About Me |
Some of you may be wondering who the person behind this dream is. Others will already know me to some degree or another.
Where I Am Now: College | Placement
| Name: | Mark Andrew Burgess |
| DoB: | 2nd August 1978 |
| Place of Birth : | Reading, Berkshire |
Current residence: |
Frome, Somerset |
| Occupation: | Student Youth Worker |
| Interests: | Drama & mime (writing, performing and running workshops, Gospel magic, music (playing bass/guitar & singing), cooking for others, my motorbike, chatting with friends, indoor climbing. |
Family:
Born in Tilehurst, wich is a suburb of Reading, Berkshire, I lived in the same house from a few days after birth until just after my 16th birthday. My immediate family consisted of, as it still does, my mother - Edwina, Father - Roy, and two brothers - Steven - 28 and Graham - 21.
Church and Music:
I was brought up to go to church. At the age of seven I was allowed to leave the Sunday School to join the church choir. The choir mistress, Mary Harwood, did a good job, and although to this day I still struggle to read music fluently, my singing voice is fairly good. I admit it was better before it broke though!
The music side is a very big part of my life - both for pleasure and for leading others in worship - although now unfortunately (and since the age of about 20) I no longer sing in a choir, but more the contemporary (sung) worship style groups. This is great, and I really enjoy it, but there is something special about singing sacred items in harmony with a large group of others. I moved away from the Anglican church a few years ago now, but there are some of the more 'traditional' elements which can enhance worship.
This is a brief summary of the education establishments I've attended (most recent first)
Oxford Brookes University Satelite course at Bristol Baptist College, Clifton, Bristol |
September 2003 - Due to finish July 2006 |
Will be: BA (Hons) Youth & Community Work and Applied Theology |
Bracknell College Bracknell, Berkshire |
September 1994 - July 1995 |
2 GCSE's: Media Studies and Photography |
Meadway Comprehensive School Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire |
September 1989 - July 1994 |
Left after GCSE's only English at grade C or above |
Moorlands Primary School Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire |
September 1983 - July 1989 |
No formal qualifications! |
This is a very brief rundown of my employment history to date (most recent first)
Place of Work |
Dates |
Brief Description |
|---|---|---|
Frome Community College & Frome's surrounding churches |
July 2003 - Present |
Student Youth Worker |
Bethel Baptist Church Penyrheol, Caerphilly |
September 2003 - July 2005 |
Student Youth Worker |
N/A |
July 2003 - September 2003 |
Rest Period Before Commencing Degree |
Keep Hatch Primary School Wokingham |
January 2003 - July 2003 |
Special Needs Assistant, working with a 5 year old statemented child, mostly 1:1 |
N/A |
November 2002 - January 2003 |
Rest Period After Leaving Community Life |
Lee Abbey, Lynton North Devon |
May 2001 - November 2002 |
Community member On the Youth & Children's Team and other Community duties |
N/A |
February 2001 - May 2001 |
Australia for 3 Months |
Waitrose Ltd Wokingham Branch |
November 2000 - February 2001 |
Working on the Meat & Fish Counter |
N/A |
October 1999 - November 1999 |
Rest Period After Leaving Community Life |
Lee Abbey, Lynton North Devon |
October 1999 - October 2000 |
Community member On the Youth & Children's Team and other Community duties |
St Agnes with St Pauls Church Whitley, Reading |
October 1998 - September 1999 |
Youth & Children's Worker |
Collect it! Ltd Bracknell |
September 1997 - September 1998 |
Subscription Manager (Publishing Company) |
Unemployed |
March 1997 - September 1997 |
Unemployed |
Fox Hill Primary School Easthampstead, Bracknell |
January 1996 - March 1997 |
Voluntary Classroom Assistant |
I'm currently living in Frome, Somerset (close to Bath) working in the second major placement for my degree. I'm being funded by FACT (Frome Area Christians Together) to work mainly based at Frome Community College - which is a state school in the three-tier system, so caters for years 9-13 (ages 13-18)
I hope you follow this, because it's a bit compicated! I'm an Oxford Brookes student (officially), studying at Bristol Baptist College, Clifton, a degree course: "BA(Hons) Youth & Community Work and Applied Theology". the course is run by CYM (Centre for Youth Ministry) in Swindon. Got all of that?!
