which spends most of the year working in schools in Greater Manchester but which is fast gaining a wider following.

After a busy summer touring the UK, September brought LZ7 a chart hit with anthem This Little Light. The song scored a number 26 UK chart position and won airplay on BBC Radio 1, MTV, The Box, Viva, Smash Hits and 4Music.

Hard on its heels, the band released their third album Light in October to some great reviews. ‘Light is the sound of now,’ wrote Jono Davies of Louder Than The Music in the original review. ‘The album is jammed packed with anthems that ooze truthful and honest lyrics.’

The Louder Than The Music awards page concludes: ‘What a year it has been for British rap group LZ7. Following their success in the UK singles chart earlier this year, their loyal following of fans have helped the group earn no fewer than three LTTM Awards this year. As well as picking up Best British Artist, LZ7 also win Best British Album for Light, and Song Of The Year for This Little Light.’

But the accolades mean nothing compared to the impact the chart success and mainstream airplay is having on their face-to-face work in schools.

Lead singer, evangelist Lindz West, explains: ‘Our heart’s desire in releasing the single was to give us a bigger platform to speak to more young people about Jesus. It’s done exactly that! We are finding that as we go into school after school young people are recognising us from MTV. That level of credibility is going before us so the young people know the songs and know who we are even before we get there. It’s another level entirely!’

The band are currently planning a national tour between a full schedule of schools work in Manchester and beyond. ‘Like’ the LZ7 Facebook page for full details about the band’s upcoming national tour.

Get a copy of Light together with a signed poster for just £9.99 (free P&P) from Message Trading.

Twelve24′s recent stint in Coventry school Grace Academy has attracted great feedback from students and teachers alike.

Students of the specialist business and enterprise academy were asked to agree or disagree with several statements at the end of the week. When asked whether they agreed with  ‘I understand more about what the word “Grace” means’, 67% did. To ‘I understand the importance of forgiveness’, 71% agreed.

The band got involved with lessons assemblies and the after-school Quest group using a mix of teaching and performance to a mix of year groups. Their themes for the week were respect, grace and forgiveness and self-image.

‘What a fantastic week we had with Twelve24!’ wrote a local schools worker. ‘We saw many young people make decisions on the night and many have followed through other school activities. Our after-school Quest group has grown and one of the students who came to the Q&A session with Twelve24 has since been to church for the first time ever.

‘Another girl that [band member] Christina spoke to on the evening of the Q&A session walked home, prayed and gave her life to Jesus and danced all the way home. There is a growing group of students who I keep hearing about as starting journeys with God – it’s great and exciting stuff. We are now looking to plant a church here from the new year.’

Twelve24 are currently in the studio working on a new EP. Follow updates from Twelve24 on Facebook.

‘Back in the nineties, when the Tribe were experiencing unheard-of success in the American charts, the record execs we were talking to just couldn’t understand us when we said “for us it’s all about the schools.”

So says Andy Hawthorne, one-time member of The World Wide Message Tribe and founder and chief executive of what has become The Message Trust.

‘Schools ministry is where it all began for us, and that’s not changing. Even when we were winning Dove Awards and getting invitations to play from all over the world, we just couldn’t wait to get back home and into some more high schools. That’s our heart.’

Andy believes that God has honoured that heart over nearly 20 years and for that reason, The Message’s vibrant schools ministry keeps on growing. In the 2009/10 school year, The Message’s bands and In Yer Face theatre company fulfilled more invitations to do schools weeks than ever before, putting them in front of well over 70,000 young people across Greater Manchester.

Schools weeks are always tailored to the particular school but are usually a mix of assemblies, classroom teaching on issues of self-respect, making positive choices and RE, and gigs at lunchtimes or after school. The bands travel with The Message’s in-house Operations Team which provides flexible technical support.

Whatever the format, they are always set up in partnership with a local church which ensures continuity with the school and that there is ongoing contact with pupils who choose to find out more about being a Christian during the week.

The Message’s flagship schools band LZ7 recently fulfilled a demanding two-week schools mission in the Preston area, taking in ten schools and closing with a gig at club venue 53Degrees.

‘It was a really successful partnership with Sold Out Youth Works and City Church in Preston – they really stepped out in faith for it,’ comments band leader Lindz West. ‘We saw 121 first-time responses at the end of the week and about 100 more recommitments.’

Among the schools in which the band taught sessions on prejudice and discrimination and making positive choices was Archbishop Temple School (pictured).

One Year Ten pupil, Rio, gave her thoughts: ‘It was really good having LZ7 come in… it’s fun and they give a really good message. They’ve been teaching about becoming a Christian – that’s more than just going to church. And about making good choices and respecting each other. It’s made me think differently and I think people’s attitudes have been changing.’

