Booked your place yet for a Get Set training day? We are counting on you being there - along with those in your church who work with children, youth, outreach and more.

We are hearing of churches coming in groups of six or more so they can cover all the bases and make the most of the help on hand. Great idea.

Do please forward this email to all you think could use the information and help it offers.

Thank you.

Peter Meadows

Get Set was 'brilliant' say first participants

TYPICAL OF COMMENTS after our first 'Get Set' training day for churches was, 'Today has been brilliant. I'm leaving feeling it's now possible to reach my community'.

So make sure your church is well represented when 'Get Set' comes your way over the next couple of months. They'll get new ideas, strategies, skills and resources to help them well beyond 2012.

We are UK-wide on Saturdays from 10.30am to 4.30pm with choice of 11 workshops including Running a Community Festival, Using Sport to Impact Every Age-group and Being a Games Pastor, Reaching Children and Youth, the Torch Relay and Your Community, Prayer, Using International Mission Teams, Mission Through the Paralympics and Games-related Social Justice.

To register or get more information go here. For a flier to email or print and pass on go here.

The dates and locations for 'Get Set' are February: 25th Reading, 25th Cardiff, March: 3rd Stoke ,3rd Bath, 10th Wolverhampton, 10th Central London, 17th Greenwich, 17th Gateshead, 24th Barnsley, 24th Weymouth, 31st Bolton, 31st East London, April: 21st Glasgow, 21st Stevenage, 28th Belfast, 28th Nottingham.

Free - ideas and resources

THANKS TO THOSE GREAT PEOPLE at Traidcraft there's now a free, 48 page, compendium of ideas and resources waiting for you.

Inside you'll find -

• Ideas to help your church engage with its community during the Games and the Torch Relay.
• Resources to help the church 'get it' including an all-age sermon, sketches, prayers and outlines for small groups.

Throughout there's an emphasis on how to do everything with the justice issue of fair trade in mind. To request yours go here.

Could a Youth Café work for you?

YOUTH CAFÉS ARE A NEW and effective way to build relationships with young people from beyond the church. And there's now a free resource to help you run one with a sporty theme during the Games.

A Youth Café involves a setting where -

• Young people of secondary school age leave the streets to find a relaxed place to have fun and experience community
• On hand are a mix of snacks, drinks, computer games, board games, pool, craft activities, musical instruments, snooker and table tennis

The Youth Café approach was pioneered by Aylesbury Vale Youth for Christ and is becoming widely adopted by churches and others. For all you need to know go here.

Amazing guide to prayer now available

WITH MISSION AND PRAYER needing to go hand in hand, the newly released Prayer Guide from More Than Gold has all you need to make it happen.

The almost 40 pages of creative resources can be downloaded here and include -

• How to build regular prayer for the Games into the life of a church
• What the Bible says about praying for a major sporting event
• Extensive topics for prayer with links to websites
• Creative ways to include prayer in church
• Planning a Games prayer meeting
• How to run a Prayer Walk for the Games
• Prayer resources for children and sports groups
• Written and responsive prayers for the Games

This must surely be the most practical and comprehensive guide to prayer through a major initiative ever.

News in brief

Lots of free stuff is now on the website. Go here for lots of free resources on youth, children, prayer, publicity, festivals and more.

Games Pastors needed. At major passenger hubs, they will help the thousands of travellers, sightseers and spectators with practical and spiritual help. For information click here.

Facebook is where the action is. The news breaks daily on our Facebook page. Be first to know. Go to Facebook.

Prayer points

Please give thanks:

• For the interest of BBC Local Radio to what churches are doing in their area and the coverage being given
• For the highly positive response to the first 'Get Set' training day
• The way churches are working together with a big vision to reach their communities

Please pray for:

• The recruitment of suitable Games Pastors to serve the thousands of visitors and hosts to welcome the family members of athletes
• Strength and wisdom for those working at the core of More Than Gold day by day

For the latest prayer points to use and share click here.