My wife and I were enlightened and encouraged when we heard of a very positive input into Brighton's life at a meeting hosted by the City Mission team at Holland Road Baptist Churchlast Saturday.

The various team speakers, all very much young, 21st-Century people in appearance and style, shared contagious enthusiasm in their stories of meaningful, sometimes life-changing, relationships with some of the most deprived youngsters in the city through various clubs and so on.

Their work is often painstaking, and sometimes disappointing.

What came over, however, was how these young Christians had taken so many love-starved, "awkward" youngsters on board just as they were, warts and all, and won their hearts and minds through their genuine affection and concern.

This embraced such exciting innovations as "Kids Count" ministries, clubs and community outreach at Whitehawk, as well as HIV/AIDS victims, all with cheerful abandon and rollicking good humour.

And that's without mentioning the work they do with asylum seekers, some from desperate backgrounds, and a few of whom were present to tell their tales.

As one team member commented: "All you've got to do is show them love. It's no big deal. Just love them."

Brighton's churches, some so slow and wooden in their thinking, realise what a wonderful facility their city has in these gifted and dedicated young people who work beyond those safe religious structures.

-Guy Fleming, Worthing