Project aims to find the church leaders of the future

Expand is a partnership project of Dudley Churches in association with Love Dudley and the Love Black Country Next Gen network, aimed at 18 to 25 year olds.

It has been set up to help churches educate and train young people to become leaders within the church and discover what paths lie ahead for them.

The idea of the programme is for those participating to take a year out and use three days each week to participate in church-related activities in their local community.

Tim Murray, one of the pastors at Amblecote Christian Centre, has been at the forefront of the planning of the project, with church member Franky Alami helping to lead proceedings.

He spoke about the project and said the idea was to equip young people to help them play a part in Christian leadership in many areas in the future.

"We don't just just see that as leadership leading churches as we see it as leadership of all sorts of areas in business, the media, politics and public life in general," he said.

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"Our view is that those years between 18 and 25 when you finish your formal education are really formative and those years are important in setting the trajectory of the rest of your life.

"The aim of the project is to give these young people a year to try and invest as much in them as we can to help them grow and develop for their future careers."

The programme carries three core principles of Grow, Give and Go and will see work in the community, at a church and a day of mission, working with projects and charities across the region.

Tim said there was also a plan to take participants in the project to Kenya for a couple of weeks to work at a remand centre near Nairobi.

The core program is part-time, so that this can be combined with employment or education, and each participant is asked to raise £1,500 towards the cost of the Year Out.

To find out more details, email Tim Murray at timmurray@amblecotechristiancentre.org.uk or go to loveblackcountry.org.uk/love-dudley/expand