Organisers of a Christian anti-violent crime conference being held in Brixton in London on Saturday have welcomed an address from the Archbishop of York in which he reiterated that the Church of England's mandate to reach out to young people caught up in knife crime.

In his presidential address at the Church's General Synod on Saturday, Dr John Sentamu reminded the Church of its responsibility to take the love of Jesus to those in need of it.

"Our call is to reach out to our neighbours with God's message of love in Jesus Christ," he said.

"To be a servant in the Church of God, you too are volunteered. The call is addressed to people who are not expecting to be invited - and not those who have become their own good cause!

"We are called to reach out to people who are desperately searching for identity, meaning and belonging. When crime involving the use of knives by young people is on the increase, we can stem the tide by our outreach to young people."

Bite the Bullet has been organised jointly by the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Street Pastors initiative which sends out teams of volunteer Christians to be a pacifying presence on city streets across the UK.

Organisers say the conference aims to increase awareness of the factors that lead to knife and gun crime, to help young people resist it, and equip church leaders to support young people in an increasingly violent world.

Wale Hudson-Roberts, BUGB Racial Justice Co-ordinator and one of the organisers of Bite the Bullet, believes that all Christians should heed Dr Sentamu's comments.

"Finding a solution to gun and knife crime is not only the responsibility of the Church of England, the Baptist Union or any particular denomination," he said.

"It is the responsibility of all Christians to engage with young people, to listen to their needs and show viable alternatives to gang culture and violence, that there is another, more positive way to live.

"We all should be praying and working together towards a safer society for young people to grow up in."

Les Isaac, founder of Street Pastors, believes that Bite the Bullet will enable those that attend to understand the issues and formulate a plan of action.

"I strongly believe that God is going to speak to all those that are there on this vital issue of violent crime amongst young people and he will give us direction and purpose to respond," he said.

"Much good work is already being done by church youth workers, by organisations to tackle the issue, and Bite the Bullet will give us the opportunity to share that work and come up with new ideas. It needs to be more than discussion, it must lead to action.

"If Bite the Bullet is just a talking shop then it will have been a waste of time."



Bite the Bullet takes place this Saturday (12 July) from 1030-2100 at Brixton Baptist Church, Solon Road, Brixton. For more information visit www.bitethebullet.info