people sense there

Faith Guides Beth and Daisy run an incredibly successful children and youth programme – but they still really value the support they get from SU. They explain why, and why they think the young people they’re in contact with are open to hearing about Jesus in a post-pandemic world.

SU Mission Enabler Pete Croall supports Beth and Daisy, who are based in the neighbouring Berkshire villages of Binfield and Warfield near Bracknell. He says, ‘I went to visit one Friday evening when they had ALL STARZ for primary age children and RELENTLESS for teens, about 90 in total, mostly from non-church backgrounds. These particular groups are mainly about connecting, but Beth and Daisy are starting to explore faith with them as well. There’s clearly something really special going on here.’

Beth and Daisy also hold two other weekday evening groups including a Bible study group for 25 youngsters. Around 80 children and young people come to Sunday services too.

They are clearly doing fantastically well, so what value do Beth and Daisy get from being Faith Guides and having a relationship with SU?

‘It’s great to have that network of people to reach out to and bounce ideas off,’ says Daisy, youth pastor at Binfield All Saints with St Mark’s. ‘You can get stuck in your own way of doing things and it’s good to be inspired to try new things.’ Beth, the Children, Youth and Families Pastor at Warfield Church, adds, ‘It’s also helpful to know what might not work and why, and what kind of approach you need for the different stages of young people’s faith journeys.’

What do they see going on with young people post-pandemic?

‘They’ve ended up with a very unbalanced view of the world and are full of anger,’ says Daisy. ‘During lockdowns, social media became their safe space. But the way that social media works, it pulls them into communities of others with the same views and reinforces their beliefs. So we’ve been trying to get them out of the online echo chamber at our groups, to not be so black and white.’

Beth concurs. ‘They get their information from YouTube or Facebook, but they just take it at face value without questioning its validity. They are also swift to judge. For example, if a young person identifies as transgender and a peer uses the wrong pronoun, they get shunned – or in their language, “cancelled”.’

Finding an interest in faith

How do these young people feel about faith? ‘I’d say that they sense there is something more to life and they’re quite open on the whole,’ says Daisy. ‘They’re confused about a lot of issues and there are so many deep things going on with them. Some of them are asking for prayer life when they come to Friday evening groups if they’re going through a tough time.’

‘They know it’s our faith which drives us to genuinely care about them,’ Beth says. ‘We and our volunteers know all their names and what’s going on in their lives. We offer them a safe space, but we make sure it’s their space by asking them what they want to talk about and what activities they want to do.’

Pete concludes, ‘It was clear to me when I visited these Friday evening groups that the young people from the 95 do feel at ease there. They are inviting their friends along and the groups are growing rapidly. Please do pray for them on their journey to discover more about the God who loves them.’

Pray for the 95

Please pray for this great work in Binfield and Warfield, that Beth and Daisy will be able to help these young people find and grow in faith. Please also take time to pray for the 95 right across England and Wales, many of whom are facing real struggles in life. Pray that they will discover the love and hope of Jesus for themselves.