Looking back at 2009 I can't help being amazed at what has been achieved. This time last year we were just beginning the internal refit of the bus and here we are now up and running with stories to tell of the impact this resource has had wherever the church has taken it. We are currently completing the last section of the exhibition which as you can see below has been designed in an exciting way to communicate what the church is and what churches do.

The Christmas period was a great opportunity which we made the most of with visits to Hawkwell Baptist Church, Thundersley Congregational and the switching on of the Leigh-on-Sea Christmas lights. We have had the pleasure of showing the bus to a mayor, a member of parliament and a head teacher all of whom were very positive and interested in what we were doing.

2010 looks like being a fantastic year of growth for the project with bookings coming in as word spreads about Route One. Keep an eye on the upcoming events above as details are added of the events the bus will be at and contact us if you would like to be involved in any of them.

What a great opportunity Christmas brings with our society focusing the whole month of December around Jesus birthday. But as you know so many people barely give Jesus a second thought at Christmas as it becomes all about time off, presents, decorating, and eating too much. This Christmas Route One is getting involved in refocusing people onto the real meaning of Christmas. We were at the switching on of the Christmas lights in Leigh-on-Sea and will also be involved with Christmas events with Hawkwell Baptist Church and Thundersley Congregational Church. We really had a great time at the Leigh Lights switch on with loads of people coming on the bus including local councillors and the local MP for Southend West. We also had a chance to reconnect with some of the young people we have previously seen in Southend High School for Boys who were very pleased to see the bus and have the opportunity to show their parents around. We also had some great conversations with other families and groups of young people who we hope to get the chance to see in the future in their schools.

Route One at the Leigh Lights

We have completed our first school visit which was into Southend High school for Boy’s. We had a fantastic time on the bus taking lessons with

year 7 on Jesus death and resurrection and also spending time with year 12 & 13 students who were able to ask us anything they wanted in a grill a Christian question time.

It was great to hear lot’s of “wow’s” and “ah cool’s” as they came on the bus and all the students seemed keen to get involved in discussion and engage with the lesson’s. For the year 7's we split into groups and moved them around different areas of the bus focusing on the crucifixion and resurrection explaining what the bible shows us and what it means for Christians. There were so many positive comments from both the students and the teaching staff. One teacher said they would love to use the resource for teaching all the time and we also received an email from a parent who wrote-

“Just a short note to say that my son recently went on to the bus and said that he had an unforgettable, enjoyable and educational experience. A big thank you to you all and keep up the good work!”

Thank you to everyone who has helped this visit happen especially the volunteers who did a great job of leading the group work and answering questions. We will certainly look forward to returning to the school in the future