Tony
came into our open youthwork around 9 years ago. A streetwise
un-churched young man with an insecure home-life and an interesting
bunch of friends. Tony writes, " My background was one of
loneliness, lack of love and affection and hurt...in care as a
kid...so that again speaks for itself...one thing led to another
- draw led to speed, speed led to acid, acid led to e's and e's
led to raves. By this time (without realising it) I was in over
my head and all I could do to make me feel I wasn't going crazy,
was to keep doing the drugs. Then the clubs, the come down of
hard drugs....stoned every night...". He soon got into attending
the youth fellowship at the church as well, developing strong
links with both sets of leaders He became a Christian and we were
excited and encouraged by his 'conversion' - he was making a real
stand for God. Soon he was standing up at the front of church,
sharing what God had done.
However
many of the young people at church didn't appear to have to contend
with the pressures he faced on a day-to-day basis. Tony writes
about his background and friends, "as for friends, I hung
about with all kinds of people from speedfreaks to heroin addicts
and from thieves to dealers ( not car dealers). Towards the end
I was hanging around with people who considered themselves to
be travellers, not like Irish Travellers but more like new age
travellers....as for the difference between problems faced by
them and those of young church attenders, I think that one speaks
for itself. I don't really see much comparison between the two."
Understandably he found it hard at times to relate to the culture
of the church and see a radical enough sort of Christianity that
would be accessible for his mates. He knew he had met with God
big-time - but church was tough - and he soon fell away from regular
attendance. He got deeper into drugs and other issues and for
several years most of us saw little of him.
About
3 years ago he turned up wanting to ask loads of questions and
work through some key issues. He remembers the questions as, 'things
like, how to get out of the draw because it was beginning to play
with my mind...how I could get off drugs and back to church would
have been the main dilemma..." There were also issues for
him of identity, security, self-esteem, purpose, reality, church
culture, childhood, and so much more. He was convinced that though
in his mind, he wasn't in the 'right place' ...he felt that God
had never left him and that one day he would come back. In fact
he'd seen some miracle prayers answered for his mates which they
could hardly believe - but coming back to church was a big barrier.
Around
6-12 months on he again turned up, again he needed gentle encouragement
and opportunity to ask questions. Tony began to sort his life
out and deal with important issues like the drugs and in time
he's come back, moved out of his house, where there was frequent
drug abuse, and begun work in a new context. He's doing well.
How
can we better balance the concepts of conversion and a spiritual
journey of discovery of Jesus?
What support could your church realistically and non-judgementally
offer a young person who needed to get out of their accommodation
in order to break with some difficult habits?
How easy it is write people off...when actually we're all on a
journey of two steps forward and one step back. Hanging on to
people too tight can make them want to pull away and letting go
is probably a Jesus-characteristic.
What priority should we give to following up those who appear
to lose interest or not hack the 'narrow road' compared to working
with those whom we've still got?
