{"id":11359,"date":"2022-08-06T21:16:31","date_gmt":"2022-08-06T21:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/?p=11359"},"modified":"2022-08-10T12:53:18","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T12:53:18","slug":"wherever-god-leads-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wherever-god-leads-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Wherever God Leads Me\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>05 August 2022 | Lahti, Finland [David Neal]<\/p>\n<p>Sitting together on a staircase inside the Lahti Sports and Fair Centre, the location of the European Adventist Youth Congress (AYC22), the youth group from St. Albans, England, shared their experience of church life, what they love, what they would like to change, and along with their impressions of AYC22. And then they were asked a further question. \u201cIn ten years from now, where do you see yourselves in the church?\u201d There was a pause\u2026 so wanting to provide some helpful prompts, I tried to helpfully suggest, \u201cYouth Leader, Elder, Treasurer?\u201d The awkward pause continued &#8211; and then Luke Stickland gently said, \u201cWherever God leads me?\u201d And with that &#8211; all 13 friends around him spontaneously gave him a rousing cheer.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11368\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11368\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-12.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11368 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-12.jpg 630w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-12-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-12-500x280.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-12-350x196.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11368\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">St. Albans youth were a contingent part of youth attending AYC22 from the UK and Ireland, pictured here with British Union Conference Youth Director Pastor Kevin Johns standing front left. (Photos: David Neal)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Wow! Message received loud and clear \u2013 \u201cwe\u2019re the generation that won\u2019t be put into your traditional box!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From our brief conversation together, St. Albans youth are totally enjoying AYC22 for many of the reasons common to Adventist youth past and present.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like AYC 2022 particularly the morning meetings in small groups &#8211; meeting lots of new people from different languages and cultures\u201d, said Henry Stoner-Redfern. Layken Venter agrees, \u201cThe small groups give opportunity to chat, connect and get to know new people. Henry\u2019s brother Freddie explained, \u201cInstead of being back at home where being an Adventist is a minority experience, in this setting it is nearly the norm, which feels very nice and different to the reality back home. \u201cIt\u2019s about making those connections\u201d, agreed Ethan Manners-Jones, \u201cand sharing ideas about God and what we believe, as well as worshipping together.\u201d \u201cI am enjoying the opportunity of listening to some of the world\u2019s leading preachers \u2013 an amazing experience,\u201d enthused Tyler Hamilton. \u201cSurrounded by so many different Adventists \u2013 and different types of Adventists\u201d, observed Emma Fuller, \u201cit opens your eyes to who European Adventists are, and in a way deepens my spiritual connection with God.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_89834\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IhSnj5aIdOs?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/ted.adventist.org&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"AYC22 DAY 3 - Why I Will Get Baptised\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n<p>As I listened to their experience, I was reminded of my own faith journey growing up as Georgia Manners-Jones explained. \u201cI\u2019m enjoying AYC22 for its cultural diversity and youth who experience a faith that is the same as ours, which somehow seems to make our faith at times feel less alien, because sometimes in our own lives it can seem so. Knowing that there are many other youth out there &#8211; in the same boat as us &#8211; is just comforting.<\/p>\n<p>With AYC22 soon to end, I wanted to know how local church life is for this youth group. What do they like, &#8211; even love about their local church?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I like about church is the cultural diversity of the music, how everybody comes together to learn more about God, worship God, with everyone having the same focus\u201d, said Sara Stickland. Sara\u2019s cousin, Eleanor agrees, particularly in relation to the music. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s the atmosphere, the environment, especially when worshipping through music. I love how freeing it is, and how accepting it is of everyone\u2019s unique way of experiencing closeness to God.\u201d For Molly Wimbow it is \u201cdiscussing topics together, in Sabbath School with friends who share the same beliefs as me \u2013 and doing activities together\u201d. It is being with \u201clike-minded people\u201d, agreed Abigail Davison, \u201cand the community spirit it creates, helps us together find answers to the questions we ask \u2013 that\u2019s what I like about our church.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11370\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11370\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-13.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11370 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-13.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-13.jpg 630w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-13-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-13-500x280.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-13-350x196.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11370\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">BUC youth surround the contingent from Ireland and Northern Ireland. Pictured on far right of picture (second row), Pastor Anthony Fuller, Youth Director, South England Conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>What then, would St. Albans youth like to change? And although they didn\u2019t elaborate too much on this, Sara Stickland made an interesting comment about the mission of the church. \u201cI think the church needs to become more accessible to others who don\u2019t know about it, and AYC22 shows the kind of environment you would like to show family and friends who don\u2019t know much about the church. Bringing this sort of environment back home, for those who want to know more about God where we are, would be something I would change.\u201d Maddy Wallis also has a desire to see more outreach &#8211; even perhaps doing church outside on occassion in a local park.<\/p>\n<p>One youth group from one small UK city \u2013 who even though they connect incredibly well with each other, admit to still feeling \u2018different\u2019 through belonging to a distinctively minority faith group. The message I received is \u2013 navigating and engaging with the surrounding culture daily (at school, university and in the workplace) at times is tough and challenging. Church helps! And AYC22 provides a bigger story which says, \u201cat times it may feel as though you are on your own, AYC22 demonstrates, alone you are not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That \u201cWherever God leads me\u2026\u201d moment continues to unsettle. On the one hand what could be a more faith affirming statement? On the other hand, I\u2019m reminded that the Spirit does not always conform to how I think things should be. Message to the local church family\u2026 \u201cWhat is the Spirit saying and wanting to do through the AYC22 generation?<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>[Photos: David Neal, Video: Daniel Kluska]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Message received loud and clear: &#8220;we\u2019re the generation that won\u2019t be put in your traditional box!&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":11365,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1570,1584,7],"tags":[1160,867,237,166,1161],"class_list":["post-11359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-discipleship-spiritual-growth","category-finland","category-news","tag-adventist-youth","tag-ayc","tag-david-neal","tag-finland","tag-st-albans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11359"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11431,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11359\/revisions\/11431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}