I'm now two-thirds of the way through the course. By the end of this third year I will (hopefully!) gain my degree. This is fairly important, because although JNC (diploma) is the level to qualify as a youth worker, by 2010 the qualification will have been phased out, and the degree will be new professional qualification standard for youth and community work.
The course is, in essence, secular, but has been taken on by CYM working alongside NYA (National Youth Agency), to formulate a course with Theological input (from the Christian perspective). For those wanting to go into Christian youth work, this is a particular bonus.
As I mentioned above, I am working mainly at Frome Community College. As well as this I also do some work for the churches in the local area and surrounding villages - these are in the form of joint events, the main one being a Sunday evening every week, called 'Sunday Café', which is for the fifteen+ age group.
For those people who know me, performing arts, multi-media, etc. are a great passion. Frome Community College has 'Specialist Media Arts College' status, and includes two theatres, audio and visual recording studio, editing suite, radio transmitter for 'Frome FM' which they run a few times each year for the local community, a good music department, and much more - this means that I can use my passions and the things I'm good at to help fulfil the primary overarching sentence which sums up my role here in Frome, "Make Christianity Relevant".
I was due to be at my previous palcement in Caerphilly until I finish the course, but for the sake of continuing professional development - particularly in an area more suited to where I see my future leading me, decided that I should change for my final year. There are some photos of Caerphilly in the slide show. I will try to get hold of a digital camera at some point and add photos of Frome to it as well.
I have put together a slide show of various aspects of my life. If you would like to view this, click here.
There are only a ten slides here at the moment, but they will be added to over time.
To many people, I'm known as a very loud person who likes to tell bad jokes, and being the centre of attention.
I confess, I do tell rather bad jokes, but that's partly a family thing - you can chose your friends, but not your genes!
I would call myself though, which many people would disagree with - unless they really know me - quite a shy person and most definately an introvert. I describe myself as a 'noisy introvert', the reason for this being that I do need my own space and personal time, but I do love and need to be doing the drama and mime things. Also leading (sung) worship is something which really gives me energy. Maybe doing these things isn't draining because I get so immersed in them. I don't know. It's a strange combination I guess, but it's one which I cope with.
It would be great if I weren't so shy though. Having said that, when people share a passion which I do, then there is usually a flow of conversation - something which normally doesn't come too easily.
So if I am an introvert, and struggle with things such as conversation, why on earth do I feel that this Community House thing is a good idea? Simple really, God has put it on my heart. I love the living in Community thing - it's really tough at times, and you sometimes think "WHY AM I HERE?!" But deep down you always know if it's right for you and can always look back and see God's calling truly central to it all.
Even at some of my worst times in my faith, I've always known that I can't give up on God. At these times, however hard I have found personal prayer and devotion, there's been something in me which has made me know that showing compassion and love to others - bringing about God's Shalom and His Kingdom to others is essential, and something which, for some amazing reason - His grace, I guess - I need to be able to do, and where He still uses me.
There are some amazing people in my life who allow me to retreat to their places when I need to. Being able to get away, whether that's so that no one can contact me, or so that I can concentrate on college work without the placement stuff crowding in on me is really needed. I know that when I go to these people, they give me the space I need, but are also there to talk through things with me and pray with me - whatever I need.
People give out for God a lot more than I do, and when it comes to taking a break, find it hard - either due to finances or because their home is where their work is based - most clergy and ministers for starters, as well as those serving in places such as the Lee Abbey Community. I feel a deep yearning that God wants to use me to provide this place of anapauo - God's permission to stop, to cease, to rest and become refreshed.
If God put's something on a persons heart, it means he wants something done - even if that means going outside of their normal comfort zone. If those who believed in Christ never did this, would we even be here today?