Thousands of Seventh-day Adventist young people around the world will engage in service projects in their communities, towns, and cities during this year’s Global Youth Day (GYD), on Mar. 16, 2024.
The annual initiative led by the youth ministries department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists motivates young people to get out of their comfort zones to “Be the Sermon” as they show the love of Jesus through acts of kindness wherever they go.
This year’s overall focus is to drive young people to “Show up in the Cities.” It’s about youth transforming their city while they follow Jesus’ example, said Pastor Al Powell, youth ministries director of the Inter-American Division (IAD).
“For years our young people in Inter-America have committed to going beyond the pews to impact the community with purpose and passion and we are enthused to see so much excitement among youth leaders and young people once again this year,” said Powell. “Our young people are ready to impact their cities and their communities with purpose and passion.”
Activities planned throughout the IAD’s 24 unions, or church regions, on GYD will include feeding and praying for individuals in homes, cities and rural communities, cleaning and refurbishing parks, sharing messages of hope through social media and group texts, as well as visiting the sick in hospitals, orphanages and nursing homes, visiting those imprisoned, reaching out to former church members and much more, said Powell.
Added to impact activities this year will include young people distributing thousands of copies of the “The Great Controversy” book by Ellen G. White.
It is the second consecutive year that publishing ministries joins Global Youth Day activities in distributing a book that announces that Jesus is coming soon. “We are happy to join efforts to show up in cities and communities with this precious message of Jesus’s soon return,” said Isaías Espinoza, publishing ministries director of the IAD.
Global Youth Day ushers in the youth week of prayer across the more than 23,000 churches and congregations throughout the IAD, where young people will be active in preaching from pulpits and leading out in small group ministry during the week. The week’s theme, “Urban Redemption: Youth Transforming Their City”, will highlight the need for offering hope through Jesus’ example amid the depression, illness, hopelessness, fear, and uncertainty prevalent in the world today.
“Our young people will have the opportunity to seek out and make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others around them,” Powell said.
Launched in 2013, Global Youth Day’s vision is to recapture the reality of Adventist youth as a global movement mobilized for service, contributing to the proclamation of the everlasting gospel, and ushering in the second coming of Jesus Christ.
To find out this year’s GYD as well as the Youth Week of Prayer Resources in English, Spanish and French, click HERE
GYD webpage: HERE
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IAD President Pastor Elie Henry encourages top church leaders to intensify evangelism efforts through the “I Will Go” mission plan for the next four years across the territory, on Apr. 29, 2021 :: Photo credit: Libna Stevens/IAD
“We must walk in humility and responsibility with great determination in preaching that Jesus is coming very soon,” he said. The reminder came as Pastor Henry spoke on key significant decisions taken that will see a new team of dozens of IAD department heads, division institution administrators and union mission administrators accomplishing the mission through 2025.
Pastor Henry clarified that the church in Inter-America took the decision to elect its top leaders in April since the church’s General Conference (GC) Session has been postponed several times due to the pandemic. The GC Executive Committee recently authorized world divisions to appoint officers, field secretaries, department directors as well as administrators of union missions.
“Thank you for your commitment and for dedicating your entire lives to the service of the Lord,” said Pastor Henry as he addressed the leaders who will retire from active service in the coming days. “The church must move ahead without stopping,” Pastor Henry said. He invited leaders and members at every level of the church to pray for God’s leading to finish the task at hand.
Mission to the Upper Class
Executive committee members voted to establish a special committee that will coordinate a program to evangelize people of the upper class starting at the division level in collaboration with each union and local field in the territory. “’The Mission to the Upper Class Committee’ shall provide concepts, guidance, counsel, methodology, resources, and training to the fields for successful implementation of the mission,” read the voted statement. The role of the committee includes establishing specific evangelistic objectives to reach the upper class, determine specific initiatives and its target groups, outline strategies to equip persons to execute the initiatives, evaluation and specific functions of all involved.