Press Releases22 Jan 04

Young people are Good News

YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GOOD NEWS

22 January 2004

David Brown, Church of Ireland Youth Ministry Co-ordinator

There are many encouraging signs and a lot of hope in the church?s ministry among young people, according to David Brown, Church of Ireland Youth Ministry Co-ordinator.

Announcing the Church of Ireland Youth Department?s youth programme for 2004, David revealed that there are now 36 full-time and part-time workers currently involved in youth ministry across the Church, and that the number is expected to increase over the next few months.

?Young people are good news?, he said. ?Many are involved themselves in vibrant youth ministries in all parts of the country. The Church of Ireland Youth Department (CIYD) is providing resources both at diocesan and parish level and in partnership with statutory youth agencies. But of course it is vital that voluntary helpers come forward to supplement this professional support.?

David suggests that for many young people today the big issue is survival. ?Coping with school, parents? expectations, peer pressure, and often in holding down a part time job ?are very real pressures facing many young people,? he said.

Said David: ?In reaching these young people we need to say what we believe and believe what we say. They don?t want ?tick box? answers. They can smell a fraud a mile away. What they respond to is a ministry of integrity and relevance. We need to be where they are ? in the schools, in the youth organisations, in the streets.?

David, 37, is married to Wendy and they have two young children Tom, 6, and Poppy, 3. They live in Waringstown and in his first year in the job David has clocked up thousands of miles travelling around the country visiting youth workers and clergy and getting his feet under the table.

He concluded : ?We need to be challenged by young people. It is hard work getting to them but that?s our mission and we need to persevere in all humility and learn to listen to them. The church must allow young people to participate and to belong. In doing so they will discover that they are members of the Church family that by the grace of God gives them hope and encouragement on their faith journey.?

SOME CIYD EVENTS IN 2004:

Full Time Youth Ministers Retreat to Diocese of London: May 24th-May 27th, 2004. A unique opportunity for those involved in full or part time youth ministry to explore new patterns of mission and ministry across the Diocese of London.

The National Youth Leaders Convention: June 17th (Dublin) and June 18th and 19th (Belfast). A three day conference in partnership with the Methodist and Presbyterian Youth Departments focussing on Youth Ministry training and resources.

Labyrinth Prayer Walk @ Summer Madness: July 2nd-6th, 2004. Space to meet with the Lord, through quietness and contemplation. For all ages! (Please note, CIYD will also run Youth Ministry Leadership training during Summer Madness).

?Mind the Gap? Mission Conference: November 17th and 18th 2004. A two day conference led by Bishop Graham Cray (Bishop of Maidstone, and founder of Greenbelt and Soul Survivor), focussing on the ?gap? emerging between youth culture and Church practice in the 21st Century. Not to be missed!

For further information on these programmes, or to receive a complete CIYD Training and Events Calendar for 2004, please contact:

Mrs Barbara Swann, CIYD Office Administrator on (028/048) 9047 2744