Testimonials
Shane Claiborne
“For years, Mission Year has been the best onramp into radical discipleship for young Christians. Mission Year is the gateway drug to revolution. I am absolutely thrilled to see this program, which has been a gift in North America, make its way across the pond. May we all continue to become the Church we dream of so that we can build the kind of world that we are proud of. It begins by diving full on into the pain, perhaps for a year, and asking how our deepest passions connect with the world’s deepest pains.”
Shane Claiborne – author, activist, and speaker
Andy Croft
“Jesus calls the Church to be light in a dark world. Mission Year is answering this call. It’s an opportunity to shine brightly and shine together. The future of our nation will be shaped by local church – I can’t commend the heart behind Mission Year highly enough.”
Andy Croft, Associate Director of Soul Survivor
Pete Hughes
“Mission Year is a fantastic opportunity to really engage with and serve the local community and local church.”
Pete Hughes, Leader of KXC, an Anglican Church plant in King’s Cross London
Mission Year participants
“We feel our life is so much richer now. We’ve learnt so much about ourselves. Living in a community where we are the minority trying to act out beliefs in practical ways.”
Jemimah & Ewan McAlpine, 2010 Mission Year participants (employment stream)
Mission Year host church
“Mission Year people at St Peter’s Bethnal Green are a key ingredient to meeting the needs of our neighbourhoods, to our creative collaboration with other local churches and also to helping build our church as authentic community.”
Adam Atkinson, Vicar of St Peter’s Bethnal Green
Mission Year 2011 participant
“When I fou
nd out I would be moving to London I was excited at the chance to get involved with an inner-city church serving the local community. Mission Year provided this opportunity, connecting me with St Paul’s Shadwell in Tower Hamlets. St Paul’s is an active, vibrant church in a predominantly Muslim area. Serving our community here means engaging with other faiths in a context of the highest rates of child poverty anywhere in the country. For me, that means getting involved in TELCO, the East London community organisation, and building relationships with the local mosque to explore how we can work together for justice in our community. I work full time for Church Urban Fund, a Christian charity tackling poverty in England, and I am fortunate to be able to learn from the experiences of other Christians working in their communities all over the country. In our house, we’ve found the year to be a financial challenge, but living in community means we all try to support each other in whatever ways we can. Mission Year is a brilliant idea, and I hope it can enable more willing Christians to ‘seek the welfare of the city’.
Stephen Tunstall, based at St Paul’s Shadwell (part-time stream)
Mission Year 2011 participant
“I’m based in the East End and have been blessed with the chance to engage with quite a variety of things. My focus is the church where I’m based, where we have just opened a Christians Against Poverty (CAP) centre and have had the chance to build relationships with local housing associations, and charities to promote the CAP service, as well as going on client visits and bringing the hope of debt-help and God’s living grace into people’s homes. I’ve also been blessed to explore cafe ministry with ‘Kahaila’ on Brick Lane, which has been hugely invigorating! These things are all examples of what drew me to Mission Year in the first place, over other church apprenticeship/intern schemes, where I’ve been able to really engage with God’s people and the wider community – allowing me to experience the rough and readiness of gospel work in the East End. The highlight has been how God has communicated with me in my time so far, his clear words of how well he knows me and how he wants to release me to explore the gifts he’s given me to use long-term for his glory. What more could I ask for!”
Rebecca Harding, based at Church for the City in East London (employment stream)
Mission Year 2011 participant
“I primarily signed up for Mission Year to mature as a Christian. For me changes happen when I step out in faith. Mission Year is a step of faith. It is out of my comfort zone and I hope this means I grow extensively! In addition, I believe Mission Year is a great way to share my faith with my friends, family and work colleagues. So many people have been asking questions. Why am I doing it? How would it work? Since signing up for Mission Year, I have had the longest conversations with several people about my Christian faith. I am looking forward to the surprises God has in store for me this year. I have no idea what to expect but I think my Mission Year will be a roller-coaster adventure!”
Heidi Ijomah, St Peter’s Bethnal Green (employment stream)
