Strength is the glory of young people (Proverbs 20:29). Owing to trust deficit, teeming youth around the world are looking for a place of refuge, a community they can identify with and proudly call their own.
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church holds the opinion that allowing young people drift away from the church as a result of relational issues will be detrimental to the mission of the church hence; their strength would be missing in God’s noble work
For the church, total youth involvement is a must so as to give countless young adults the attention they truly deserve.
Liken as ‘grown-up plants and corner pillars fashioned as for a palace’ (Psalm 114:12), young people remain critical to the growth of a community and the church.
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In Seventh-Day Adventist Church, the need to harness the potential and spiritual gifts of young adults brought about the existence of senior youth ministry as well as the development of Senior Youth Leader (SYL) leadership curriculum in response to the growing needs of leaders to guide young adults.
Precisely on August 1st to 4th, 2019, the General Conference Associate Senior Youth Director, Pastor Pako Edson launched the Senior Youth ministry for West-Central Africa Division at Babcock University Ogun State, Nigeria, mandating all youth ministries directors under WAD to replicate the launch in their various unions.
In compliance, on February 10th through 14th, 2021, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Jengre-Gari, Plateau State, hosted over 163 young adults drawn from the three local conferences in Northern Nigeria Union Conference (NNUC) for the Senior Youth launch and training tagged “Moving to the Higher Ground”.
The facilitator, Pastor Daniel Chiroma Jnr, Youth Director, Northern Nigeria Union Conference remarked that the SYL launch and training in NNUC was timely to prevent depletion of young people in the church.
His word: “To us in Northern Nigeria, it is a serious concern not to allow youth neglect their role in assisting the church fulfills its mission. More reason we have used the occasion of Senior Youth launch to empower over 163 young adults to take up leadership responsibilities at various levels of youth ministries in the union”.
Earlier, the Guest Speaker, Pastor Yohanna Harry, President Northern Nigeria Union Conference had admonished young people to always stand on the truth, reminding them that making it to ‘higher ground’ is a personal task that must be taken to heart and pursued with humility.
Commending the efforts of the youth in Northern Nigeria Union Conference particularly in the area of evangelism - One Year in Mission (OYiM) project, Pastor Harry called on leaders at all levels to help young people build uncompromised integrity by involving them into leadership responsibilities as well as encouraging them at all time to obey the word of God, which will guarantee them a higher ground.
NNUC President added that: “Youth inclusiveness or total youth involvement is the only way the future of a community and that of the church can be secured”.
The five days leadership training and SYL launch was anchored on ten modules of seminar topics ranging from introduction to youth ministry, youth development, current issues, leadership, mentoring, church planning, creative youth ministry, serving, outreach and digital ministry.
Participatory and engaging with real life case studies, the training exposed young adult leaders on what it takes to develop a strong faith maturity while serving as keys and characters of influence for the development of the kingdom of God.
Happy for the Senior Youth launch and training, participants applauded Adventist Youth Ministries leadership for organizing the program, which is evident that the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Northern Nigeria is committed to building the youth.
Certainly, the future will look very bright and attractive only if the teeming youth are intentionally guided and supported to make right choices.
As EPIC- experiential, participatory, image rich and connected generation in need of integrated mentorship and authentic intergenerational dialogue, leaders must help them stand out for good.
You are the mentors, they are the mentees, guide them!
Ezinwa Alozie,
Communication Director Northern Nigeria Union Conference