The GC Youth Conference
The Council of Youth of the General Conference is organizing this important event during the May school holidays. Bishop Hwa Yung will be the plenary speaker and the workshop will be conducted by Ms. Annette Arulrajah, the General Secretary of the Fellowship of Evangelical Students, Malaysia.
Excerpt from the brochure.
“The general tendency for Christian youths today is to approach the issue of their careers in a way that is no different from the rest of the world. But is this right? The Christian is called to be the ‘salt of the earth’ and the ‘light of the world’. How can we live this calling through our careers? Is there a Christian way of choosing our careers or vocations? How can Christians impact the world with the gospel of Christ through our careers?
Side by side with this is the shortage of men and women in the full-time Christian ministry in the Methodist Church. How can we encourage our youths to take up the challenge of the call to full-time ministry? These are some of the key issues we will be addressing at this conference.”
For further information contact Rev. Christopher Rao at
Tel: 019-2262402, 03- 79542836 (TRAC office)
email:pastorpher@gmail.com
In view of the importance of building our youths we take a look at some of the programmes for youths from various Annual Conferences that have come to our attention. Not all Annual Conferences are featured and of course there are other programmes that are not covered here. The Chinese article is also on the youths in CAC.
v Short-Term Mission School (English) of MTS Sibu
This mission school is a month long programme run by the Methodist Theological School (MTS), Sibu. It completed its second year this February with 13 youths mainly from the English speaking churches of SCAC, but also included one from the Iban church and one from Sabah.
The aim of the course is to train the youths to be grounded in the Word of God and be exposed to the Great Commission of God. The programme included classroom course work, one of which was an intensive 40 hour course taught over 5 days, and one week of mission field work.
For many of the participants it was an eye-opening and life-changing experience. Jonathan Wong from Wesley Methodist Church, Sibu shared this:
During STMS, I drew closer to God. I found my spiritual gifts that were hidden in me for a very long time and now I want to use them mightily for God’s Kingdom.
The mission component was truly a cross-cultural experience. The students, divided into smaller teams, visited and shared with the Iban and indigenous peoples in different localities.
At the end of the school there was a graduation service where the lecturers of MTS and teachers of STMS had prayers of commissioning for the students. There was a sense of God’s presence and the hope that the future of these young people were in God’s hands.
Campus Ministry in Sabah
Kingfisher Methodist Church was established near the University of Malaysia in Sabah (UMS) to reach out to students there. That was in 2003. Today the church has about 300 students attending the Chinese ministry and 50-60 the English campus ministry.
The campus ministry has now developed into a preaching point because of the potential for growth amongst the students in UMS with a population of over 20,000 students. Some 300 students from China are also studying there. Reaching out to the students and preparing them for the future service of God is a growing work.
SCAC Youth Club
The celebration was in the form of a creative Fun and Information Fair held at the long awaited Methodist Youth Centre, another milestone in youth development for the SCAC. The Fun Fair was also aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of youth ministry and youth issues through workshops, shows, games and the like. The day ended with a musical concert with over 1000 young people attending.
TRAC Jeremiah School
This year was the fourth year running for the Jeremiah School, conducted from 3 Jan.-11 Feb. 2007. 12 youths spent six weeks together for a time of learning, building a living relationship with God, Christian formation and practical experience in service.
Originally conceived as a challenge to youths to enter the Christian vocation it has evolved into a school of Christian formation. The syllabus covers biblical foundations, personal relationship with God and personal holistic growth through spiritual disciplines, discovering one’s gifts and calling, as well as service and leadership. It is not only classroom learning that is emphasized but the encounter with God the Father.
As one participant testified, “I thought that God only speaks to a select few persons. I always thought only ‘holy’ people get to see visions and dreams. During this JS, not only did I discover God was real, I experienced Him! Now my whole being is convinced that He is present and powerful.”
The practical dimension is also not neglected. Weekends are spent visiting churches and there is a mission exposure week at the end of the school.
Some 93 youths have attended JS since its inception. It is with hope that they will continue to persevere and be a faithful generation of Christian leaders who are of a different spirit like Caleb was among his generation (Num.14:24).
TRAC Youth Prayer Conference
From 10-13 March some 120 youths gathered at the Stella Maris Centre in Penang for a time of learning about prayer. Led by Rev. Ong Hwai Teik, President of TRAC, and other practitioners of prayer these young people not only learnt the principles of prayer and intercession but began the experience and practice of praying for themselves, their youth groups and their churches.
