SU beach missions continue to flourish, thanks to your support. Lottie Elson from Sutton on Sea had no connections with church as a child but found Jesus at the local annual SU beach mission. Now she volunteers on the team, sharing God’s love with the next generation.
As she was growing up, Lottie remembers how each summer the normally quiet little town would fill with an influx of mission visitors. Many stayed at the caravan park owned by Lottie’s granddad. During that fortnight, Sutton on Sea’s streets resounded with laughter and joyful singing drifting up from the beach.
‘My family weren’t churchgoers, but Mum started taking me to the beach mission when I was a toddler,’ Lottie recalls. ‘The people were nice and she thought it would be safe and fun. We went every year – they became like a second family. I really looked up to the volunteer team who ran it. I wanted to be one of them so badly!
‘I love helping the kids to explore faith...'
‘Although I came to faith gradually, there was one pivotal moment; I really struggled in secondary school, and one night I was in my room, doing homework for subjects I hated. I suddenly felt I had had enough, and like I was falling... Then I looked up at a picture on my wall, of me and my beach mission group in 2005. I remembered the faith of the leaders and what they had taught me: that God won’t give you a challenge that you can’t get through, and he’s always with you. In that moment I realised that I wasn’t alone; God was there. He was my safety net. He would always catch me.
‘One of the beach mission team leaders, like me, had no church background. It gave me hope that I too could be team and inspire other children without church connections. So when I turned 17, I volunteered. Unfortunately, the next summer we had to do the mission online because of lockdown! I helped edit the videos for it. Meantime, Sutton on Sea was eerily empty. Locals asked me when the mission would be back – they genuinely missed it. It’s something local families can enjoy (there’s not much else on in town), and local businesses benefit from the visitors too.
Part of the team
‘Thankfully, we’re now back doing the beach mission in person. I’m helping to lead the 11-13s (Seahorses). I love being with them – they’re very caring and make sure the quieter kids or those with special needs don’t get left out. They’re young enough to still want to play games and do craft, but they’re also starting to think for themselves and ask questions. Sometimes those questions are a bit challenging and I’m grateful to work with team who know more about the Bible than I do because I’m still learning too. I never feel like anybody’s judging me – they are always offering me encouragement! So my faith is growing, as is my confidence in sharing it.
‘I love helping the kids to explore faith, especially those without church backgrounds, because I know that they can feel they are “different” from the other children. It’s so rewarding when they ask questions and genuinely want to know more. And it’s so gratifying to know that I’m the one they trust to tell them about Jesus.’
Count me in
If you’d like to be part of an amazing beach mission team, like Lottie, or you’d love to give your time to make one of our residential holidays possible, find out more today!
#CountMeIn
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