A group of teenagers approached the corps officer at The Salvation Army with a concern. They felt their generation were not developing socially or emotionally and had little leadership skills or direction. This was resulting in some teenagers getting involved anti-social behaviour and alcohol and drug abuse. They were concerned and something needed to be done to change this situation.

The corps officers, Captains James and Mary, were responsible for a busy programme in their community. Several aspects of ministry had developed well. Recently they had started a youth club in their hall. Within the town the Corps leadership team had been aware that young people were disengaged with the wider community, so had opened the club to create a meeting point. The club attendees were few, and mainly the children of corps members. Through speaking with the youth, Captains James and Mary discovered that many other young people were using alcohol and drugs as a way to entertain themselves. The young people felt the community excluded them, seeing them as a nuisance and a threat.

At a divisional event, Captains James and Mary met several other corps officers and corps youth secretaries that shared similar stories: communities disconnected from their young people, substance abuse and a general dissatisfaction from the young people. Realising they were not the only ones facing this issue the officers returned to their corps disappointed that no one had been able to suggest a possible way of dealing with the issue. That week, there were new attendees at the youth club. Whilst in a conversation with Captain James about what The Salvation Army programme offered them, the young people suggested there should be organised sports.

Captain James listened to the young people and took the idea to his corps leadership team. As they talked through the whole issue they described different ideas and ways of including this in their programme. This could be the only aspect of the corps programme to happen outside of the corps building – making it a visible witness as well as attracting others to join in. Captains James and Mary began to ask for volunteers. A couple of members of the corps were interested in sports and wanted to be involved. Slowly the team grew, each week a few more young people arrived to play in the cricket team.

Then a basketball team began, and volleyball and soccer. The community’s young people were now committing their time to training and spending time with their friends in and around The Salvation Army. They felt a connection to the adult community because the adult volunteers were building good relationships by coaching, mentoring and eventually pastorally caring for the young people in their team. Team captains, sergeants and coordinators were eventually selected from each of the sports teams. This developed leadership skills in the young people.

After just six months the programme was running very well. Captains James and Mary began to contact the other corps in their division to mobilise officers and volunteers to try the same thing – they believed that if these other communities had shared the same problem, then maybe a similar solution was appropriate.

After a year the division had several corps with fully running sports teams. They organised divisional matches and travelled to meet other young people in competition and in fellowship. Many good relationships were being built, especially between the adult coaches, volunteers and the young people. By making relationships with them in a non-Church environment, but retaining their identity as Christians, they were able to share their experience of living for Jesus with young people from many different backgrounds.