Spiritual formation is at the heart of all we do and therefore we encourage all those involved in the work of Upcott to have regular one to one sessions with someone whose passion is to see Christ formed in them. We see the most consistent growth in those who are both mentored in this way and part of a discipleship programme (in the local church, Upcott or elsewhere). We would love for this to be happening in the local church context but we recognise that not every church has the resources to do this, therefore we want to make this available to as many young people as possible.
The purpose of our mentoring is summed up by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians: My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you… (4:19)
So often people have an encounter with the Holy Spirit, but the truth He is revealing doesn’t get established in people’s lives, so they become discouraged and the pattern repeats. From a foundation of the love of God, the role of the mentor is to encourage and support you until that truth is working in your life.
What does it look like? Everything we do is based in relationship, firstly with Jesus, and then with people. Therefore it is essential that the relationship between you and the mentor works – this is our first priority.
Most of the sessions will be on Zoom and will be subject to Upcott’s current Safeguarding guidance for working in these environments. A copy will be sent to every participant, and their parents (if under 18).
The length and frequency of the sessions will need to be agreed, but the normal pattern is an hour session, every two weeks, for between 6 and 8 sessions. We will then take a break and review, and then carry on if both parties are in agreement. Sometimes this relationship might carry on for a significant amount of time, other times it may be right to change mentor if there is a specific area the Lord is wanting to establish in your life.
If possible we encourage at least one meeting in person per set of sessions.
We are sure you will have questions so please contact us and we will do our best to answer.