Young people who are involved with Release Potential often hear reports of Christians who are being mistreated, imprisoned and even killed for their faith. After hearing these accounts it is very difficult to turn away and many of these young people want to challenge authorities, encourage Christians and make a difference.
We help them to do that. But we soon realised that in order for us to help channel their passions and for them to be effective in bringing about change, we needed to provide them with a space to discover more about why these Christians are enduring despite their circumstances; we wanted to shine a light on their own personal walk with Jesus and help them to grow in that relationship. That’s how the Change Makers programme was created.
Through Change Makers, Release Potential is able to dedicate time and energy to discipling young Christians; helping them to grow in their strengths, nurture their talents and challenge their perceived limitations. We aim to show them that the need for positive change isn’t just a global issue but can begin locally. When they focus on serving where they are, they can see changes happen all around them, and not least within themselves.
Abena completed our Change Makers course in 2015 and we love the reasons why she decided to get on board;
“I really want to strengthen my relationship with God and rekindle that fire for Jesus and the Church. I thought, what better way to do that than to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and try to help my community whether that’s being where I live or the wider Christian community. After all we are all brothers and sisters!” – Abena
As part of the Change Makers programme Molly came with us on a trip to Sri Lanka to meet young Christians who have been affected in some way by religious persecution. These international trips have continued to make a big impact on all of our Change Makers;
“Already a month on [from the trip] I can see the difference in the way that I approach different obstacles that come my way, although the problems that we face here are very different to those in sri lanka; the way that they react/resolve these problems are something we could learn from, their dedication to education is something that I’ve learnt from, and I have begun to realise how privileged I am to go to school for a whole day” – Molly
We are always on the lookout for dedicated and passionate young Christians who want to get their teeth into a project where they will join something bigger than themselves.
If this is you, or you know someone who would benefit from a year with Release Potential, then get in touch by visiting www.releasepotential.org
Carina Bryars
Release Potential Project Co-ordinator
Around the world persecuted Christians face tough challenges on a daily basis. Will YOU take on the Release Abseil Challenge to raise money for helping them? SATURDAY 2nd JULY 2016, THE NATIONAL ABSEIL CENTRE, NORTHAMPTON (Click image above for more info)
