Hours : Full-time (Temp/Perm)
Reporting to : Finance Deputy/Finance Executive
Salary : Dependent on experience and qualifications

Assisting accounts payable and receivable functions, cash handling and reconciling balance sheet accounts.  Calculate and post journal entries for depreciation, recharges, accruals and prepayments, assisting in the production of monthly management reports and accounts (including balance sheet; profit & loss; KPI’s).

It is essential that applicants have accounting experience and at least be AAT qualified or have equivalent qualifications and be working towards a professional accountancy qualification, e.g. ACA; ACCA;CIMA.

For full job description and application form, please contact us at info@message.org.uk

Main Duties:
To maintain & update purchase ledger, process invoices, reconcile supplier statements & ensure prompt payment of creditors, follow up supplier queries, administer the reconciliation of credit card and staff expenses and assist in accrual calculations for monthly management accounts.

Applicants must be AAT qualified or have equivalent qualification or experience, together with strong IT skills.

For full job description and application form please contact us at info@message.org.uk

Eden London officially launches later this month in a celebration at the city’s historic Westminster Chapel.

A line-up featuring Matt Wilson, Andy Hawthorne, Pete Greig (24/7 Prayer) and worship leader Tim Hughes will share the Eden vision and plans for rolling out the first Eden projects across the city.

The special event takes place on March 18 with doors opening at 7pm. Tickets priced £5 are on sale now and can be purchased online or by calling 08456 52 52 52.

Watch the promo video for the event below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Find out more about Eden’s national vision on the Eden Network website.

Do you have a heart for young people in our city?

The Message’s Business Support Group is looking for people who will join us in our mission to the hardest-to-reach young people in our city.

The BSG meets throughout the year in a variety of informal settings, including meals, receptions, backstage at live shows, afternoon roundtables and our annual awards ceremony, The Urban Hero Awards.

Each event features input from Message CEO Andy Hawthorne, latest news from the ministry and a chance to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes at one of the nation’s most effective youth outreach organisations.

Anyone in the business world who shares our heart is welcome to join us.

Sympathy with our Christian ethos is essential but a personal Christian faith is not.

To find out more and for a personal invitation to our next BSG event, please contact Tess Hartley on tess.hartley@message.org.uk or 0161 946 2304.

(This article if from the Spring 2010 issue of flow Magazine)

***

Matt Hawthorne joined the Reflex team last year. Here are a few extracts from his diary during his first few months on the job.

There is a lad in our Hindley discipleship group called Evan*. He used to argue with the officers and get into fights daily (and had the ability to win most of them as well). He just had a lack of respect for everyone and himself. He recently became a Christian and the change in his attitude is astonishing. He now has a servant hearted attitude, helping out even before asked. Even the officers are shocked at the change. I asked him why, and he replied, ‘That’s what happens when you put your life in God’s hands’.

—–

One lad we first met in Forest Bank in September called Lee had a very hard exterior to begin with. He really didn’t want to open up, and kept himself to himself. However, after completing the music course, Lee asked to start our Uncut course, introducing the Christian faith. It was clear that he was really searching, but at the same time not wanting to be too vulnerable. A couple of weeks into the course we found out that Lee was in for a crime that had a lot of media attention. Because of this tragedy, Lee was understandably holding a huge amount of guilt, but praise God that Lee became a Christian at the end of the Uncut course, and is now part of a Discipleship course every Thursday.

—–

I was leading a Bible study in Hindley last Tuesday, going through Mark with eight lads aged between 16 and 18. Five of these guys had become Christians recently and are really growing and maturing. Three other guys had completed the Alpha course but not become Christians, but at the end of the session were really interested.

One of the three – Darren – was asking questions and said that he wanted to become a Christian but that he didn’t want to lose his youth. Basically, he wanted to be able to go out, get drunk and sleep around. Without the team saying a word, the inmates who were already Christians started to explain how Jesus had changed them. One told about how since becoming a Christian, he didn’t want to get drunk, take drugs or sleep around. After he’s hearing this, Darren gave his life to Christ along with another guy. At the end of the session the whole group were really excited about being ‘brothers’ in Christ!

—–

One of the managers from Styal came for a meeting, asking us to expand the work we do, thanks to the success we’ve seen over the last six months. On the wing that we work on regularly, there used to be an incident of some sort every week – either a riot, a fight, self-harming, or attempted suicide. But since Reflex started running sessions, there have been no incidents for six months! She loved both the youth work and the Christian work that we do, and asked us to do more in the prison.

*All young people’s names have been changed

Message CEO Andy Hawthorne’s latest book Hope Unleashed has made the shortlist of Christianity Magazine’s prestigious Book of the Year award.

