Basement Central - A Twenty Year Vision Fulfilled?

I write this twenty four hours after our first youth gathering was held at Basement Central. What a fantastic occasion it was to witness the fulfillment of a twenty year vision to have a dedicated space for youth and children's work at St Michael le Belfrey.

Back in 1993 my predecessors paused all youth & children's meetings for a period of three months to seek God's guidance and pray for God to reveal his vision for the ministry. Although they didn't know it then, the vision for Basement Central was birthed. Ever since, there has been a growing desire to see a dedicated space. Many avenues were previously explored, and much effort was put in by past Belfrey staff who were passionate about transforming young lives for Jesus. It is clear now, that all things are in God's time and not ours. In May 2013, Basement Central youth & children's work centre has opened it's doors in the basement of Central Methodist Church with whom we've partnered with. 

I believe it is no coincidence that just seven months into my new job as Head of Youth & Children's Work, God placed this vision at the centre of my heart. I've felt from the start that the youth & children's ministry at St Michael le Belfrey is to be one that pioneers and offers something exemplary to the young people of this city. Whilst praying last night, one of our volunteers picked up that we are now physically based underground and comparable to roots, we need to be rooted in good soil before bearing good fruit. I believe God has blessed us with a physical building that we can spiritually root ourselves in, but the fruit is yet to come!

It's almost as though Basement Central has been an agitating itch over the last twenty years that just hasn't gone away. And for good reason. Is now the time? I believe it is and I'm guessing many others do too. For two weeks over Easter an army of volunteers gave endless hours of service to transforming the basement. A substantial number of generous people gave in excess of £13,000 to see the vision complete. A whole host of hospitable people prepared lunches for the teams and brought in heaps of chocolate treats to keep spirits high. People were reading our www.basementcentral.tumblr.com blog from other nations and sending us financial gifts from across the globe. People not from York heard about the project and visited us off the street unannounced, encouraging us and praying for us. This is no mistake. 

Last night, as I stood back in awe at a phenomenal group of young believers and volunteers worshipping God singing 'Spirit Breakout', I couldn't help but think 'what now God?'. We now have a fantastic facility and resource available to us - but what do we do with it? The twenty year vision may appear to have been fulfilled, but I'm uncomfortable with going along with that. I genuinely believe God is yet to reveal his full purpose for Basement Central. As we seek to take root, I'm praying for patience. As people before me persevered with the vision, I pray that I too persevere in praying that this holy space will bear fruit and that we'll see many transformed lives in the years that lie ahead.

Belfrey Youth worship for the first time in Basement Central.

Tonight, our Belfrey Group listened to a recording of David Watson (past Vicar of St Michael le Belfrey) who was talking about the Holy Spirit. Hearing him speak challenged me to think 'how desperately do I yearn to see God's Spirit breathed into people's lives?' The spirit that moved so powerfully at the first pentecost is the same spirit that is with us today. This is what I see:

I believe York will see a generation of young people not just longing to see heaven touch earth, but they will be the ones who grab the heavenly realm with their own hands and pray it in. Our young people will not only witness the transforming power of God's Holy Spirit in their own lives but will see it breathed into the lives of hundreds of people young and old.  Our young people will be identified as God's own as they walk around with tongues of fire on them which will pass from young person to young person. The light across this city will shine brighter each day as stories of salvation are celebrated daily. Our young people will be the ones who break down generations old barriers and walls seeing an outpouring of God's spirit breakout and reign. Sounds of heaven will pour from the mouths of every young person and their songs will reach far and wide across The North. People will come and see. People will go away changed and renewed.

The prophet Joel writes eight hundred years or so before the first pentecost happened. He had a vision of an outpouring of God's spirit long before it actually happened. Please join with me in praying that we will persevere in longing to see a fresh outpouring of God's spirit across this city and in the lives of our children. Do you believe it can happen? I do. 

Joel 2:28 

“And afterward,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

    your old men will dream dreams,

    your young men will see visions.

29 Even on my servants, both men and women,

    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

30 I will show wonders in the heavens

    and on the earth,

    blood and fire and billows of smoke.

31 The sun will be turned to darkness

    and the moon to blood

    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

32 And everyone who calls

    on the name of the Lord will be saved;

for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem

    there will be deliverance,

    as the Lord has said,

even among the survivors

    whom the Lord calls.

So, a twenty year vision fulfilled? Not yet. There may be paint on the walls and carpet on the floors. But, the best is yet to come!