Books and Covers

What an interesting 10 days! A week last Friday saw Phil trying to explain to around 70 residents of Alexandra Gardens why we were taking hot chocolate and bbq's to the young people who hang around their estate. These kids are noisy, and residents feel intimidated by them. In fairness to the residents, nobody would welcome large numbers of youths gathering outside their bedroom window late at night, talking loudly, sometimes shouting and always leaving behind litter. On the other hand, these are not exactly crimes of the century and neither are they indicative that these young people have bad intent. Despite their slightly intimidating appearance (they're often in large groups), we know from our contact with them that individually many are polite, intelligent, engaging and, frankly, not unlike many of the residents' own young children will likely be in years to come - or at the very least, not unlike the majority of young people of today whose choice is to not join regular groups like the Scouts, or stay at home. Their most heinous 'crime' to date is thoughtlessness. Books and covers.

And so, with some intensity of feeling, the residents made it clear to Phil that Outside Light is not welcome in Alexandra Gardens. Phil bravely faced a barrage of negative comments when he stood before them - 'We don't mind you doing your youth work, we just wish you'd do it somewhere else'. Also, they said that the kids were there because of us. Although only a small number spoke, I can see how easy it would have been to have believed that all of the residents were against the work we're doing there. But you'll see later that that wasn't the case.

Monday (following the residents' Friday meeting) we re-visited Alexandra Gardens this time not taking hot chocolate, (we didn't want to show disrespect for the residents but at the same time wanted to show faith with the young people by going). We did, however, meet Enid there who has been advising Eileen (KRA) about young people (the non-joiners) around Knaphill. What they told her was the same as they've been telling us, which is that they're not there to wind-up the residents; they're there only because of the 'outside' light in the car park, not because of Outside Light; and because they don't have anywhere else to hang around with their mates. 

So far, neither do they seem interested in 'hanging out' somewhere inside. That's a challenge. Why? Let's look at the options we're left with:

1. We leave them alone.
   Result: no change other than increasing tension between residents and them
2. We examine providing an indoor facility and making it really attractive
   Problem: even with huge investment, there's no guarantee they'd use it, especially if the facility is geographically not where they want to be
3. We meet these young people where they are and look at influencing behaviours
   Problem: what happens when it's wet and cold?
4. We try to make a bridge between young people, residents and council/councillors/KRA and to improve each group's understanding of the other two groups.
   Potential Result: We find something that the young people want to do - like playing football, and we somehow facilitate that by either providing floodlighting or by perhaps using football facilities at Winston Churchill School. Effectively taking them away from houses, to a place they'd rather be. A positive result all around.

All of which has taken me off the point of this particular blog - which is that what seems to be, isn't always what is. Books and covers..

Tuesday following the special meeting of residents at Alexandra Gardens, KRA held its own meeting (which had been organised some time ago), at which Ray Morgan (Chief Executive of Woking Borough Council) was to speak.

Again I wasn't there - I was chairing a meeting of Horsell Common - but I'm told that Alexandra Gardens residents once more turned out in numbers and that comments were made by the Chair of KRA and by Ray Morgan in support of Outside Light that led to around ten of them walking out of the meeting. This left a similar number whom Phil approached at the end of the meeting, but this time he found them to be broadly supportive and understanding of the fact that we're trying to help. Which brings me back to my opening point; which is that in the same way that residents have made judgement on young people whom they have yet to meet, I probably was guilty of having formed opinions of residents, only one of whom I'd actually met. My opinions were that: 

• the residents had a problem, 
  
• I could sympathise with their problem, 
  
• that their unforgiving response to the problem was unlikely to produce the result they demanded. In short, and somewhat ironically, I thought them very judgemental, lacking in human concern and not terribly bright insofar that through newspaper reports, they had succeeded in making their quite pleasant residential road sound like a sink estate in one of our larger cities.

