GYC Europe president Naison (a constant for GYC Europe members is to use only their first names) reflected on what it meant to be part of a chosen generation. \u201cUsually when we choose something, we have a [set of] criteria of what good looks like,\u201d Naison, born in Zimbabwe and lives in England, said. He explained, \u201cThe gospel and the blood of Jesus that purchased our salvation does not only redeem us but also restores us. So, as we see Jesus working through His power in our lives, we have the joy, the privilege, and the desire to share to make Him known to others.\u2026 That\u2019s what this conference is all about: to share Christ at a deeper level than we have done before and be emboldened and encouraged to share Him with more people than before.”<\/p>\n
Event participants could access dozens of workshop sessions on various topics based on personal testimonies and ideas for ministry, while others covered theological, relationship, and health topics. If required, GYC members could also register for private counselling sessions with mental health professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n Sabbath Worship<\/strong><\/p>\n The day began early with prayer groups and singing. Adventist Review executive editor Justin Kim coordinated a panel and small groups to lead the Sabbath School lesson, including GYC members from Austria, Belgium, and other countries. A local church choir sang in Latvian under the leadership of M\u0101rtin\u0161 Subatovi\u010ds, pastor of the Central Riga Church. Subatovi\u010ds, the morning devotional speaker during the conference, is also trained as a choir conductor and music therapist.<\/p>\n In his sermon, Pavel Goia (Associate Director of the General Conference Ministerial Association and editor of Ministry magazine) called GYC members to trust in the power of fervent prayer, be genuinely committed to God, and then give to Him by sharing Christ with others. \u201cGod called you to service,\u201d Goia told the gathered crowd, \u201cHe called you to be a light to this world.\u201d But how can one do it? He asked. \u201cBy being filled with the Spirit. Being baptised with the Holy Spirit,\u201d he answered.<\/p>\n Filled with the Spirit to Serve<\/strong><\/p>\n With the support of the Latvian Conference, GYC members also distributed copies of The Great Controversy and Steps to Christ. Three groups sang in the Riga Marketplace, a shopping mall, and outside one of the Adventist church buildings in the city. Still, other members were divided into small groups to visit designated places across Riga along streets and through parks for a prayer walk, organisers reported. \u201cWe are excited to present various engaging outreach activities designed to help us experience reaching out to the local community, foster connection, and inspire reflection,\u201d they said<\/p>\n This aspect of GYC inspired Trans-European Division Field Secretary Ian Sweeney. “One of the abiding impressions I took from GYC was the number of young people present who showed their commitment and resolve to engage in mission activity. It was heartening to see so many of them wanting to do much more for Christ in making Him known in their communities.”<\/p>\n Following outreach – there’s always a story to tell.<\/strong><\/p>\n During the evening program following the outreach, several GYC members shared some of what they called providential contacts with passersby. They included a man who was bored at home watching TV and decided to visit the market. As he was walking through the market, he heard singing and checked out what was happening. GYC members discussed biblical topics with him and invited him to a local church.<\/p>\n \u201cI think God wanted me to be here,\u201d the man told them at the end as he promised to visit a local Adventist church in Riga.<\/p>\n For GYC members, it was a direct answer to their prayers. \u201cTo me, it was heart-melting,\u201d said one of the young women who talked to him with the help of a Latvian interpreter. \u201cIt just showed that God faithfully answered all our prayers before we went out. This was directly from this man\u2019s mouth. And for me, it was wonderful to hear and really, really encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToday is a happy day,\u201d a young Latvian GYC member shared. \u201cIt\u2019s always a happy day when a person comes closer to God.\u201d He shared how, as he was walking, one of the books he was carrying fell to the ground, but he didn\u2019t notice it. Four women who saw the book ran after him.<\/p>\n “This is your book,” they told him.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, thank you!\u201d the young man told them. \u201cBut it\u2019s your book now.\u201d<\/p>\n That triggered a conversation that ended up with the four women taking a copy of Steps to Christ and a copy of The Great Controversy. \u201cAnd it all started because one of my books fell by accident \u2014 well, it was no accident,\u201d the young man said.<\/p>\n A third young person shared another providential encounter. \u201cI was on a prayer walk, asking God to give us divine appointments,\u201d a young woman said. While walking, she met a man on a scooter and felt impressed to talk to him. She greeted him and gave him a flyer.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, this is religious,\u201d the young man told her. \u201cI used to go to church.\u201d When she asked him which church he used to attend, he answered, \u201cSeventh-day Adventist.\u201d<\/p>\n His acknowledgement triggered a conversation in which he shared a story of family heartbreak and resentment. It included a mother who forced him to go to church but then left, remarried, and is now living on another continent. Holding back tears, they discussed the importance of forgiveness.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it possible to forgive?\u201d the young man asked the GYC member.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is,\u201d she answered, \u201cbecause God has forgiven us.\u201d<\/p>\n After reading the Bible, the young woman said she perceived the Holy Spirit working in the former Adventist\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n \u201cHe got so emotional,\u201d the young woman shared. \u201cWe prayed together, and he told me, \u2018This is not a coincidence.\u2019 \u2018No,\u2019 I told him. \u2018It\u2019s a divine appointment.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Seeing God working through them encouraged GYC members who participated in the afternoon outreach.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to thank God,\u201d a young participant said. \u201c[He helped us] reach out to those looking for Him.\u201d<\/p>\n As Ian Sweeney further reflected on his experience in Riga at GYC, he commented, “I was pleasantly surprised by the age range, from those who were in their early teens to young graduate professionals who recognise that God has a greater plan for their lives beyond their education and career prospects.” He continued, “Evangelism and mission are undoubtedly difficult in our European context, but I believe we can thank God for this cross-section of our youth who are passionate for God\u2019s cause.”<\/p>\n GYC is a youth-led organisation that supports the spiritual mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church but is an independent supporting ministry not controlled by or legally affiliated with the Church.<\/em><\/p>\n The original version <\/em>of this report is a combination of the first two articles below by Marcos Paseggi published in the Online edition of the Adventist Review.<\/em><\/p>\n Read more at: https:\/\/adventistreview.org\/news\/if-god-has-put-something-in-your-heart-go-and-do-it\/<\/p>\n Read more at: https:\/\/adventistreview.org\/news\/gyc-members-rejoice-in-singing-reflecting-and-sharing-god-in-latvia\/<\/p>\n Read more at: https:\/\/adventistreview.org\/commentary\/focus-on-principles-to-make-sabbath-a-delight-presenter-says\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Called to worship, service and witness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":16101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1583,7,1577],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-estonia-latvia-lithuania","category-news","category-organisational-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15968","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\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15968"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16102,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15968\/revisions\/16102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Latvian-President-gives-welcome_16x9-1-1.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Riga-Choir-1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/GYC-Participants-1-1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/I-have-a-point-to-make....jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/STC-Latvian-3.jpg\")