Teachers and support staff also welcome the bands, even if they are sometimes sceptical to begin with: ‘I was a bit unsure at first,’ comments Maureen Brennan, teaching assistant at Archbishop Temple School. ‘I wondered about what angle the band were coming from. But watching them, I thought the message was very good and people’s stories were very positive. We need more people in schools like them, promoting self-respect and positive choices.’

It’s an effect that lasts: read the first person testimony from one of last year’s Year Ten pupils overleaf.

As well as their positive contribution to the curriculum and the life of the school, schools work often attracts young people to the band’s live shows such as their upcoming gig at the Manchester Apollo on Saturday 25 September. At these events, many young people hear the gospel for the first time, some choosing to make a commitment then and there. Many others sign up to begin discovery courses run by partner churches and youth groups across the city.

LZ7’s influence has grown fast over the last two years. As well as their tireless work in schools week-by-week, the band’s gigs and festival appearances – together with the power of social media and the internet – has meant their music has gone further than ever before.

One song in particular has received special attention – This Little Light. It was snapped up as the official theme song to the government’s Shine campaign last year and the song’s video has since garnered over 140,000 hits on YouTube.

This Little Light has also been the anthem of the Shine Your Light campaign, a nationwide initiative to get young people sharing their faith through acts of kindness in their local communities. The campaign website encourages youngsters to do 15 specific good deeds such as ‘Bless a Bobby’ and ‘Hang with a Gran’, with the goal that these small acts of kindness point towards a loving God who longs to bless people.

It is a song that has opened doors and, as Andy Hawthorne explains, the time feels right to give the song a mainstream release:

‘I often say that ministry is a bit like surfing. You’re out there, working hard, trying make a wave, and then suddenly a big wave comes along. It just feels like that with this song, we’ve hit a big wave. The kids go wild for it. This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for.’

This Little Light will be released as a download-only single on September 26, with the goal of making a chart position the next Sunday and securing long-term radio play and exposure. Club mixes have been going out to DJs throughout the summer to create a buzz.

‘Releasing the single is not at all about wanting to put another Christian band in the charts,’ insists Andy. ‘It is about fuelling the movement, making God famous and goodness fashionable.’

To officially launch the single, LZ7 are doing a ten-date schools tour, building up to the Manchester Apollo gig on September 25. The show will feature favourite tracks, sneak previews from the forthcoming album Light, and – of course – This Little Light.

‘It’s going to be a no-holds-barred show – the best gig we’ve ever done. Do not miss it!’ says Lindz West.

‘LZ7 came and something clicked’ – testimony

When I was younger, I went to church with my family but I was forced to go. Around the age of 10 I stopped going altogether because there was nothing in it for me. In my heart I didn’t want to be there and I didn’t feel like I fitted in.

Then LZ7 came and after their concert something clicked – I wanted to know more about why I was here and what God had planned for me. I filled out a welcome card for a Christian youth group, SoldOut Youthworks, so that I could be guided on the right path to help me on my journey with God.

Since then my life has changed loads. I feel like God has given me confidence to help other people more. I was given the opportunity to help to lead our youth group for a month, I think because God wanted me to share my experiences about him.

During this time, I preached for the first time to some of the youth about becoming a Christian, and even though I am not that confident saying things in front of people, I believe God gave me the strength that night to help pass on my message.

My life has completely changed since the LZ7 concert. They brought me closer to God and now I couldn’t see my life any other way.

I feel like a completely different person now that I know God is with me. I feel like any mistakes I have made in the past don’t matter because God has changed me and made me into a new person in the last few months.

Four exceptional youngsters and a pioneering group from Greater Manchester are to be honoured on Friday at our third annual Urban Hero Awards.

The awards recognise young people who have made exceptional contributions to their local communities over the last year – or have bravely overcome a major obstacle in their lives.

All of the nominees have been directly impacted by the work of The Message Trust, a Christian charity working with the hardest-to-reach young people in Greater Manchester’s schools, communities and prisons.

Five category winners have already been named as winners of the Achiever, Champion, Courage, Inspiration and Volunteer Awards.

They include a former drug dealer now helping young offenders in prisons; a school drop-out now back in full-time education; and a notorious community trouble-maker who is now an active local volunteer. A pioneering group which worked together to help combat antisocial behaviour among young people in Oldham is also receiving a special award.

The overall Urban Hero of the Year will be named and presented with their award at a glitzy red carpet ceremony at the Palace Hotel, Manchester.

This is the third year the Urban Hero Awards have taken place. In 2008, teenager Anthony Martindale from Harpurhey scooped the award for services to his local community. Last year, Stephanie North from Openshaw (pictured above) won the award for courageously pursuing justice in the face of bullying and threats to her family.

