How and why did Oxygen begin?

The story of Oxygen began in December 1999 as a conversation between Steve Benoy (Curate of Christchurch NM) with his vicar, Canon Stewart Downey.  Several years later in 2002 with Oxygen starting Steve recorded his thoughts on how, where and why Oxygen all started in a short booklet. Below is an extract from that booklet. Should you want to recieve a full version of it then please email richard@oxygen-online.org.

Oxygen 1999 - 2002

The 1999 English Church Attendance Survey had just been published, noting the sharp decline in church attendance amongst young people between 1989 and 1999.  This survey confirmed other reports that there were something like 35% fewer 16-26 year olds in church than 10 years before.

Also around the same time, the Anglican Diocese of Southwark had published a paper entitled Recovering the Missing Generation, challenging churches to reconsider how they connected with young people.

In addition to these paper reports, there was a third factor which seemed to provide an opportunity for action locally.  It seemed to us that the young people in our church were developing a strong motivation for peer-led and practical outreach, and had very strong links with young people from other churches in the Kingston borough.  Largely inspired by their experiences of several Soul Survivor festivals, a number of larger celebration events had developed around the borough, notably Shout in the New Malden area and Re:vive in the Surbiton/Toworth area.   These are pitched at the 16-26 age group, and led by the young people of this age.   However, excellent initiatives as they are, they are clearly targetted at those already Christian rather than being in the first place outreach focussed.  Whenever I attended Shout, it felt like a big bottle of Coke was being shaken, but there was no outlet locally to take to top off the bottle and release the fizz.  The growing feeling, at times frustration, amongst local young people seemed to be along the lines of ‘why can’t we do the stuff around there that we have a chance to get up to in other places during the summer?’

Why not, indeed.  There was a need, a Borough which in comparative terms had the resources of people and money to make things happen, and a motivated group of young people across the churches, many of whom would be due to leave school in summer 2001.  Was this a moment of opportunity?  What, most importantly, did the Lord want to make happen among us?

In recounting the story of Oxygen so far, it is hard to stress enough how this project has not come into being because of the amazing work of a particularly gifted or charismatic individual, or by implementing some kind of text-book theory.  It is a story of Christians at all levels of responsibility, backgrounds and ages listening to God and working together for the sake of young people beyond the church, churches locally re-orienting themselves so that they may be structured for outreach to unchurched young people.  As the project enters its second year, there appear to me to be 4 keys to its development and progress:

Listening

This is a project which has been created from the top-down and the bottom up in equal measure.  Leaders have listened to young people, and young people have worked within the oversight of leaders.  This is not something that a concerned ‘old’ church is doing ‘for’ a missing ‘young’ church.  This is a project where those who rightly carry responsibility within the church are enabling Christian young people, with appropriate oversight and protection, to do outreach amongst their peers.  It is about the church working ‘with’ each other across the ages.

Praying

Prayer has undergirded Oxygen from throughout.  The initial shape of the project arose out of prayer, and worship & prayer has provided a focus for all activities and events along the way.  Moreover, along the way, stories emerged of small pockets of Christians around the borough who over the previous few years had been praying for something to emerge from the churches dedicated towards outreach amongst young people.  In a way it was hardly surprising that once the idea was ‘out there’, many people were enthusiastic for it.  All it took was someone to put an idea on the table for people to kick around.  Prayer had lit the embers of desire, and a specific idea fanned it into flame.

Risking

The churches were prepared to genuinely hear how culturally removed they are from many young people, and to begin the journey of rethinking.  Along the way it was made clear that if Oxygen drew new young people into faith, this would have to have an effect upon the churches who ultimately would receive them.  The project was also an exercise in trust, across boundaries of denomination and style, as well as age.

Resourcing

Ultimately, the story of Oxygen shows what can be achieved when churches release people for dedicated ministries on behalf of the whole church. In the first instance, the Anglican Bishop of Kingston, Bishop Peter Price, enabled me to remain a curate at Christ Church New Malden, when in the normal course of events, I had finished my spell as a curate there.  This meant that I was able to give dedicated time to undertaking the necessary speaking, networking, team leadership and planning.  But the churches locally have been willing to continue to fund this resourcing, in the appointment of a full-time Youth Minister in Richard James and a team of student gap year workers. They understand that Oxygen is a youth outreach project working on behalf of all the churches that support it, not an independent para-church organisation.  To set aside dedicated workers motivates volunteers from churches to get involved, and maximises opportunity.