The group of 14 British teenagers that descended on a London church in February painted, cleaned, stripped walls, demolished, scrubbed, and prepped for a remodel - much to the surprise of the neighbors.

"As we worked on the church, people were walking past and amazed that teenagers were actually doing something in the area," said Jo Tamburello, who organizes British Isles South District Youth in Mission projects like this.

The sacrifice of their mid-term break meant the youth from various district churches were the first to kick-start a new phase of ministry in Battersea, a southwest London neighborhood about three miles from Westminster's tourist attractions. Here, the Thomas Memorial Church of the Nazarene is reassessing its building, location, and presence in the community. The initiative, known as "Fresh Ground," aims to make Christlike disciples in the community through genuine friendships.

"We are especially interested in innovative and simple ways to make connections and have meaningful conversations with the un-churched," said Jason Nike, who is heading the initiative with his wife, Laura. "The un-churched are those people whose only experience of church has been in attending christenings, weddings, and funerals, and for whom Christianity is most likely seen as an irrelevant form of organized religion. This is the fastest-growing group of people in London today. They are the fresh ground we are looking to approach in fresh ways."

Thomas Memorial's church building is located in the heart of Battersea at the crossroads of its two busiest streets. Surrounded by shops, restaurants, bars, cafés, and residential properties, the building has an almost constant stream of passers- by. The residential area is known locally as "Nappy Valley" and has the highest population of under-fives (children under five years old) in Europe. The growing number of teenagers and young adults in the area will swell over the coming years, and the current lack of hangouts for those between 11 and 18 has the team thinking. Then there's the significant amount of mothers and nannies out with young children in local cafés, parks, and libraries during the day.

"We'd like to have the space downstairs be as multi-use as possible, for lots of different community groups," said Nike. "There's a café facility that can run alongside something very family-centered and children-oriented. And youth need somewhere kind of cool to just hang out, watch TV, stuff like that - especially the Friday/Saturday evening venue that's not a pool hall or pub."

“Ultimately,” he said, "We are exploring ways in which we could use and open up the ample space we have in order to serve the local community."

Used by permission of NCN News. This article appeared in the May 15, 2009 edition.