How can BYM help me run Urban Summer?
My answer to this question is to see BYM as a resourcing body FOR local churches not the churches resourcing a BYM program.

“Urban Summer” will exist only in 2 forms:

1. A group of volunteers working hard to develop resources for serviced based local community engagement, this is called the Urban Summer Core Team. This team will be made up of area representives from suburban Melbourne & regional Victoria who are key BYM leaders.
2. in the local churches as they work together as a Regional Task Force.  This group might be made up of leaders from one church or from a number of churches participating together.  This group would organise and run an Urban Summer movement in their region.

So we would encourage local churches to think of themselves as “Urban Summer”, not “Urban Summer” as some external body.  The local church should own the identity of Urban Summer.

Our reason for behaving like this is this: We (BYM) believe in the local Church.  In fact we believe that God’s answer to the brokenness in our world is Jesus and this is made known to our world through the Church.  We want the way we behave to reflect this belief.

* So the Core Team’s core question is “how does this service local faith communities?” How can we help the local Church?
* The day local churches stop wanting to run Urban Summer is the day Urban Summer ceases to exist.

We would love it if Urban Summer is seen more as a movement than as an institution or an event: a group of people on mission together rather than a committee.

So what do we centralise in Urban Summer?
Simple: Vision, Values, and Reputation

Vision
We believe our vision of regional, localised, service based, Jesus focussed, grass roots, young people mobilised, community engagement is a unique contribution BYM has to make.  If churches do Urban Summer, they would need to sign on to this kind of vision.

VISION OF URBAN SUMMER
We see young people inspired by the love of Jesus impacting the world through generous acts of service.  We also want to the impact the hearts of participants beyond Urban Summer so that their whole lives are transformed to consider others above themselves.  Through this we hope that they will proclaim the love of Jesus in a resounding voice and be counter-cultural in the way they live.

INSPIRED YOUTH – DEMONSTRATING LOVE – SERVING OTHERS – IMPACTING A COMMUNITY – TRANSFORMING LIVES

Values
We believe our values describe what matters to us and are core to shaping our vision and practice.  If churches take up Urban Summer, they would need to sign on to these kinds of values.

* We value Jesus and a lifestyle centred around Jesus Christ as found in the bible;
* We value people.  People Matter: build them up and help them grow (1)
* We value young people
* We value relationships based on God’s love as demonstrated to us through Jesus Christ;
* We value Christian faith and Urban Summer being an expression of this in our community;
* We value working as local Churches in local communities
* We value Christian Unity;
* We value growth through service

(1) Fusion Australia

Reputation
As churches serve, “Urban Summer” and local churches will gain positive regard amongst many communities.  I believe it is important for the sake of all churches that we protect this reputation through ensuring churches deliver safe, honourable, life giving Urban Summer projects.  We would insist that Churches use our risk assessment for all projects undertaken during Urban Summer and we would be VERY keen then to ensure churches use the name “Urban Summer” in what they do.  They might call it “Urban Summer: Pay it Forward” or “Urban Summer 2010: A Service Odyssey” but it is the inclusion of the “Urban Summer” title which will ensure the wider reputation of “Urban Summer” is preserved.

The rest belongs to the churches.

This means churches are free to figure out all their operating details, the length of their program, the spiritual content etc – within the bounds of the Vision, Values and Reputation of Urban Summer.  BYM and the Urban Summer Core Team will provide you with resources to help assist you in this.  The resources we will offer, I believe, will be of genuine help to Churches and hence I would encourage a Church to utilise them.  But that is their choice.