|PIC1|Britain's first black peer Lord John Taylor of Warwick encouraged young black people to look beyond their own limits on Friday and trust that God guides the footsteps of those He has called.

"God has equipped the called, He doesn't call the equipped," Lord Taylor told members of the black Christian community at the annual Christians in the Marketplace conference in central London. "The calling comes first so ask [God] what your calling is."

In an engaging and frequently humorous address on Christians and politics, Lord Taylor spoke of the racist attitudes he had encountered growing up in Britain and the put downs and discouragements he had faced on his journey to becoming a barrister, media commentator and later a member of the House of Lords.

He said that the lack of black male role models and fatherless families, rap culture and the 'get rich quick' mentality had triggered a crisis among young black people in Britain. A negative mindset was, Lord Taylor added, being perpetuated by the dominance of negative stories about young black men in the media.

"The Government emphasises crime prevention but what's more important is criminal prevention," he told the conference, organised yearly by the Redeemed Christian Church of God. "I never met anyone who wasn't ambitious...but it's about doing it in the right way."

He encouraged young people, however, to take responsibility for their lives.

"My message to young people is that you have got to work hard. God will bless you but He won't bless you if you stay in bed all day."

He added, "The rap stars are conning you. They don't live in the Bronx, they live in The Hamptons [a resort for the rich and famous on Long Island in the US]."

Lord Taylor said that the black majority churches had a tremendous role to play in Britain and that God was "calling black people to be in public positions [to] be salt and light".

Pointing to the popularity of US presidential candidate Barack Obama, he also said that Britain was not so far away from its first black prime minister and that this person would come from the black church. "What a time this is," he said, saying that Obama's success showed that "times can change".

The session was joined by a fledgling ministry, Trans4mas, run by young black Christians who want to see an end to the grip of gangs on some of London's estates.

He said that the foundation of any ministry reaching out to young people had to be the gospel.

"It's about working with young people but it's also about telling them about the truth of the gospel and that it really will give them hope for the future."