About Revd Canon Steve Coulson, St Mark’s Kennington
It is vitally important that we never simply ‘get used’ to the regular hearing of young people losing their lives through violence on the streets of London. We are right to be always shocked and to lament every single lost life, and to mourn with the bereaved. No act of violence should go unnoticed, and it is desperately important that children and young people themselves should not grow up with an expectation that stabbings and violence are a normal expectation of their life experiences. We want children and young people to know all that Jesus promised – life in all its fullness!
I became involved in Synergy because my Church, St. Mark’s, Kennington, has long had a heart for young people to know that they are significant and made for a glorious purpose – they are capable of greatness in so many ways. We are in awe of their gifts and vibrant energy.
It seems to me that different Churches, organisations and indeed individuals have much to gain by working together, Synergy exists to bring people together – we have a passion for mutual learning and encouragement, and we want to see new relationships and partnerships springing up in a concerted response to the issues young people are facing today. It is essential that the considerable wisdom and good practice that is around is shared – we need one another, and our hope is that this website will be a helpful signpost to different resources and expertise. St. Paul gave the picture of the body as a picture of the Church – each limb, each part of the body, needs the rest in order to function fully. That’s our hope at Synergy – a healthy and fit Christian response to work for the wellbeing of our young people.
We stand together with each other; we stand up for young people; and we stand for Life in all its fullness!