Chips for a Pound

Chips for £1 As I was getting dinner tonight from the chip shop "fat chaps" at the end of Cambourne Avenue there were around 20 young lads..i say young they were probably 17,18 maybe a bit older. They were doing no harm, its freezing and they hang around the shops and streets most evenings. I chatted to the guys in the chip shop and one by one they all came in for a portion of chips. I said "is that there dinner?" yeh probably but the owner doesn't charge them full price as it keeps them from causing him any trouble, he said the Police just try to move them on and all they do is swear and shout back at them. You have to imagine there mums and dads have told them to get outa the house. But where is there they can go? most of them just want to go somewhere warm, maybe play some snooker or have a coffee, drink maybe. There used to be a Snooker Club at the end of the road but that's now a banqueting suite, this was closed mainly due to all the trouble and lets face it most of its caused by alcohol. So where do they go? they just hang round the streets as they cant go home. so who do you blame? the parents? the council? the police? I don't think there's any one blame at all, its just the world has revolved so much that its come to this. Did I used to hang around the shops and streets when I was there age? no because I started work when I was 15 and a half at the Local Tesco, I also had a milk round and paper round to earn some money. I doubt these people ever did that and lets be fair not many people in reality have there milk or papers delivered anymore. Its a scary place bringing kids up these days, I guess we as a family and network are VERY privileged to live the lives we do as there as so many who don't who. We were brought up in a Cristian home and a safe environment and encouraged to goto church and the Youth Club at the church most Saturdays to "hang out" I guess with a bit of a bible study. I think this is where we are going wrong as a society, is the church the answer. Should we open our church up every evening and invite these people in to have a chat and just generally feel safe maybe? because I think that's all they need some times, half of this "bruv" and smoking and drinking, drugs etc. its all front to be one of the crowd..no our church building is rarely used and its very "we only like our own" kind of feel, and you have to wonder if the lads at the end of the road would even come in..but you never know! Sure I had a few raukess nights out and many a hangover when I was teenager growing up. Its part of the growing older process isn't it? apparently so. Romford Evan Free Church has had a youth group on a Saturday Night for the last I say 50 years..it may be longer but recently this has stopped to have a bible based study on a Sunday night for a couple of hours...is this what they need ? sure bible and prayers is massively important but being teenagers is even more so, helping influence how they live by being there and sharing your experience as a young Cristian in todays world is far different from even 20 years ago. Would I have gone to a 2 hour bible session on a Sunday night 20 years ago? no I probably wouldn't. It makes me think back to the Cross and The Switch blade, how relevant is that today...VERY its really old now in comparison but if you read it today it still hits home that we hide behind our faith sometimes. I recently heard a quote from a ministers wife "Our church is Dead" yes but what are you DOING to help? This is only my view but shrouding your children in a single minded environment with home tutoring and having Jesus as the centre of everything is quite frankly a dangerous place to be. It must be very nice having a 5 bed home in a Leafy suburb and taking home a decent wage for quite frankly not doing a lot. I get the Christian up bringing, I was brought up in a Christian home where I was lucky to have great parents who let me chose my own faith. But I also lived in the real world, met some great people, trials and tribulations but its been a rally driver from start to finish and I wouldn't change any of it! I actually agree our church as it stands now is dying a slow death and I actually said 2 years ago within 10 this place wont exist and its makes me sad to think. We need to stand up and either do something about it NOW or watch on the side-lines waiting to dig the grave because it will happen if we don't change now.