Tower Hamlets Community Church - Canaan Project

James Fawcett, Project Manager, shares the vision of the project - using the skills, gifts and passions of the church for the young people in the area and outlines some of the challenges. 

To learn more about the church, check out On the frontline - an East End blog as Tony Uddin, pastor of the church, reflects on the highs and lows of urban ministry. 

The vision at the heart of the Canaan Project is to provide where there is no provision, particularly for young people.  After talking to the local community centre and building partnerships with local organisations such as schools, we realised that there had been no real youth work in the local area for seven years.  Once we had done our research and recruited volunteers from our church, we opened on a Thursday night.

In under two months, we were working with 40-60 young people every week.  This is not to say that it's been easy  - there has been some really challenging behaviour from the young people.  But as we begin to develop relationships, we are seeing them being to respond positively.  Christian youth work is not simply about providing activities for young people; it is also about all the amazing extras that we bring.

Celebrate the small steps

Sometimes we dream of seeing a radical transformation in the people we work with.  However it is often the little changes that really matter.  We have seen young people change their behaviour, learn new skills, develop new relationships and grow in confidence.

I work with one young person who would not even say "Hello", but just sit on the computer for the whole evening.  Now, when he comes in, he says, "Hello James".  Some people might not see this a a big change, but this young person is learning to relate to others in a different way.  These skills may affect how he deals with people for the rest of his life, from sitting in a job interview to talking to his parents.  This is one example from the many different lives, experiences and interactions that the Canaan Project encounters every week.

Getting the church involved.

We are completely dependent on volunteers from our church.  All that we do is based on using the skills, gifts and passions of the members of our church and the young people around us.  Football is a big thing for us and we have a committed football player on the team.

It is very important to find out what skills and abilities there are in your church and then work out how to use them.  We are beginning to explore the possibiility of using film with the young people as one of our trustees works in the industry.  We are continually having to review what we have in our hand and giving it to God.

Ensuring that church members get involved in your youth project is important for the spiritual life of the young people.  Some of the young people have, through the relationships they have formed with workers and volunteers, begun to attend church services.

We will continue to be there until there is something better than we can offer the young people in the local estate.

Top tips for others

• Use the skills and gifts already in your church whether they are cooking, gardening or basketball - the list of what can be drawn on is endless
• Pray and look for something new that you can offer - don't duplicate what already exists
• Build up your local network, meeting community leaders, local businesses and other churches in the area. Link up with other organisations and tell them about your idea.