08 December 2008
Enthusiastic young people from dioceses all over England
showcased the ambitious new ways they are doing mission at the
'Dare To…' event on 6th December at Church House in Westminster -
whilst an artist captured the spirit of the day in a new piece of
graffiti-style art.
The young project leaders welcomed an invited audience of 80
young people from various dioceses - including some of the 10
dioceses that will qualify for pump-priming grants of up to £3,000
from the Church of England's Youth Evangelism Fund (YEF) in 2009
for the creation of more exciting new projects in their areas.
Launched in 2006, the YEF grew out of a report presented to
General Synod in 2002 entitled Good News for Young People: The
Church of England's National Youth Strategy, which included
proposals for a Youth Evangelism Fund. It aims to enable more young
people to connect with the Gospel and develop faith within the life
of the Church by allowing the young to share faith with friends in
ways that make sense to them. Each year for five years, eight to 10
dioceses are to receive YEF support to resource their dreams in
mission.
At the 'Dare To…' event on Saturday in the Assembly Hall at
Church House, some of the young people who received YEF funding
showcased their projects either by interview presentation or by
demonstration; a puppet theatre group, stand up comedian and
drummers appeared live. Mark Russell, the CEO of Church Army and
the youngest member of the Archbishops' Council, spoke and inspired
all to be "daring in mission".
All attendees were encouraged to speak about their reflections
on reaching their generation in a diary room chair and in other
creative ways, including assisting Sarah Hicks, a graffiti artist,
who was commissioned to work with the young people on the day. The
resulting graffiti wall was presented to Mark Russell, Katherine
McPherson and Dr Phillip Giddings of the Archbishops' Council at
4pm for display at Lambeth Palace.