|
WEST COAST
Mark Van Vliet
Canada’s west coast is stirring with faith and
unity. As part of this expression of what God is doing here, the HVYN (Hope
Vancouver Youth Network) has exploded onto the scene – bringing
together youth leaders to unite and impact our region. A dynamic youth
gathering called ONE happened April 17 in Vancouver. Up next is
Historymaker, the largest annual youth, young adult and youth leaders event
in B.C.; it’s set for Langley, May 15 – 17. The movement known
as TheCRY is coming to Vancouver this summer. Our victorious King will hear
the cry of our generation through prayer, worship and fasting together, as
we stand for our nation. I’m reminded of what one of our youth said
just before his baptism. “A Christian,” declared Nathan Onstad,
“is someone who follows God instead of themselves. To me, Jesus is
not some genie who answers your wishes. Jesus is a loving father who cares
for every single human being, including me. God loves even the most sinful.
I want to live to follow God.”
Mark van Vliet is the campus director of Every Nation
Campus Ministries in Vancouver, and youth director at Every Nation Church
Vancouver. He also chairs the Association of Christian Clubs at the
University of British Columbia.
PRAIRIES
Rob Haslam
Events are starting to come our way here in the
Prairies. Mike Love, of Extreme Dream, will be hosting YC Manitoba
May 1 – 3; we are expecting an amazing weekend. Soul’d
Out, a youth retreat weekend, will be taking place again this spring. They
hosted just shy of 1,000 youth last year. The Manitoba Youth Ministry
Conference is set to take place this year on October 17, with Matt Wilks as
the keynote speaker. We look forward to these events – and others
that are coming our way. As always, God has been moving in significant
ways. We’ve seen the church waking up to the needs of families and
the marginalized. Support for mercy ministries is growing, as more
Christians are seeing the need for eternal impact versus temporal gain.
Strange, isn’t it? As we are in a financial crunch globally, many
people are evaluating what is really important in their spending. So, as
the world looks at this time with worry and fear, perhaps as believers we
can approach it in an evaluative way. Perhaps God is asking all of us
to decide where our treasures will be. After all, as Jesus said, our heart
follows our treasure’s lead.
Rob Haslam is the director of Canadian Youth Worker,
based in Winkler, Manitoba. He serves as a youth pastor in Morden,
Manitoba. He also ran a drop-in centre for young people, for two years. He
can be found on Facebook.
ONTARIO
Dave Harder
I have been working with university students for the
past 13 years, and I have seen a shift taking place – from activities
to action. Younger people are not content anymore with just talking about
the issues. They want to be directly involved in putting the world back
together. In some way, hope and creativity are being restored – as
many youth are shifting their focus from money and success to how they can
serve best with their strengths and passions. Instead of retreating, they
are bringing light into the world in a variety of ways, such as: working
with the poor; volunteering in after-school literacy programs; serving in
environmental initiatives; or tackling the injustices of the world. I am
not sure if the motive is boredom, a quest to find something to fill their
lives or a genuine love for God and people – but nonetheless, they
are challenged by the broken world, and in some way see themselves as the
ones who will make a difference. As a pastor, the challenge is not to
create another program or activity for them to join – but to walk
alongside and provide the mentorship needed, as they engage in the journey.
Dave Harder is lead pastor of The Journey in Ottawa.
Prior to that, he was involved in campus ministry for 10 years. He feels
God called him to Ottawa because of its large number of young people and
two influential universities.
Continue article >>
|
QUEBEC
Normand Charlebois
What are the needs of youth in Quebec? We have a
shortage of youth pastors and leaders. We need money to help place youth
leaders in every Quebec church; to develop projects in high schools; and to
develop and translate resources into French. There are challenges here. One
of the most pressing is teaching youth a work ethic. They are growing up in
a fast food society, and they want everything fast. Do we see any triumphs?
Yes. For the past five years, we have done a successful bilingual and
multi-denominational youth conference in Montreal. I also see God moving in
Quebec, in the unity between the churches, and the different denominations,
and between Francophones and Anglophones. I firmly believe in my heart that
revival in our nation and provinces will come when the body of Christ is
unified. Without this unity, we are not the image that God wants to show
the world, of his church and his body. ‘Rise up and build!’
(Nehemiah 2:18)
Normand Charlebois is the youth and Christian
education director for the Quebec district of the Pentecostal Assemblies of
Canada. He is also director of the Paradox Project, organizing bilingual
and interdenominational activities.
ATLANTIC
Dave Steeves
Death. It is one of those untouchable topics –
until it leaves its mark on you, or those close to you. New Brunswick has
had at least 20 teen/young adult tragedies (including suicide) within the
past two years. The high schools, as you can imagine, have been rocked
– as students face the loss of their friends and classmates. The
sadness ripples outward, touching many in the affected communities –
including youth pastors and leaders. Everyone is impacted. More than ever,
youth ministries have had to begin talking about the unthinkable topic of
death – and a teenage view of God amidst tragedy. Many youth ask
tough questions: “Do I draw closer to God during those times? Or do I
reject God and point the blame on him, asking ‘How could you let this
happen?’” As youth ministers, we must be a light to the
community, and continue to boldly share the message of Jesus Christ –
that only he, the conqueror of death, can be our comfort during these hard
times. Don’t wait to talk about eternity with the young people in
your community. Teenagers are not invincible.
Dave Steeves is a youth pastor with Moncton Wesleyan
Church in Moncton, NB. Under his leadership, church attendance of young
people has grown significantly, and he has helped 75 leaders discern how
best to use their spiritual gifts.
Options Spring 2009
|
