Stephan at 'Rm1'
(Photo: © Oxygen)

Although he shares a birthplace with ‘Dracula’, Stephan Capris brought new blood, and shared life, to Youthwork Project Oxygen.
 
Announcing to a group of young people that the person who is about to help them comes from Dracula’s birthplace, Transylvania, can produce some interesting reactions!

Yet that’s what has been on offer all over south-west London as CMS Vista visitor Stephan Capris has spent the last three months visiting and helping the Christian Youthwork Project Oxygen (known also as Kingston Youth For Christ).

Stephan’s link with CMS came about through CMS’ longstanding partnership with the Lord’s Army — a renewal movement within the Orthodox Church — with which CMS mission partners have served from time to time.

It was last year, when Crossing Cultures Team Leader Debbie James led a CMS short-term mission team to Romania, that the possibility of Stephan getting this opportunity arose.

Debbie met Stephan, a university student and committed Lord’s Army member, who was keen to experience and learn from church engagement with non-Christian young people in Britain.

Coming to the UK and spending time with Oxygen have provided Stephan with a great chance to explore youth and community work in a different culture as well as to share some of the challenges and opportunities of his own mission context in Romania and what he has learnt on his social-work course and from his work with street children.

Richard James, Director of Oxygen, comments, “Stephan’s brought added value to Oxygen, a different quality, set of values and lifestyle.  He has caused people to re-evaluate their own situation in the light of his Romanian experience and perspective.”

During his time in London, Stephan has seen a wide variety of projects from ‘detached youthwork’ — getting alongside youngsters out on the streets rather then within four walls — to music workshops.

He has also had a chance to make some new international friends because the Oxygen Gap Year volunteers come from places as diverse as Brazil, South Korea and Brixton!

"Romanian Man Stephan" with friends in New Malden
(Photo: © Oxygen)

But it is with the young people of Oxygen’s ‘Rm1’ extended school club in New Malden that Stephan has proved the greatest success, becoming rapidly known as “Romanian Man Stephan”.

In ‘Rm1’ he met and supported a wide range of vulnerable young people, many of whom are first- or second-generation immigrants with parents who speak little or no English.

These young people often feel isolated, not sure who is out to “get” them and who is there to help them.

In meeting Stephan, someone whom they appreciated was himself an outsider to British culture, they found an ally who understood how they felt and the issues they faced.

Even better, they felt that, having been in Britain longer than him, they were in a better position than he and so could help by telling him all the best places to go, things to do and what he should and shouldn’t be eating!  He made them feel needed and important.

In his identification with young people on the margins of British society, Stephan has been able to demonstrate practically the love of God, who not only identifies with the outsider but frequently places such people at the centre of his plans.

As he has spent time getting to know these young people week after week, through his words and actions, Stephan has been revealing to them how much God cares.

Stephan has appreciated experiencing Oxygen’s method of “going out from the church into the community and meeting young people ‘where they live’ — starting and building relationships with them in youth clubs, during “Urban Nights”, and schools — rather than inviting them into church settings as my church tends to do.

“Most of all, I feel I’ve learnt so much from them and Oxygen about British youth culture and how it expresses itself in its own language, lifestyle and music, and I've valued the friendships I’ve enjoyed here.  That’s bound to have a beneficial effect on my skills as a social worker in Cluj or elsewhere back home.”

Sadly, with his exams looming during this, his third year at university, Stephan had to return to Romania in late November.

However, the links between Oxygen, CMS and Stephan don’t end with his departure, for, through the CMS short-term mission programme, in July 2008 he will be welcoming his former Oxygen team-mates to Romania and its culture.

When those short-term mission-team members arrive in the land of Dracula, where they won't know the customs, language or cultural quirks, maybe they too, as they get alongside and help Romanians, will come to appreciate the God of the outsider.

To find out more about the CMS short-term mission programme, click here.

CMS is grateful to Richard James and Oxygen for providing background material for this story.

Published: 3:05 PM :: Thursday, December 06, 2007 :: 401 views :: 0 Comments :: Mission in Britain, Featured News Stories, Community development, Youth work, INSIGHT