The book, looking at the Gospel of Luke and what it means for mission today, is one of five books to be shortlisted for the award, and faces competition from bestselling authors Mark Stibbe, John Ortberg, Tom Wright and Nicky and Sila Lee.

The winning book will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Christian Resource Exhibition (CRE) at Sandown Park, Esher, on May 11.

Voting is now open and the first 1,000 votes will be rewarded with free entry to the exhibition between 11- 14 May. Five voters will also be in with a chance of winning £100 worth of Christian books.

Please take a minute to vote for your favourite book, and who knows, maybe Andy will scoop Book of The Year!

You can buy a copy from our Online Store for just £5.99 (25% off RRP) with free P&P.

Or get a free copy when you sign up to become a regular giver to The Message.

(This article is taken from the Spring 2010 issue of flow Magazine)

***

A key strand of The Message’s work with young people is in the North West’s young offenders’ institutions. We spent time with the Reflex team to find out more.

Most people have no real concept of what life in prison is like. Our impressions from TV or fiction will be of a lonely, hopeless place; a long wait for freedom.

But imagine if, even before you reached adulthood, you found yourself being punished for a bad decision you made and facing a long stretch behind bars.

For the approximately 2,000 young offenders in prisons across the North West and several hundred more in juvenile units, this is the desperate reality.

With convictions ranging from violent and sexual offences, to robbery, burglary, and drug offences, many are facing sentences which will steal many of their best years. And upon release, they’ll face even bigger challenges of resettlement and reintegration into society. Their sentence won’t end when they walk out of the prison gates.

‘We do everything we can to give hard-to-reach young people vision and hope, to stop them making the kinds of mistakes that will land them in prison,’ says Message CEO Andy Hawthorne. ‘But we realised that for some, we were getting there too late. More than anything, lads and girls in prison need to hear about Jesus and be offered the hope that only he can bring.’

Reflex mainly works with young offenders: in other words, young men and women convicted of a criminal offence between the ages of 18 and 21.  But they also work with juvenile offenders aged 17 and under.  Most are male but some 16% are female.

Simon Sullivan manages the Reflex team of four full-time staff, two interns and a large team of volunteers. He’s been working with the Message since 2006 when he felt God call him away from a 20 year career in engineering:

‘There’s such a need for Christian workers in Young Offenders’ Institutes. Even though prison chaplains do fantastic work, not many have worked with young people or know what to do with them. Reflex came about to work alongside them in doing a difficult and important job.’

Reflex’s work in prisons began with Sunday meetings and Alpha courses run out of the chaplaincies in the region’s young offenders’ institutions: Forest Bank, Styal, Thorn Cross and Hindley.

But over the last few years, the team has developed a broader and more holistic programme designed to address what experts say are the four main reasons young people offend. Crime among young people frequently stems from a lack of positive role models, low self-esteem and confidence, a lack of achievement and non-constructive use of leisure time.

Simon sees it as no coincidence that the very things that experts name as the root causes of offending are also the four main ways Reflex positively affects the young offenders they come into contact with.

‘We’re spiritual fathers, significant role models, to loads of lads and girls. They are learning to be fathered. Once they’ve got that, they’ve got security and self-esteem. Jesus said “knowing the truth sets you free”. Once they get that truth, they can be free.’

To help address endemic low self-esteem among young offenders, the Reflex team aims to show them their true identity as people made in the image of God.

They emphasise that God has a plan and purpose for each young person, showing what true achievement looks like and giving them a sense of purpose to move on, living productive lives.

Reflex’s work of building relationships and releasing potential among young offenders now spans first-contact detached work on the prison wings through to help with resettlement back into the community.

Many young offenders first meet the team during ‘association’– daily leisure time.  But the team runs several accredited courses during the day, such as the ‘Uncut’ course which helps young offenders to open up about their past, challenges their behaviour and brings them into contact with forgiveness and grace.

Together with Prison Fellowship and chaplaincy staff, Reflex also delivers Sycamore Tree, a restorative justice project that brings together victims of crime with groups of unrelated offenders.

Reflex also works together with Twelve24, In Yer Face and other specialist members of the Message team to deliver week-long music, drama and media projects. These are open to all young offenders and in some cases prison officers put names forward. Message teams set the tone but the participants are encouraged to engage creatively, writing lyrics and scripts.

Simon comments: ‘Of course we’re not going to be glorifying crime and drugs. We’re going to talk about identity and what’s next for your life. And ask the question: are you going to walk away from this?’

‘Or say we spend a week doing a music project. It’s not just about the music. What we get out of that is relationships. They spend time with us and they see Christianity proved to them, before their eyes. ‘

But how does this sort of work go down with hardened lads and girls whose lives are broken?

