18 September 2014 | Kalamos, Greece [Yiannis Samaras, tedNEWS] From 4-7 September 2014 at Kalamos Camping site in Greece, Greek Mission (GM) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church organised a Youth Congress entitled ‘In Christ we Commit’, inspiring their youth to not only share the good news of the Gospel, but to do a lot more.
Young people recognise that the great challenge ahead of them, in addition to proclaiming the Gospel, is to aim to, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, make every new believer a disciple of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul, in his 1st Epistle to Timothy wrote something which can both touch and transform a young person’s life: “Let no man despise your youth; but be you an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). As young people we have chosen this excerpt as a motto for our lives and for the Youth Ministry in Greece.
Over the four days of the Congress, our guest speaker Pastor Paul Tompkins, the Trans-European Division (TED) Youth Director, shared with us a series of inspirational devotionals. He challenged and encouraged us to become the messengers who will bring the message of comfort and hope to the people in our communities. Pastor Tompkins also encouraged us not to dwell on our own inadequacies, but to realise, through the example of Jesus’ interactions with His followers, that God does not necessarily choose ‘the best of the best’. Rather He chooses ‘triangle players’, those who do not seem to be of any importance or possess any great skill. It was so comforting to be reminded that even when we have messed up or completely failed in our mission, He is still full of love and compassion is always there to help us up.
One of the important aims of the Congress was to learn to be useful and needed members of our local communities, a concept strongly supported by the TED. Seeking to be not only hearers of the Word, but t doers as well, we all worked together to clean up the local beach, gave out water to people on the streets and gave away the magazine Better Life.
During the Congress, a seminar about pornography, presented by Yiannis Samaras, GM Youth Leader, increased our awareness of the mental, physical and spiritual implications of this modern addiction. At the same time, Samaras exposed the steps to be followed, in accordance with the Bible, to overcome the addiction.
A presentation about websites and Internet Ministry used for outreach presented by the Web Pastor Yannis Vrakas, informed us of the role and possibilities of the Internet in sharing the Adventist Message in Greece. Personal testimonies of people who came to know Jesus through the Internet ministry attested to the validity of this ministry. The possibility of using social networks, which are already a great part of our lives, to share the Gospel was truly exciting and seeing the living proof that it works was simply inspiring! We even decided to make our own new Facebook page, where we will share devotional thoughts, pictures and notes of encouragement with our friends as well as invite them to join us in the community work.
Another important moment of the Congress was a commitment by the youth to put the great ideas they came up with into action once they were home. Aiming to reach culturally Orthodox and highly Postmodern Greek people is not a simple task. This is a goal that can be achieved only through a common vision and teamwork. Therefore, the youth of every church, under the guidance of Pastor Tompkins and Claudio Gulias, the new GM President, initiated an annual evangelistic strategy planning meetings.
The end of the Congress found all participants praising God with the accompaniment of a newly organised Adventist Christian youth band. We felt ready for action and confident that God has a great plan for Greece, a plan that He will accomplish with might and power. What a privilege it is to be a part of His team! [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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