The event, which will feature performances from In Yer Face, Twelve24 and Lz7 is sponsored by Stagecoach and a host of north west businesses: Wigwam, Safe Records Management, Stephensons, The Grand and Jurang.

Word 4U 2Day is the youth version of UCB’s Word For Today, written by Bob Gass and distributed throughout the world. Over 120,000 young people get each issue, published in one of three languages: English, Portuguese and Filipino.

The Message’s In Yer Face team rewrites each day’s content making it more relevant for young people. The team also narrates the daily UCB Radio version which is then distributed via podcast and accessible by subscription from iTunes.

Team leader Matt Britton comments, ‘One of the things we at In Yer Face love doing is writing Bible studies for young people…we also have a lot of fun recording them for UCB Radio, so that people can listen on the move’.

Read today’s Word 4U 2Day.

Sign up to receive a printed version of Word 4U 2Day in the post.

Subscribe to the Word 4U 2Day podcast.

Sign up to receive it by email.

***

What makes our schools bands different from ‘regular’ bands? We look back at the history and impact of our schools work, from The World Wide Message Tribe to Twelve24.

Back in 1988, Andy Hawthorne and his brother Simon ran a week-long youth mission at the Manchester Apollo. Thousands of young people turned up and hundreds responded – clearly God was at work.

Soon after, Mark Pennells approached Andy and Simon and started to work with them full-time in schools, singing and taking lessons, whilst music producer Zarc Porter honed his skills by working with Manchester’s popular rave bands in his home-built studio. What followed was ‘The Message to Schools’, a team dedicated to taking the gospel into Manchester’s schools, and a fore-runner of today’s Message Trust.

In 1992 Andy joined Mark as a rapper and communicator and Zarc as a producer and formed The World Wide Message Tribe (WWMT).

Andy explained their vision in an interview with Cross Rhythms in 1993, ‘God has called us to work in Manchester’s schools. There are so many kids here for us to reach with the gospel. Our long term aim is to have more than one team working in the area. We want our music to be as good as possible, but everything is a servant to evangelism.’

Over the next twelve years, the WWMT (just ‘The Tribe’ by 2001) performed in hundreds of schools weeks, concerts and festivals, released ten albums and led thousands to Jesus. The line-up changed over the years, as did their sound (and their outfits), but their vision remained the same: to share the good news in a relevant, meaningful way, to as many young people as possible.

In another interview in 1997, Andy Hawthorne commented, ‘All this stuff can easily become religion: trying to be funky, getting new haircuts and clothes, pushing the boundaries…it becomes the focus. If that’s an end in itself, it’s rubbish…it’s whether Jesus is at the centre of it. That’s what really matters.’

As the ministry developed, the band become overwhelmed by the number of requests to go into schools. In 2001, a second band, Blush, was formed to help cope with demand. The band is made up of young women who have a heart for teenage girls and takes lessons on issues such as self-esteem and ‘real beauty’.

In 2004, The Tribe took their final bow, but their influence didn’t stop there. Ex-band member Tim Owen took on the dream of forming a training centre (called ‘Genetik: The Tribe Academy) for potential new youth workers, musicians, and communicators. Tim and fellow ex-band members Lindz West and Andy Hawthorne regularly teach at the centre, which has seen two new bands form: LZ7 (fronted by Lindz) and Twelve24.

LZ7, formed in 2005, use a fusion of hip-hop, rock, free running and DJing in their shows. Two albums in, the band are planning an assault on the pop charts later this year: ‘This Little Light’, a song from their latest album ‘Gasoline’, has already received well over a hundred thousand views on YouTube and was used in a government-backed youth initiative, Shine.

Front man Lindz West comments, ‘When we’re in schools or at gigs, we want to be the best rappers, singers, drummers or DJs we can be, so that more people will get the opportunity to hear about our awesome God. We want young people to see, from our shows, that it is possible to live your dream and use the skills God’s given you in a positive way.’

Our newest band, Twelve24, are picking up the trail blazed by The Tribe, Blush and LZ7. They are named after John 12:24, where it says, ‘unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’ The band is made up of three 20-somethings fresh out of the Genetik training programme.

Band mentor Tim Owen comments, ‘They’re taking the big issue facing young people today and hitting them head-on…they’re not watering down the gospel. They are committed to the young people of Manchester…their passion is growing by the day.’

In a culture where success is determined by how much money you earn, and how popular you are, The Tribe, LZ7, Blush and Twelve24 come as a shining light in the darkness. With a heart for showing young people that they are loved, and with Jesus at their centre, these bands show that they care more about the young people of Manchester than about selling records or rising to fame.

*Get The Message in your school*

You’re just one call away from having one of our bands or theatre company coming to your local high school. If you’re a church, please ask email Alan Saunders. For schools, please email Nathan Milnes. Our contact number is 0161 946 2300.