"As members of Team On Mission the challenge is to follow the commands of Jesus to love God and love others (in particular the young people and children you will serve) and in the process be changed to become more like Him."

WHAT IS TOM?

Team on Mission is the Methodist churches gap year programme for 18-25 year olds. It has been running for over 21 years this summer! And before that it was called the youth evangelism team (YET) and that ran for 12 years! The fashion and hairstyles may be a little different but the mission is the same… to answer the call of Jesus to love God and others and make disciples!

The work is mostly among young people and children, but depending on the context the team is working in, they get involved in the whole life of the church. Teams in the past have been based in schools and community projects as well as local churches and have been involved in a variety of activities from kids clubs to school assemblies, from church services to large scale youth events, from drop-in’s to youth fellowships, from setting up prayer rooms to bowling with old age pensioners.

 

 

 

WHAT IS A 'GAP YEAR' - and who is it for?

It’s not just for school leavers! We need a mixture of ages and experience!

There are many questions facing someone considering taking a ‘gap year’. What’s the point of interrupting your school and college career? Would it not be better to get a job after college? Why pull out of your job - you might not get another one as good? At a crucial point in your life you are going to do something completely different. Explore God’s call on your life, discover your gifts, learn new skills. Who knows where it will lead?

For some a step out of a job or degree has meant a change in career path, for others they have stepped back into whatever they came from. The majority of school leavers go on to further education after their ‘gap’ year, for most to whatever they had intended before the year, but for some it has meant a reassessment and new choices of study. Some do go on to train for youth work and even the ordained ministry!

TOM 20

You can read what TOM 20 has said about their experiences by clicking here

BENEFITS OF TOM

Those who have had the TOM ‘gap’ year have gained a great deal through the Team experience. Self-discovery, who am I? What am I good at? Learning to work and live in a new environment with new people.. Development of leadership skills... Youth and Children’s work experience and training... Developing public speaking and performance skills... Hearing God for their future plans…Some have even learnt to do their own washing and cook their own food!

 

 

 

 

TYPES OF TEAM

At the moment there are two types of team, one is the travelling team who are invited by churches all around Ireland for anything from a weekend to a month to do youth and children's mission and the other team is based in one church or project for a year.

“To keep up to date on the Teams comings and goings, add them as friends on FACEBOOK!
SEARCH FOR: TOM TRAVELLING TEAM(Travelling Team) & NEWTOWNABBEY TOMTEAM (Newtownabbey Team)”