25 Years

I remember my first real experience of culture shock. I was standing on the ramp out of Birmingham New Street station down to Stephenson Street. It may not even be there anymore. It was its usual busy self, people swarming around me to get in or out of New Street, opening and closing the doors to McDonalds. I don't know why it hit me just then, but seeing that mass of people brought home the fact that there were as many people living in the greater Birmingham area as there were in the entire Republic of Ireland at the time. It took a moment or two to sink in, and I think that was when I realized I was living somewhere different as opposed to just visiting. Yes, I'd been to London many times before, a much bigger city, but the scale of it never hit me, even when I flew into Heathrow on a clear night and could see the lights stretching for miles into the distance. I later learned, when I moved to the US, that when you visit a country, you see things but don't absorb them the ...

While I boarded that plane 25 years ago, I think my journey into youth ministry started a few summers previously, on a train in Vienna, Austria. Yes, I had hair that wasn't grey back then (third from left). I was one of eight young people representing the Irish Methodist Church at the European Methodist Youth Conference, and after an amazing week in the mountains, 4 of us stayed on for a few days sightseeing in Vienna. I still remember saying, as we were on the train one day, talking about the week, "I want to give other young people the opportunity I've just had". Little did I know...  The memories formed that week linger still. Worshipping with 200 other young people using multiple languages. Having a snowball fight in July. Hearing testimonies from young people who had grown up behind the Iron Curtain and whose were attending EMYC for the first time. Stepping in a wasps nest and easing the pain in an ice-cold river. Friendships formed then that are strong to this d...

Twenty five years ago today I boarded a plane for the short hop from Dublin, Ireland, to Birmingham, England, to start a gap year with Time For God . Little did I know then that that was the beginning of a journey that hasn't yet finished. My intention was to do a year in Longbridge, where my placement was, and then move home. God clearly had other ideas, and I'm still on this wonderful journey through life and youth ministry. It's a journey that has taken me to some wonderful places, and introduced me to some amazing people. I've seen God do amazing things, had experiences that changed and influenced me profoundly, been privileged to walk with young people through some very difficult times and many, many loud, sleepless, laughter-filled, pizza and caffeine fueled overnighters, retreats and mission trips. There are so many treasured memories.  Over the last few months I've been aware of this upcoming milestone, and wondered what, if anything, to do, to acknowledge i...