Anglican Youth on Facebook

Yeh, we're on FACEBOOK ! Facebook helps you to connect with others and offers you the opportunity to share news, stories, photos, etc.
We have established a Facebook Group for Anglican Youth in Southern Africa and invite young people and adults to join.
Please forward this information to your entire email address book - we want as many Anglican young people to connect to our blog and Facebook Group.
Remember, you must be registered on Facebook in order to participate. It is a simple procedure and should take no longer than a few minutes. Go to www.facebook.com and Sign Up. Then search for Anglican Youth Southern Africa - and there you are!
Enjoy !

Drugs will steal your future and everything that goes with it !

A recent 3rdDegree programme on eTV literally made me throw up. Debra Patta herself could not contain her disgust and disbelief in the results of her investigation into the drug scene in South Africa. A recent report indicated:

• 1 in 3 boys and 1 in 5 girls have an alcohol or drug problem, and,
• collectively, they spend over 7 billion Rand (not Zim Dollars) on alcohol and drugs each year! Here is that number again:

R7 000 000 000.00 - OR - 7 Billion Rands !!!!!

Now, just think about what we could have done with money like that:

• Build 140000 RDP houses costing R50000.00 each,
• Pay the annual school fees of R1500.00 for 4,6 million learners,
• Pay the full university fees for three years for ALL matriculants in any one year (about 500000 of them every year)
• Pay for 700 million (700 000 000) plates of food at R10.00 per plate and effectively provide one meal a day for a full year for 1,9 million (starving) children!

Yet, we allow the money to literally GO UP IN SMOKE leaving tens of thousands of young people's lives in ruins.

Say, NO to drugs and alcohol, and fulfill the purpose that God has placed and invested in your life. Don't let an unnecessary adventure result in your future being stolen from you.

You are more precious than you think . . . . .

The Provincial Youth Ministry Commissioned

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba officially commissioned the Provincial Youth Ministry during a ceremony at the Growing the Church Launch in Johannesburg. Our Bishops fully endorse the ministry to young people and acknowledge the importance of this ministry throughout the Province.
Please continue to pray for the Liaison Bishop for Youth - +Bishop Fungi Mbhele, the Youth Chaplain - Rev Jack Kudumela, the chairperson for PYC - Ms Nonhlanhla Shezi, the Provincial Youth Co-ordinator - Tony Lawrence and the entire Provincial Youth Council.

Youth Celebration

What role will the youth play?

The ministry of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa is about to change - forever - for the better. With the Growing the Church Launch, just a few days away, we are embarking on a process of re-aligning the ministry of the Church to encapsulate a greater focus on GROWTH.

Our vision is to be: a vibrant God-Centred Church which is clearly growing spiritually, numerically and holistically

Fundimental to this noble vision is the inclusion and integration of the children, youth and young adults. My challenge to you, is the following : What role will the young people play in "Growing the Church"?
Why not post as many ideas as possible by clicking on the "Comments" button, below.

Youth at Lambeth says it all

Opportunity was given for a cross-section of young students, who had served as volunteers at the Lambeth Conference, to address the bishops and ask and answer questions.

Asked how the bishops could help the students, a young man replied:

'You can guide us so we don't make the same mistakes you have made.. We want to be part of the Church and there is nothing you can do to chase us out!'

This is the crux of mentoring - the handing down of experience and wisdom from one generation to another.

But I am more impressed with the student's determination to be part of the Church - a common expression I have heard across our Province of Southern Africa.

Would you agree with this student?

Praise God for a Blessed Conference - 2008

We praise our Lord God for a very successful Provincial Youth Conference - considered to be an unprecidented event in our Province. Over 50 participants from 21 of our 26 Diocese around the Province, attended - the broadest representation ever in the life of PYC.

The Conference focussed heavily on the ministry to the Young People and how we should equip ourselves to be able to meet this clear objective. God's vision emerged for us which will help us to focus our energies.

In a nutshell, here are some of the highlights :

1. There was a strong need for vision that will drive the ministry. Some of the vision components are listed below.

2. One of the highest priorities is for effective Youth Ministry Leadership training and development. Training programmes are already in development and the Diocesan Youth Co-ordinators and Workers and Chaplains will be the first to be trained.

3. There is a need to fully integrate the young people and Youth Ministry into ALL aspects of Church life instead of seeing them as just an add-on optional organisation. The youth is not just another organisation, they are The Church.

4. There is a need to provide a Conversation/Communication platform that will allow ANYBODY (and especially the young people), to participate in stimulating conversation interaction and learning. A more dynamic web site is being planned which will include features like this blog, Facebook, resource libraries, Youth Magazines, picture walls, information sharing bulletin boards, etc. Alongside this we will be developing an SMS and Cell Phone Ministry (what a way to reach the young people - they ALL have cell phones!!).

5. And then there was a melting pot of other initiatives : Full involvement in the Growing the Church initiative, the possibility of 2009 being declared The Year of the Young (to coincide with 2009 being the Year of the Child), the 2009 Youth Convention, Re-Commissioning the Youth Ministry in September, and lots more. Please return to this blog often as we roll out more aspects of this ministry.

Thank you for your prayer support. The Lord has certainly been very gracious to us as we experienced His blessings and guidance throughout the weekend.

Please continue to pray for all the Youth Leaders around the province and especially for the newly elected Council who has been tasked to lead the Youth to new levels of ministry effecacy.

Warm blessings to all.

Tony Lawrence
Provincial Youth Co-ordinator

PS - why not add your prayers and encouragements by clicking on "Comments" below. Thanks :)