Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, launches Sheffield's first Church Army Global-Gap Year program for young people

Shefield: November 03, 2009, (PCTV Newsdesk)

He is one of the most recognizable faces in the world and I traveled from Kiev, Ukraine, where I had been reporting, to meet this delightful and charming man who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid.

I am talking about Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 78 who, in 1984, became the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Tutu was also the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa).

This extraordinary man chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is currently the chairman of The Elders and is vocal in his defense of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed.

He is also President of Church Army and, on Monday, November 2, 2009, he was a long way from South Africa and its sunshine to visit the overcast former steel city of Sheffield to bring hope to young people in the UK. 

He was there to launch a cutting edge new evangelistic program at the Wilson Carlile Center for Church Army in Sheffield, called Xplore, a global gap-year program for young people aged 18-25.

This delightful and charming man with an infection sense of fun, said, "I am passionate about helping young people realize how important they are to God and how he can use them to make the world a better place. As Church Army's President I'm excited to be in Sheffield to launch Xplore as I believe it is a wonderful program. I encourage young people to join Xplore!"

He went on to say, "Young people are some of the greatest of God's workers. They really believe that we should make poverty history."

Xplore is the first initiative of its kind to be based in Sheffield and is run by Lizzie Wallace, program leader, who is also Community Minister at Wadsley Church, North Sheffield.

Mark Russell, Church Army's Chief Executive said, "Church Army has been training Evangelists in Sheffield since 1992 and it is fantastic that Xplore will now allow these young Evangelists to be part of the massive heart for Christian mission that the church in this city has. The scheme is a fantastic way for young people who have a global perspective to engage with the work of mission and evangelism."

Xplore, which was originally developed in Liverpool, has seen young people placed in countries such as Kenya, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, USA and New Zealand. One of last year's Xplorers, Gemma Bond from Sheffield, is now a leader on the program and adds: "It's a real honor to have such a well-respected global figure as Archbishop Tutu to launch our global gap-year program."

Russell then presented the cleric with a special "hoodie", which is a garment popular with many of the British youth, to Archbishop Tutu and he promptly put it on to the delight of all in the room.

The "hoodie" is a symbol that Xplore is serving the people he has a real heart for - communities where traditional church has failed to serve the least, the last and the lost.

Gemma, Program Manager Lizzie Wallace, and former Xplorer Sam Follett joined Archbishop Tutu and this year's new recruits to launch a new promotional film about the project.

Church Army is a society of evangelists linked to the Anglican Church and is committed to sharing faith in word and action, to enable people to come to a living faith in Jesus Christ. For more information go to www.churcharmy.org.uk

News source: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09110002.htm