As I said as a group of London YFC directors we met in London. As well as wanting to see each other, as we get on so well, the main reason for meeting in the upper room of The Chandos in Trafalgar Square (which is called the Opera room and kitted out in leather sofas etc) was to look at running a volunteer scheme for YFC centres in the capital. In particular, hoping to contact those young people who also live in the city.
In particualr we want to enable young people to be involved that would not consider a gap year because of the financial cost to them. The YFC Year Out alone can cost between £2000 and £3000. That can be ok if you come from a well off church with loads of money to spare. Most of the young people we work with, however, do not have the networks to raise that kind of money. A large part of me asks, as well, why a young person who wishes to experience mission has to pay for it. In Gillingham we pay an allowance for our Gap Year scheme, which for most end up being at least 2 years.
As a group of directors we found ourselves discussing how the whole mentality of Gap Year did not sit easy with us. Gap year has become such big business that there are websites like this dedicated to them. To me, Gap Year implies a finite and measurable thing. It is as if we are saying do your gap year in mission and then that it is – go on to real life.
I do not need to see young people on Gap Years in mission. I want to be encouraging young people to take part in mission, so that they see it as part of their life, an ongoing commitment, rather than an activity to do before going to Uni or getting a real job!
I really hope that Chritian organisations can start to counteract this feeling associated with gap years. Taking ayear out for God is great, but God demands our lives, not just one year of it. I would hate to think that we had even less workers in the future involved in mission as a result of our keen-ness to get people enrolled in Gap Year schemes. We all know long term relational stuff is the real key that underpins everything; so lets start thinking that wayin all we do.
The upshot of this conversation was that we are to start recruiting for September 2005 with the mission feld being London. Rich from Kingston has set up a Mission in London website which will give more details as timegoes on. We hope we can encourage young people into thinking long term mission.
Did I mention all this chat and world changing thought occured in the upper room of the Chandos. There is biblical recedent for exciting things to come out of upper room meetings … I hope this is one such occsasion.
The Shiny Headed Prophet 
From FlashI am currently at the end of my year out with a certain year-out organisation in a certain city with a certain mission (with no transportation) going on next week. I have found it very difficult to raise money for the year out. My church could only afford to give me a certain amount and I found it very hard to get support. I also reckon that if I wasnt involved in children’s work or come from a family very involved in the church life I would maybe found it easier. Luckily my lovely parents have supported me a lot as well as a few fantastic supportersA few weeks ago I was talking in a greasy-spoon with 2 youth workers from other organisations who basically said that a major criteria to decide who can “gap-year” is the ability to pay. No wonder nearly all of us gap-yearers are white and middle class. Its so exclusive and aginst what I see the kingdom of god to be. Grrr I hate Capitialist ChristianityI think that the whole idea that mission is a seperate box that we dip into occasionally as a completely different person is wrong. I found it so hard doing a “mission” (as in find random people and tell them Jesus is great and all you need is him), I wanted to dig a well or help them build a solid shelter, not do some stupid sketch devised for street evangalism in 70s USA.
This resounds with me a lot. Obviously, mission is something that should be inherent to the nature of the whole church, rather than only a handful ‘going on mission’. Relationship can only happen in a very limited way on short term projects.As an antidote to the 3000 pounds charge, may I take this opportunity to invite people into mission to come here for free, well apart from normal rent costs, but there are jobs around. I’m serious, we have room for some people.Lucy