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Another one - 'If Jesus has forgiven you, can't you just go on sinning and it doesn't matter?' These are just a few of the brilliant questions asked to BCM Children's and Youth Workers in the past month as they have toured Birmingham's primary and secondary schools delivering assemblies, clubs and lessons, in both mainstream and special needs contexts.

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Youth Team Co-ordinator, John Platt, explained, 'During his ministry, Jesus asked those he met many questions, and always welcomed questions back. Much of his teaching was in response to a question he received. Children and young people naturally have all sorts they want to ask about the world and the meaning of life, so it is questions that enable us to share our faith in a way that is relevant to the asker.

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Lessons and clubs give us time to delve into topics and give students opportunity to ask questions. Initially students can be reticent, but with encouragement they write down questions on post-it notes or put up their hand to ask. Their teachers tell them, ‘Come on class, we have a practising Christian here. This is your opportunity to ask them the question that you have always wanted to ask!’ The teachers, if they do not have a Christian faith, cannot talk to students from a personal perspective and value the fact that our unique position as BCM workers enables us to do so.

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We reassure students we will not be offended if they ask questions that seem to challenge our faith, and that asking questions and assessing the evidence is a good thing to do about anything that is important in life. We try to answer them honestly, showing we have confidence in our faith, that the Bible stands up to scrutiny and that we can trust God with the questions to which we do not yet know the answers.'

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Exploring the Bible

Around 20 to 30 students attend one of the Youth Team's weekly discussion clubs. At that school teachers have recently noticed a group of Year 10 boys meeting each day to read the Bible together in the library, and our Youth Worker, Olly Scott, along with the pastor of a local church, have been invited to join them. Olly recounted, 'Everyone sat and listened whilst one boy read out John 1 and we had a great discussion. We explored themes as varied as creation, Christ's deity and who the Pharisees were. Praise God for what he is doing amongst their generation!'

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This Easter the Youth Team are visiting 20 secondary schools to lead assemblies on the theme of self-control, looking at Jesus in the wilderness and the Garden of Gethsemane, and challenging students to make wise choices each day. The Children's Team are delivering 9 special assemblies (pictured above) on the story of Barabbas.

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We need volunteers

If you are interested in being a regular volunteer delivering assemblies and lessons in schools, please email childrensteam@birminghamcitymission.co.uk or youthteam@birminghamcitymission.co.uk to discuss opportunities.

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