Ten years ago, church youth worker Ellie Payne, now director of Wildfire Youth Project, began visiting a Winchester school. As she walked the corridors, she had a vision of young people earnestly seeking God. This year, that vision became a reality in a sudden and unexpected way.
Wildfire, an SU Local Mission Partner, now regularly brings a double-decker bus to the school to host drop-in sessions, courses and mentoring for pupils. But back in 2016, Ellie was just starting out. She recalls, ‘I was doing a prayer walk round the school and had this vision of young people praying and seeking God and worshipping him. I kept praying into it, but nothing seemed to happen.
‘Then recently a young person asked us if we’d heard about the new Christian Union…
‘We hadn’t! So, I popped my head in and introduced myself to Alex and Dan, two of the three teenagers who had started the CU two months previously having only recently come to faith themselves. Their faith is fresh, vibrant and infectious – and now there are 80 young people representing every school year, sitting anywhere they can, thirsting to hear more about Jesus!
‘We stay in the background but support the CU however we can, coming to sessions, bringing snacks and Bibles to distribute, providing resources. And, of course, we and the boys’ own churches are praying for them.’
A MOVEMENT LED BY YOUNG PEOPLE
Alex’s faith journey began when, curious about the Bible, he bought himself a copy to read. He started going to church and was baptised and confirmed a year later. He says, ‘I noticed many people had similar stories of coming to faith or were trying to explore it. We thought it would be a good idea to start a Christian Union and enlisted the help of one of our teachers who let us use his classroom. We wanted to create a space where people could talk, learn about Jesus and pray as a community.
‘It requires complete trust and obedience to God if we want our CU to grow – after all, it is the Holy Spirit that turns and draws hearts to God. So, we must pray for others, that they might find the peace brought by following Jesus.’
"THERE ARE 80 YOUNG PEOPLE REPRESENTING EVERY SCHOOL YEAR, SITTING ANYWHERE THEY CAN, THIRSTING TO HEAR MORE ABOUT JESUS!”
"IT REQUIRES COMPLETE TRUST AND OBEDIENCE TO GOD IF WE WANT OUR CU TO GROW”
Dan became a Christian the summer prior to starting the CU. He says, ‘I was thinking about a church sermon where they spoke about not letting your fire for Jesus go out. My brother had started a CU and thought it would be helpful for Christians to be able to meet up in school, talk about their walk with God and learn more, and to invite others to learn about Jesus too.
‘I’ve learned a lot – to incorporate time for questions as that’s key to getting people involved; make sure it’s accessible for those who aren’t Christians while not watering down the gospel; and ensure they all feel loved, whether that’s through being heard or it just being a safe space for them to speak their mind about God.’
The three teenage founders of the Christian Union will be leaving school soon but have already successfully handed over its running to the next year group. Around half the pupils at the CU are not from church families and, as CU sessions are only 20 minutes long, they may have many unanswered questions. Ellie says, ‘Wildfire and local churches are discussing what they might offer alongside the CU without detracting from it, to give these young people opportunities to explore faith more deeply and, we hope, respond to Jesus.’
THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS
SU is here to encourage and support Local Mission Partners like Wildfire – local groups or organisations that share our vision and values while working in their own communities. Partners receive tailored support from SU to help them respond to local needs and ensure even more children get to discover Jesus.