Our History

Time for God started providing volunteering opportunities in the mid-1960’s, and we are pleased to say that Time for God is now one of the most established ecumenical Christian volunteering organisations in the UK.

Time for God was founded by Reverend Brian Gilbert in 1964. On May 30th, 1964, Reverend Gilbert was travelling with David Jackson, the then YouthSecretary for the Baptist Youth and Peter who was with the Baptist Missionary Society.

‘’We were travelling to youth movement rally in Leicester atwhich I had the privilege of introducing a new project or an idea. But to behonest, I hadn't got an idea. I mean I could preach... I could tell them aboutthe Lord, but I hadn't got an idea for a new project. During the journey, Davidtold me about the Rufer Movement of young people volunteering in Germany-‘Rufer’ meaning call.

We talked the idea over on the train going to Leicester and came up with their idea of time for God. We picked up four types of work the volunteers would do: evangelism, pastoral care, those who wanted to help with children or elderly, and and administrative type of work. We decided they would volunteer for a month.

So, when we got to the meeting, I had to rewrite my notes for my talk and put forward the idea that this was to be our project. When I presented it at the meeting, everyone liked the sound of it, but of course, that just started the ball rolling.

The thing that sticks out to me all these years later is how difficult it was to get it off the ground. I think it was only because other people took this project on with enthusiasm that made it work. We said to the churches that we are hosting volunteers, ‘you are part of this person's life, you're a big part of confirming if God is calling them into full-time ministry’. It was the making of many of those young people.

In the next 50 years, what are my wishes for time for God? It's got to be growth. Have we got the faith that this will grow? Not just in numbers, but the quality of the spiritual growth in these young people is important. In Acts 8, you have the story of Philip who was in Samaria, doing a wonderful job, with people responding and being baptised. God calls him out to Samaria to go into the desert by Gaza and there's nobody there, no congregation at all. He thinks what am I doing here? But God said to him go, he goes then he sees the dust on the horizon and on came an entourage coming home from Jerusalem, and there's a man sitting in the chariot. He says, ‘I’ve been to Jerusalem, of tried to pray, I've tried to believe, but I can't’. Philip gets in and opens the scriptures to this one man. One man. As they go along, the man understands,and he asks to be baptised. Philip's job is done.’’

Sixty years on, the vision Reverend Gilbert hoped for continuesstrong. The world has changed over the last six decades, and Time for God has adapted with the times. The core values of the original vision have remained the same. A passion to serve communities and empowering and inspiring young people to be the catalyst to those changes. The difference one person in the right place can make to future generations - this is God's work.

Each year Time for God hosts 70+ volunteers, who are placed into local communities where they will live and serve for a year. Our volunteers are truly international and represent over 35 countries over the last five years. TfG Placements are all unique, and cover a broad spectrum (These include Churches, Hostels, Youth Activity centres and working with the elderly to name a few). Each placement is in the UK and has a Christian ethos. TfG provide quality volunteering opportunities, and we do this by working in partnership with Churches and Christian organisations for all traditions across the world and with other European and International Voluntary Service Organisations.

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