Britain

About Youth for Christ Britain

We have come a long way since June 1944 when our very first ministry called Youth for Christ started on the streets of Liverpool to provide an alternative event to the Saturday night drunken street parties (two years before Billy Graham visited). Now with a national mandate and a local presence with a ministry that reaches out to over one million young people a year in so many different ways, the fire that began to burn in Liverpool burns all the brighter today.

We take seriously our need to present a wholistic Gospel of demonstrating and declaring the good news. That includes our schools work (chaplaincy, clubs, RE curriculum for teachers), at risk young people in prisons or who face exclusion, missions and evangelism teams, internet evangelists, our church resources department that exists to equip the local church, and our active local ministries who engage with young people wherever you might find them, to provide help, guidance, and the life-changing message of Jesus.

Young people in Britain are being reached through:

1) More than 70 local centres: Local Youth for Christ centres tackle the real issues facing young people today, such as: family breakdown, binge drinking, bullying and self-worth. Activities include: drop-in youth clubs, school lessons, social-action projects and detached youthwork on the streets.

2) YFCOne: Youth for Christ’s unique approach to mission is to reach young people with young people. We do this by teaching young adults how to use their individual gifts in music, sport, leadership, dance, youthwork, and communication, to share their faith with their peers, and we place volunteers in teams located around Britain.

3) Resourcing over 1,000 churches to reach out to their local young people with relevant youth resources and evangelistic activity holidays. Mettle, a new resource, enables churches to reach and disciple 14-18-year-olds with fresh, ongoing material.

4) Reflex: is the nationwide initiative helping young offenders in custody to build a fresh start. Youth for Christ is investing in young people on the fringe of society, building their self-esteem by encouraging creative reflection and positive expression. Care is also provided for ex-offenders, meeting them at the gate after their release and helping them to find a place to live, a job and a church.