“We didn’t have youth leaders, but we did have willing people.”
For Revd Hazel White, Vicar of St Mary’s Selly Oak, that was enough to begin.
St Mary’s is a diverse church community in Selly Oak, South-West Birmingham, bringing together people of different cultures, backgrounds and generations. While the church already offered activities for children and families, Hazel and the congregation began to notice a gap for older children and teenagers.
“We had some teenagers, but nobody was sure what we should be offering them,” Hazel explains. “I felt very strongly that we should be providing something.”
One of the first surprises came when Hazel sat down to list the young people already connected to the church.
“I came up with a list of 12 names. I hadn’t actually realised that we had that many — and that gave me hope.”
Around the same time, Hazel was invited to join Launchpad, a national Church of England initiative, created by Youthscape and run in partnership with local dioceses, designed to help churches develop confidence and practical strategies for youth ministry.
The course encouraged churches with little or no existing youth work to think about how they might begin creating spaces specifically for young people.
From those small beginnings, St Mary’s youth church was born.
Now, young people gather regularly with adult volunteers to share food, play games, take part in creative activities and explore faith together.
“It’s been really encouraging to see the young people engaging in the teaching,” says Hazel, “and to see the way they connect their faith and journeys to that.”
For the young people themselves, the group has become a place where they feel recognised and valued within church life.
“Before youth group, there was junior church in the morning service, which was more for little children,” one young person explains. “But when this came around, it felt like there was more for us. It helped us feel wanted.”
Hazel knows how significant these years can be.
“I became a Christian when I was 11,” she says. “This is a critical age, and they need support and adults alongside them on that journey.”
To find out more about next year's Launchpad cohort, contact Rachel Retallick-Cheel.
The Growing Churches video series shares stories from across Birmingham and the region, highlighting impact across local churches and communities.