The Noise is about using acts and deeds of service to communicate the heart of the good news. It's a practical way to reach out to the community that everyone can get into. Typically, it can involve a group of people getting together and deciding to clean up the local shopping parade. This might include litter picking, scrubbing off graffiti or even repainting a wall.

It only takes a couple of hours but makes a significant albeit short term impact on the shop owners' lives and their customers while the local people that happen to be out and about raise their eyebrows and quietly take it all in.

These short term projects are effective for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are very inclusive. Anyone that can pick up litter, wash a car or scrub a wall gets to take part, whether a toddler or older. Secondly, they're a lot of fun. Assuming you don't bite off more than you can chew. Just get all your mates together and have a laugh in the process! Thirdly, there are visible results. Problems that local residents have been looking at for months, such as an alleyway filled with rotting mattresses, kitchen sinks and other rubbish, can be cleaned up in a couple of afternoons. Finally, they're effective because there's integrity in walking the talk.

Let your actions do the talking
This is what the Noise is all about. Sharing the gospel with our actions. Meeting a need or simply blessing people and just being a neighbour (in the Good Samaritan sense of the word… see Luke 10v25 for more). The Noise is about churches and youth groups doing small scale projects in their communities, being salt and light, serving and loving through actions.

A rubbish weekend?
Literally. Over the past few years Noise projects all over the place have seen churches and youth groups spend a weekend clearing rubbish from local streets, tidying gardens and parks, doing make over’s of people’s houses, holding community fun days and all sorts of other stuff too. Join with churches all over the country for a weekend of servant hearted action in the local community (3-5 May 2008).

The Noise Promo movie
Have a watch of our little promo movie from last year's Soul Survivor Watford Noise weekend to get an idea of what the Noise might look like.