In the Neighbourhood 614

08 Mar 2010

It’s 5pm on a Wednesday and the hall is humming with chatter. Excited cries of ‘Snap!’ and loud fits of laughter break out here and there as some 30 young people challenge each other at pool, table tennis, board games and fun activities.

Wellington 614 Corps’ ‘614 Youth’ is in full session. It’s a weekly time of games and an interactive message followed by a $2 meal. ‘It’s the best youth group I’ve been to,’ says 16 year-old Daytona Hoani.

Originally begun by Wellington Youth Services, formerly an outreach of Wellington City Corps, Wednesdays provide a time for young people from Wellington 614’s various programmes to get together regularly, learn about God and build relationships with the corps’ ‘missionaries’.

Everything at Wellington 614 is about discipling youth. ‘We are quite specific in who we are missioning to,’ says Corps Leader Steve Molen. ‘That’s what makes 614 different [from other corps].’

Evangelism through community

The name, pronounced as digits ‘6-1-4,’ comes from Isaiah 61:4, ‘They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.’ The idea is to take lives that are damaged and ‘rebuild, restore, renew’ them. These people are then to take their new-found hope back into their communities and share it with others.

Although the youth at 614 come from a wide range of backgrounds, one thing most have in common is that ‘they aren’t going to church, they have no church community and not very much sense of Jesus or spirituality,’ says Steve. Essentially, they are youth that are not going to easily integrate into existing churches.

‘Often, youth will find the culture of existing churches a little bit hard to link in with,’ Steve explains. ‘There is the culture of the church world and then there’s the culture the youth are accustomed to—sometimes the clash of the two is too sharp.

‘The reason we’re building a 614 church for these youth is because we have contact with them—we have relationships with these youth,’ he continues. ‘They aren’t fitting into any other church, so we built a church for them.’

Those who make a commitment to God and grow in their faith are invited to the Equipping Station, 614 Corps’ Sunday meeting, which focuses on equipping people to reach and disciple youth.

Evangelism through incarnation

A key part of 614 is the idea of incarnational living. ‘We try to live amongst our youth and get to know them. It’s not just about our community; it’s about their community,’ Steve says.

‘Some churches have become very institutionalised and bubble-like and they’re not actually immersed in the community,’ he continues. ‘The youth in those churches often don’t know anyone apart from Christians. So the reason other [non-Christian] youth aren’t coming to their churches is because they don’t know them. They’re not connected with them.’

This relationship building and incarnational living is what allows 614 to reach youth in a way other churches might struggle with. ‘The youth are more prepared to listen because they have a relationship with us,’ says Steve.

Evangelism to youth

‘Everyone here has the same mission focus: to work with youth and see young people saved,’ says Jenna Limmer, a youth worker at 614. ‘We’re all on the same page.’

Jenna became a Christian through Wellington Youth Services. She was a student in the high school programme and was mentored for a few years before taking a course in youth work to join the team.

But everyone at 614 is involved in reaching youth in one way or another. ‘You can’t be a pew-sitter at 614,’ says Steve. Everyone participates at 614 Youth on Wednesdays and helps out in other ways, such as volunteering at the transitional homes for teens.

Sunday meetings at the ‘Equipping Station’ (the corps’ building in Island Bay) focus on growing and developing the spirituality and faith of 614 missionaries. These relaxed meetings provide in-depth and essential teaching for the missionaries and also for those young people who are ready to go beyond what is offered at 614 Youth.

‘I can put my hand up and ask a question and Steve will answer it,’ says Marina-Ora Gell, a youth worker intern with 614. ‘Lots of questions get asked and jokes fly around. It’s an intimate environment. It’s a family. It’s also straightforward and practical.’

Mark Limmer, Jenna’s husband, says he really likes 614 because it is a community of like-minded people and it plays a crucial role in the lives of young people. ‘Everyone at 614 believes in helping people change lives for God,’ he says. ‘We open our lives up. It’s not a job; it’s a lifestyle. We have to live it.’

Kristen Ojala joined Wellington 614 Corps a few months ago. ‘I wanted to put my faith into practice,’ she says, ‘and I wanted to be with people who model that.’ She has found it challenging. ‘It puts a total spin on how I think about church; it’s not just a Sunday commitment anymore. You have to be prepared to be in it full time.’

By Ruth Sylvestre (from War Cry magazine)