wfn.org | Youth Venture group in Northern Ireland

[Beth Hawn]

Microsoft Mail v3.0 (MAPI 1.0 Transport) IPM.Microsoft Mail.Note
To:  'Worldwide Faith News'
Date: 1998-08-26 15:02
Priority: 3
Message ID: BDB4541AE23CD211AAB0006008075ABF
Conversation ID: Youth Venture group experiences Northern Ireland

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August 26, 1998

Youth Venture group experiences Northern Ireland

ELKHART, Ind. (MBM/COM) - When seven teenagers from the United States and   

Canada left for Belfast, Northern Ireland, last month, they had no idea   
what
they were getting themselves into.

Cold water, for starters.

Nate Carminito, Tina Furry, Ruth Harder, Kimberly  Heckman, Burke Hummel,   

Rachel Molnar and Cordelia Nance volunteered with Youth Venture, a joint
service program of Mennonite Board of Missions and the Commission on Home
Ministries, in Belfast from July 15 through Aug. 2. They quickly became
familiar with the Irish Sea - and the custom of throwing people in it.

Along with leaders Del Hershberger, MBM short-term missions coordinator,
and Jim Amstutz, pastor of West Swamp Mennonite Church in Quakertown,   
Pa.,
 the seven youth helped to staff Streetbeat, a Christian program for   
young
people in the west Belfast community of Highfield. They participated in   
two
weeks of physically challenging activities designed to keep the community   

youth active during the summer vacation. According to Hershberger, these
activities usually ended up with everyone being thrown into the sea - and   
the
North Americans were not exempt.

The seven volunteers climbed rocks and mountains, played rousing games of   

"Smugglers and Customs Officers" and traveled to ancient ruins, all with   
the
purpose of building relationships with the Streetbeat youth. It wasn't
always easy.

"It was sort of a baptism by fire for the group," Hershberger said. "They   

[Youth Venture participants] were primarily rural or from the suburbs and   

came to the city, where they were working with rough-edged city kids   
combined
with the Northern Irish dynamics. There was some culture shock."

According to Hershberger, some of the youth were very intimidated by the
amount of profanity which was common among the Irish teens. "Many of the   
North
Americans stayed by themselves," Hershberger said. "But by about the   
middle
of the second week, they were all friends. That was pretty significant
because they were finally able to get past the rough edges and build
relationships."

It was when they actually did build relationships that the North American   

youth were able to discuss their Christian faith - the reason that some   
of them
traveled to Northern Ireland. One of the first questions that the   
Streetbeat
youth asked the volunteers was, "Are you Christian?" According to
Hershberger,  "They just wanted a yes or no answer. If we asked them the   
same
question, some would answer, 'No. I was one once, but I didn't like it so   
I
quit.'"

Once that question was out of the way, the Northern Irish youth dropped   
the
subject - until they saw whether or not the North Americans' lifestyles
corresponded with their religious statements.

"We were instructed by the Streetbeat staff not to talk about our faith   
unless
asked," Hershberger said. "That was hard for some of the [American] youth   
to
deal with. They complied begrudgingly."

Hershberger attributes the Streetbeat youths' reticence to past
experiences with Christianity and Christians. "Outside evangelists would
come through and put pressure on the youth to become Christians," he   
said.
"They did, but then the evangelists left without telling them that it   
would be
hard.  The youth quit. Now they feel like they've let down God, and it's   
extra
hard for them to have a relationship with God."

How we as North Americans define Christianity has very little to do with   
the
Protestant/ Catholic struggles in Northern Ireland, according to
Hershberger. "Most people made a distinction between 'Protestant' and
'Christian.' Those labels are cultural, not religious.  It is a battle   
over
culture, not about the Christian faith."

The Streetbeat youth were exclusively Protestant, so the North American
group did not experience the challenge of cross-community work.  Many of   
the
Streetbeat youth were very sectarian and influenced by the paramilitary
groups in their community. "If we were traveling [on a bus] through a   
Catholic
area, they would open the windows and sing sectarian songs at the top of   
their
lungs," Hershberger said.

"To see the sectarianism, and the influence of the paramilitaries, I am   
less
optimistic than when I went over," Hershberger said. "There are glimmers   
of
hope, but we need to pray."

Hershberger and the leaders of Streetbeat discussed a potential exchange
program between Streetbeat and Youth Venture. Northern Irish youth would
come to the United States and volunteer for a few weeks with North   
American
youth, after which the North Americans would return to Northern Ireland   
and
volunteer there. "We want to help the youth broaden their world view,"
Hershberger said. "There's a lot of work to be done - a long road ahead."

* * *

Rachel Lewis       PHOTOS AVAILABLE