YWCA loses Christianity from title

[Gabriel]

The Young Women's Christian Association, which is one of Britain's oldest charities, has dropped the word "Christian" from its name to better reflect its role in society.



The YWCA, which was set up in 1855 to help young women going to London for the first time, has now become "Platform 51".

The name was chosen because 51 per cent of people are female and "women use us as a platform for having their say and for helping them into the next stage of their lives".

The rebranding is likely to raise questions among the charity's donors, many of whom give to it because of the organisation's Christian links.

However, officials at the World YWCA headquarters in Geneva told the Daily Mail that none of the 124 branches in other countries intended to follow suit.

The spokeswoman said: "We are not even discussing a change. We see our name as an opportunity for promoting Christian values and principles."

The YWCA is not the first body to move away from Christian associations in its name. In 2009, the chairman of Churches Action for the Homeless said it needed to start looking for a new name because the religious connotations made it harder to get grants.

A spokesman for the think-tank the Christian Institute said: "Many believe there is an anti-Christian bias among those who decide which charities get state funding.

"It was the Christian character of the YWCA that made it great. It is a shame that it is turning its back on those values."

[Psalm 51:17]

Mat 10:32  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:33  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Mar 4:16  And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
Mar 4:17  And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.