When my youth leader invited me on a trip to Taizé, I had never heard of the place. But, it was France. It would be my first time abroad, and I was excited, thinking I would see the Eiffel Tower.
The one dampener was that we were going by coach and ferry (for £35, an amazing price even then!), but the unfortunate Zeebrugge ferry disaster had taken place months earlier, causing ferry travel to experience heightened public scrutiny. But I and other young people went with the youth leader, other church leaders from the area, and some of their young people.
Arriving at Taizé, the conditions were surprising. We slept in bunk beds in dormitories, used squat toilets, and the long queues at mealtimes seemed to me what I imagined a prison camp to be like. It was a far cry from what I expected. Oh, and there was no Eiffel Tower!
At first I felt misled being there. But I was not at all, it was just very different to what I thought it would be. I don't even think my youth leader was fully aware of what it would be like, and I have never asked him.
The most significant trip of my life
Nearly 40 years later, I can say it was one of the most significant trips of my life. I have now been in full-time Christian ministry for 22 years, and for some of that time I have done like my youth leader - secure young people to go overseas missionally to various countries.
While Taizé is ecumenical not evangelical (terms unfamiliar to me back then), the Canadian bilingual Bible teacher of my daily Taizé Bible class taught the beatitudes profoundly.
I remain a hard-boiled evangelical today. But Taizé expanded my appreciation of people, Christianity, and the notion of mission, in contrast to the relatively safe cocoon I was raised in.
Oh, to see more youth leaders with the vision to engage young people in the missional!
Exciting, fun activities have their place in youth programmes. But to produce young leaders of substance, early missional experience - which can come in various guises - is needed. However, it is often down to parents or youth leaders to spot the opportunities and engage young people accordingly.