All of which goes to show that the saying that one should never judge a book by its cover, is spot-on. In fact, I've said before in this blog that it's probably better just not to judge others at all - it's a shame that on this occasion I didn't stick to my personal rule. As a result of the Chair of the KRA and Ray Morgan speaking plainly to the residents, and because of Phil bravely walking up to those residents who stayed until the end of the meeting, there is now a glimmer of hope. It seems too that some of the residents were unhappy with the way Phil was spoken to at the earlier meeting, and they have since been talking amongst themselves - all of which resulted in an email being circulated indicating that they are prepared to partake in a panel to 'help solve the problem'. Books and covers.

With all of this said, anyone new to this blog would be forgiven for asking what Outside Light is all about? What's it for and what motivates us? Are we just a bunch of do-gooders looking to involve ourselves in a problem that doesn't affect any of us individually? Here are some pointers:

• Outside Light is unashamedly about sharing the love of Jesus. 
• Jesus sometimes taught in temples but his only sermon was delivered on a mountain. We believe that church is a great place for Sunday worship but we also believe that it could be far more than that. It could be 'Mission Control' - the place from where Mission to the community is coordinated. Outside Light is, therefore, for outreach. But since Outside Light is primarily for sharing the love of Jesus, it is not exclusively for church outreach. Outside Light is also very much engaged in Direct Youth Work - simply, we work with and serve young people where they are - outside.
  
• We know Jesus as someone who took action. We too are therefore called to action if we are to lead the life that God intends for us.
• Phil and I have considered of these young people - particularly the ones that live in Old Woking - how would we feel if these were our children? With a different God-design, my son Tom could be James (the boy with the foul mouth) or Phil's son Jack could be Sam, (the lad in prison).
• We also leave the comfort of our church and homes because we believe that Christians have a place in society and that according to our Faith, we have responsibilities to the world as defined in the Bible.
• We're concerned as to the vulnerability of some of the younger kids - some of the girls hanging around with the older lads, are very young. Although we're not certain that they are at any risk.
• We think that without adult interest, the behaviour of young people in large groups might degenerate further than it does when we're there. In fact we think that when we're there, their behaviour tends to be quite good. Since the residents suggest that behaviour is really bad most times, it might be fair to conclude that we're actually having a positive influence when we're there. Taking hot chocolate is a simple service that helps us show these young people that they're valued. I think it's accurate to claim that when people don't feel valued they're more inclined to let their behaviour decline.
• We've noticed as well that very often older people in cars leave when we arrive.
• Outside Light is also an expression of our love of God. It's a place for experiencing strong fellowship and it's therefore a place that Christians grow deeper into their Christian faith as a result of working and walking together, and of seeing God at work, especially in the lives of the young people we're serving.

I know that this blog is regularly read by people who as yet do not have a Christian faith. Several months ago it was a dilemma for me as to what we should therefore say about our walk in faith. How much should we emphasise the social aspect of our work compared with the Christian motivation for Going and Doing? Would our Christian motives affect any chances of funding? Yes, we do need funding, hot chocolate and milk doesn't pay for itself :o)

But to hide that we do this work because of our love for Jesus would be a denial of Him and that's simply one thing that we're unable to do. Let this edition of the blog be a declaration, therefore, that as well as serving young people, we're here very much to challenge what has become the traditional and popularly held perception of Christianity - but as an idea is in fact many miles away from the true tradition of the Faith - which is that Christians go to church on Sundays and they are irrelevant to the wider world.

Outside Light therefore challenges conventional ideas of Christianity that are held equally by those with no faith and (somewhat disturbingly) by some WITH faith. We very much believe that our God wants his people to look outside of church buildings and to start relating to their communities. Church buildings are good, yes - but unless we corporately look outside of the doors, GO and DO within our communities, our church will bear little relevance to anyone other than those inside! In this sense, Outside Light is intended to do exactly what it says on the tin - which is to spread the light of Jesus Christ, Outside. In this sense, Outside Light proves the exception to the Books and Covers rule. COME AND JOIN US.

Lots of love

John