Lola Moore Johnston, senior pastor at Restoration Praise Center in Maryland, USA, inspired attendees with her morning devotionals, while Paul Smith, senior pastor at Liberty Church, also from Maryland, led the evening sessions. Their messages resonated with a clear emphasis on salvation by grace. \u201cThe foundation of our faith is that we are accepted by God,\u201d shared Johnston. \u201cA lot of times we preach fear because we think people will abuse grace\u2026 But God has given us a gift that allows for growth, and sometimes mistakes\u2026 we come broken and are healed, God is doing the work of mending us,\u201d she assured the audience.<\/p>\n \u201cThe assurance of salvation is in Christ Jesus!\u201d declared Pastor Ian Sweeney, Trans- European Division (TED) Field Secretary, reflecting on the impactful messages. \u201cThe theology of this congress is very Christ-centred. This is what the world needs, but also what our young people need.\u201d<\/p>\n The afternoons offered an array of engaging workshops. Pastor Kevin Johns, TED Associate Youth Director and event co-organiser, commented on the diverse topics covered.\u00a0“We wanted to equip young people with tools to guide them through life, exploring subjects like mortgages, financial advice, entrepreneurial ventures, and more.\u201d Emotional and mental wellbeing were also key focuses. \u201cWe felt it was crucial to have counsellors here; our young people are navigating serious issues, and we wanted to provide trustworthy support and resources,\u201d Johns explained.<\/p>\n Elective afternoon activities also gave young people the opportunity to serve the community and enjoy a variety of sports. One group connected with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Netherlands Care and Share Centre, to share care packages with refugees and vulnerable people. Others attended self-defence, archery, and fitness classes, while the real adventurous had some fun at the Indoor Ski & Snowboard Centre, or at LaserTag. \u201cIt has been very interactive and good for networking and meeting new people,\u201d commented a young man from the North England Conference. \u201cIt has opened doors for me. People are very welcoming and warm too,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter COVID, young people were dealing with so much stress and many struggles. We knew that putting this event together would kindle something,\u201d shared Gabriel Kwayie, NUChC Youth Director and event co-organiser, commenting on the relevance of the event. \u201cConsidering the history of The Hague, a place marked by fighting for freedom and where Christians went to America, but also where now people feel God is gone, it is significant for us to be here. To ask God to kindle a revival in the Netherlands and England through us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYoung people could have been in many other places during this week,\u201d said Marcel Ghioalda , TED Youth Director. \u201cThey could have spent their money in so many different ways, and yet they chose to be here. This tells me this event was meaningful to them, and so, it matters to us.\u201d<\/p>\n The BUC & NUChC Youth Congress in Rijswijk is not just a fun and engaging event, but a transformative experience for many, rekindling faith and sharing practical wisdom for today\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n [Photos: James Botha and Vanesa Pizzuto, Adventist Media Exchange CC BY 4.0].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Youth Congress ignites spiritual renewal in the Netherlands<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1589,7,1577],"tags":[793],"class_list":["post-19575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-netherlands","category-news","category-organisational-updates","tag-netherlands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19575","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=19575"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19608,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19575\/revisions\/19608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Lola](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Preacher-lady-2-630.jpg\")
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