Fusion Youth and Community U.K. has been actively working as part of More than Gold to support churches in reaching out to their communities in the last month. Churches in over 250 villages, towns and suburbs have benefitted from their support.
However National Coordinator of the 2012 outreach for Fusion Youth and Community, Marty Woods says there is a real danger in the remarkable success of this time. "From the start we knew that what happens in these few weeks isn't the most important thing, it is what happens in the next few years that will actually matter. The danger is that the Christian church has found a new place at the centre of communities in service, and in doing so has both built significant social capital but also built expectations. What has happened during the Jubilee, the Olympics and Paralympics will either be a remarkable platform on which churches can build, or a series of activities that make an unfulfilled promise."
Fusion have been supporting churches in outreach around sporting events since the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Their experience over the last 12 years has resulted in a very proactive approach to preparing churches for mission and ensuring it is not too "event focused". Marty says "We have been intentionally working with churches to think beyond the Olympics, because all of this action can lead to unfulfilled promises."
One of the main ways Fusion is trying to focus the way forward is the publication of a brand new book: 6 Radical Decisions.
6 Radical Decisions was launched in August in Oxford, and will form a key part of a national series of training and equipping seminars for churches who were involved in outreach through the 2012 events.
Executive Director of HOPE and Vice-President of Youth for Christ, Roy Crowne, spoke at the launch of the book and said:
This book is a gem that is very pragmatic. Every generation has to do the work to re-interpret and re-understand the implications of the Gospel for the current challenges they face. By looking at the great cloud of witnesses, the generations of heroes that have gone before us, this book helps us understand the task before us today.
In this book there are some fantastic nuggets that could really impact any community or anyone's life. I recommend anyone wrestling with how to practically live out their faith, not only read the book, but truly wrestle with what the 6 Radical Decisions might mean for them personally.
The book will be launched regionally at each of the Time of our Lives Tour taking place over these next few weeks as Hope, Share Jesus International and Fusion Youth and Community follow up the community connections that took place at the Jubilee and during the Games.
For details of venues, program and how to register for the Tour go to www.fusionyac.org/timeofourlives