‘They love it. Team building, role play, games, it all helps bring young offenders out of themselves and gives them an amazing sense of achievement.’

Alpha courses in the prison chaplaincy are the way many young offenders get to ask questions about the team’s faith in Jesus, and find answers.

As they find faith, new believers are invited to join daytime discipleship groups, where they can encounter worship, take part in Bible study and pray for one another. The team works through the book of Mark, reading and discussing the text. Here the emphasis is on giving young offenders the skills to live a life of faith: to understand the Bible for themselves, to hear God and to pray.

‘Reading the Bible together and discussing it is so fruitful. We chew it up and think about it together – whether that’s a whole chapter or just a few verses. When you see how the Holy Spirit moves in these lads, it’s astounding. Even though they’re young in their faith, you can see God is doing something amazing.’

Helping ex-offenders get to grips with the real world after a long spell behind bars is crucial and Reflex aims to see all the men and women they have discipled settled into a supportive local church. Some are fed into work through organisations like Project Caleb.

Simon believes this particularly has a massive impact on reoffending. The latest available statistics show that seven out of ten young men released from the young offender custody re-offend within 12 months. However re-offending among Reflex’s clients is rare.

The team sees transformation in the lives of young offenders every day. Across the four institutions, as many as 30 young people responding to the gospel message each month. Some of the stories of transformation are breathtaking:

‘Wayne when he first joined us, his mental health was horrendous,’ remembers Simon. ‘He was brought up by a drug dealer. His dad beat him with crutches when he was a kid. The house he grew up in was raided by the police frequently. That’s all he’d ever been exposed to. When he was in prison he was attending health care all the time, hearing voices in his head.

‘When a lad called Wayne first joined us, his mental health was horrendous,’ remembers Simon. ‘He was brought up by a drug dealer. His dad beat him with crutches when he was a kid. The house he grew up in was raided by the police frequently. That’s all he’d ever been exposed to. When he was in prison he was attending health care all the time, hearing voices in his head.

‘A year later, Wayne was the one asking for worship songs in the group, raising his hands, introducing other people to Jesus. His mental health nurses were coming to our group to find out what we were doing. He was changed and his change was impacting other people. That’s what it’s all about.’

***

Find out more about Reflex

On our website, you can watch four powerful testimonies, including Wayne’s, on video. Plus, read staff member Bruce Marshall’s diary on his experience delivering a media project in prison.

(This article is taken from the Spring 2010 issue of flow Magazine)

***

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.

(This article is from the Spring 2010 issue of flow Magazine)

***

London is one of the world’s most popular tourist cities but my time in London hasn’t involved the usual sightseeing. Instead I’ve been well off the beaten track exploring London’s many council estates – places you’ll never see in the travel brochures.

The differences between Urban Manchester and Urban London include both the obvious and the subtle. Urban London estates are more obvious on the landscape – tall, concrete, fortress-like, and often very compact, unlike Manchester’s endless sprawls of low-rise council semi-D’s and terraces.

Another curiosity to me is the way that the London estates often sit side by side with rows of pricey gentrified houses. The most striking symbol of this wealth–poverty divide has to be the East End communities along the Dockland Light Railway where overcrowded council flats are overshadowed by the glittering towers of Canary Wharf.

In the face of extreme overcrowding and huge ethnic diversity, establishing Eden teams in London is a big challenge. Your prayers are needed on both these fronts. Because living in the community is central to the way Eden goes about its ministry, we need to see some real breakthroughs in the provision of property.

We need divine favour with local councils, housing associations and private landlords if we’re to find homes for all our workers. We also need to get our recruitment message through to non-white church networks if our teams are to reflect the diversity present in the communities they are serving.

All the signs are that God is making a way where there was no way – which is exactly what we’re believing for!

If you want to become part of the adventure in London, or want to get a ticket for the launch celebration on March 18, visit www.eden-network.org.uk/london

Name Roy Taylor

How long have you been here? 8 years

What is your role/what do you do? My job is to maintain the Eden Buses.  I look after the engines, fill the fuel tanks, make sure there is oil and water, take the buses for MOT’s and Safety Inspections, and make sure that the equipment on each bus is in good working order. The Eden Buses are almost 28 years old now, and need lots of nurturing.     

What’s your favourite part of the evening? When the buses come back at 10pm, because I know that they are back from their evening’s work and parked safely in the Bus Shed.

Please write a brief version of your testimony: I became a Christian after seeing a big change in my wife, and thought ‘I want some of that’. Things have happened in my life: I had ME (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) for eight years, and I was booked in for an operation, but it was called off because the problem had vanished! God is Good.