The Bishop of Birmingham, Rev John Sentamu will officially take over the role of President of Youth for Christ (YFC) at the organisation’s Showcase Day which takes place in Kidderminster on 9th October. Sentamu will replace Bishop Gavin Reid as the Head of the YFC.
John Sentamu began his life in an extremely dramatic fashion; when he was born, the sixth of thirteen children, near Kampala in Uganda in 1949 he was so small that the local bishop was called in to baptise him immediately. He survived his birth, a sickly childhood and a famine to become, a mere twenty-five years later, a judge in the Uganda High Court.
In 1974 he managed to get a visa to leave Uganda and come to Britain where he studied theology with a view to returning to the Ugandan justice system at the end of his studies. However, when his friend the Ugandan Archbishop Janani Luwum was murdered he vowed ‘You kill my friend, I take his place’ and he was ordained in 1979.
He served in parishes in Cambridge and London, and was vicar of Holy Trinity Church in South London for thirteen years during which time he raised £1.6 million to restore the church and its organ as well as increasing his congregation ten-fold.
He is now the Bishop of Birmingham, and one of only two senior bishops from ethnic minorities, He was an Advisor to the Stephen Lawrence Judicial Inquiry and the Chairman of the Damilola Taylor Review board.
YFC’s Showcase Day will be held at Wyre Forest Glades Leisure Centre, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, and will reveal a great opportunity to operate in the schools, churches, nightclubs and prisons. YFC is looking to commission 300 of its young members to serve Christ this year.
The event will include top YFC Christian bands, dance and dramas. Also the unique method of evangelism of YFC’s youth and sports sections will be demonstrated as their skills are displayed. The day will also see a Commissioning Service taking place for young people to embark upon service time with YFC, and an evangelistic youth event, ‘Meltdown’, featuring a DJ and games will take place. Finally the celebrations will end with a talk by newly appointed Bishop Sentamu.
