“Your music's repulsive... but at least it keeps you off drugs”

Don't you know young people are hoodie wearing gansta's who are good for nothing but intimidating people and taking drugs?

Well we caused a riot at church the other day.

Well ok, more of a substantial ripple of disturbance anyway...and in a Christian, nice, we want to bless you, kind of way. Not that revolutionary in the grand scheme of things but pretty significant in the small church ecosystem that we're a part of anyway. If you are familiar with local church workings, you'll know it doesn't take much to be classed as a riot, but actually still not that many people do it. Shame - we need more church riots. The Greek word for church in the New Testament actually loosely means "angry mob" so there you go.

Well our "riot" was the next leg in taking our fortnightly worship event 'on tour' to our local churches in S17, and after an initial spate of heart attacks the feedback was generally enthusiastic and positive.

However, among the varying critiques slipped this statement,“Your music's repulsive... but at least it keeps you off drugs” it caught me off kilter slightly.

Clearly what she meant (I'm reading between the lines here...) was that, yes, the cultural gap between young and older generations is a big hurdle to us worshipping together, but doing that is still important, and even though she personally is not a great fan of the sort of music that our band have adopted, she is willing to humble herself and enter into it for the sake of sibling relationships within the family of Christ. Surely she was just recognising the value of young people using their music to not only worship God in a personal, honest fashion, but also in developing their self esteem, confidence and leadership experience? ...Oh, and she's pleased we came.

I hope to God that she was noting with descriptive insight that youthful forms of music can be an instrumental ingredient in forging a community strong enough to weaken the pull towards anti-social alternative activities, and actually propel young people into a future full of morality, truth and and hope. Surely she was acknowledging her support for our valiant efforts to stand with young people in this part of Sheffield, listen to them and nudge them; give them opportunities and challenges, shaking their preconceptions and under-pinning their development that they might one day become active participants in God's wide church as stable, thinking individuals...?

What I have been helping to build here in Dore and Totley for the last 5 years is a community. A “radically different community of young people who will encourage each other, and all young people in S17 to walk together with God.” Coming from the 9 (very supportive) churches in the area and mostly King Ecgbert School, but also others, we seem to be on our way to doing that: Young people help us run stuff, from film-making clubs to a breakfast club. They help achieve everything from audio visuals and website to building huge props for outreach events – they organise their own discussion groups and there's talk of some of them staying on for their GAP year as leaders. With two Alpha groups in school; assemblies, sex-education lessons, transition work and off timetable days there's a growing sense that God is reaching out across South-west Sheffield in a way that is shocking me and that perhaps even outstrips what he's doing in the main body of the church. Which of course we feel is fantastic - and so do most of the 'oldies!' But some get left behind thinking its all a mystery, and can end up making unthought-through comments. IT's not especially their fault - they don't know any better - the fact they haven't tried to learn any better is culpable, but who's challenging them to feel they need to learn and open their hearts towards young people when it seems so 'obvious' that they are all unruly, undisciplined, disresectful thugs?

I'm so pleased we decided to take our worship event to the churches – it's been good for us to be with them and worship with them and work with them - and it seems it is good for them too, at least in challenging their understanding about the crucial... critical, even, cog in the workings of church (and society) that young people simply must be allowed to be.

If you or your church (or your well [hopefully] meaning grandma) haven't yet woken up to the creative, visionary and powerful undercurrent that young people are, and can be at your church, ask them to bring their worship to your Sunday morning, and give them total free rein. Let them wear their hoodies.