The Y inspires me by their never-ending quest to be “for all.” They are always looking around the community to see who we are not for yet, and then working with them to see how we can be for them.
In June of 1844 George Williams and 11 of his British Christian friends prayerfully launched the Young Men’s Christian Association. It was a sincere and inspired attempt to be for all the young men they could see coming from the rural regions of England seeking work in urban London.
Young men were being exploited in the factories, Christians were divided by politics, income, and dogma, and the class system of Britain sought to keep people in their place.
From the beginning, the YMCA successfully brought together many different kinds of Christians together from different classes, sects, backgrounds, languages, politics, and countries.
The Y cultivated new opportunities for the poor and marginalized but also leveraged the power and privilege of the wealthy to sustain flourishing for all.
Central to this was the idealism of youth – George and his friends were in their early 20’s when they started the YMCA. Also central was their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The YMCA continues to be at its best when it draws on our faith as well as the energy and idealism of the youth in our association who live out our mission of being “for all.”
The Bible has these encouraging words to say to us about the joy of youth:
Young men, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Young women, do everything you want to do; take it all in.
But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy.
But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless. Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. [Ecclesiastes 11.9-12.1/NLT]
Christians young and old in the YMCA must continue to draw on the Bible as our guide and inspiration for how to live. But we must be careful that our use of Scripture doesn’t become a grasp for security that impoverishes our neighbors, demeans women and children, or shackles our youth.
We perpetuate injustices amongst us when forget that we have a common bond, when we forget that we are all made in the image of our Creator.
Our amnesia can fuel the meaninglessness of poverty and wealth, driving us to worry about a security that enslaves our spirit, mind and body.
The YMCA can subvert our nation’s addiction to violence and slavery when we empower the youth amongst us to celebrate life, to remember our Creator, and use their energies for a more just society where there is flourishing for all.
Being for all requires us to learn to love our neighbor. This is at the heart of the Christian gospel, it’s what we were created to be, it’s what inspires a meaningful life for young and old.
