Newsflash
Evangelism Intensive Training Weekend
GYC is excited to bring to you an Evangelism Intensive Training Weekend.
An incredible opportunity awaits you in Orlando, Florida, July 2-6, 2008.
The training will begin Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. and end on
Sunday, July 6, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. There will be training each morning
followed by outreach in the afternoon. Each attendee will have the
opportunity to put into practice what they have learned in the morning and
be able to share testimonies and ask questions following the afternoon
outreach.
Pastor Mark Finley will be the main speaker. The morning trainers will be
as follows: Ernestine Finley, Chelsy Jourdan, Yamil Rosario, Kevin Sears,
and Mark Finley. We will also have guests from the local area and members
from the GYC Executive Committee sharing with us. On Saturday night, we
will hold a one night evangelistic meeting in which the attendees will
invite the local community. The local churches will continue on with the
follow-up after the weekend has finished.
When you leave the GYC Intensive Training Weekend, you will not only be
trained but also equipped. Each attendee will be supplied with a packet
of materials that will help them bring what they have learned back to
their local church congregation and community.
The training will take place at the Apopka Seventh-day Adventist Church.
An email will be sent to all accepted attendees after registration is
closed. Included in the acceptance email will be a list of items that
will be needed for the weekend along with details on transportation,
arrivals, departures, and a full schedule of the weekend's events.
We will be accepting 100 participants from out of state and 100
participants from the Orlando, Florida area. If you would like to
register open the attachment and fill out the form provided.
Please email Chelsy Jourdan at gyctraining@gmail.com if you have any additional
questions.
GYC 2008!
We are excited to announce that next year's GYC will be in San Jose, CA on December 17-21, 2008. Please plan on attending! Registration for this conference will open in late summer. Exact dates for early bird, standard, and late registration will be posted as they are confirmed.
Update on Alistair Huong
Alistair Huong and GYC would like to thank each of you who have kept him in prayer since his mysterious medical condition that occurred at this past GYC convention in Minneapolis, MN. Alistair has been staying at home with his family in Loma Linda, CA while undergoing intense physical therapy at Loma Linda Hospital. His strength has slowly yet steadily increased. Some weakness still persists in his deltoid and bicep muscles. Other than those areas, he has regained normal function.
Loma Linda reviewed Alistair’s case and have concluded that he did not suffer a spinal cord infarct. In Alistair’s own words, “At this point, the most likely explanation is that the virus I fought during the cold I had in November caused an autoimmune response in my body that attacked my spinal cord, a condition called Post-viral Transverse Myelitis. This is a transient event that rarely occurs a second time. At any rate, the neurologist will continue to follow up on my case just to make sure nothing is creeping up on me over the next few months and years, but it appears that there will be no more surprises on this most interesting case.”
God has truly worked a miracle in Alistair’s life. Please continue to pray for his complete recovery. You can read more about his progress on his blog at aloha2002.blogspot.com.
GYC Tragedy
To the Generation of Youth for Christ,
I have attempted to start this letter many times. No words could
ever articulate the true distress we are feeling at GYC. For
those who are unsure of the tragedy that occurred on December 23,
2007 I will briefly explain. Luke Privett was heading home with a
car full of GYC attendees. Along a stretch of icy highway in
Wisconsin, a tow truck was removing a vehicle from the ditch when
the van in which Luke was a passenger lost control and struck the
truck. Luke was killed instantly.
Chester Clark, friend and professor of Luke stated, “…no one who knew
Luke has any doubt regarding his commitment to Jesus. He loved the Lord
and was entirely committed to working for the salvation of souls. The
devil could touch his body - but not his spirit. Luke is now safe beyond
the pale of Satan's influence, sealed by the infinite God till the
resurrection morning. The devil is defeated!”
As I have contemplated the impact of Luke’s life, several ideas have
consumed my mind. Our time on this earth is drawing to a close. The
devil himself realizes this and he believes it! Truly the devil is
enraged with God’s people – especially those who, like Luke, are actively
spreading Jesus’ end-time message! But praise the Lord we serve a Creator
who is bigger – bigger than even death!
Luke’s unfortunate death serves as a reality check for GYC
attendees. We are all young adults; some would even argue we are
in the prime of life, yet we are reminded that life in a sinful
world is very fragile. No matter our age, nationality, or
apparent good health, we should take no day for granted!
Friends, I regret to have my first letter of communication as president
of GYC written for such a tragic event. But let me challenge you
personally for a moment, a challenge to do two things. First, let’s
learn from Luke’s example. Luke was a young man committed to Christ. The
next thing he will see is the face of Jesus welcoming him into eternal
life! Young people, let’s live our lives as if tomorrow is unsure. Luke
9:23 says, “If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Daily through prayer and Bible
study we should recommit our lives to Christ. Second, let’s do
everything in our power to hasten the second coming. The devil would
like for us to sit idly on the sidelines as the final pages of history
are being written. Let’s not grant the devil his wish. Let’s double our
efforts to spread the gospel to the entire world. Soon the trumpets will
sound, angels will shout and God will peel back the heavens and take us
to our new home in heaven. What a glorious day that will be!
I know Luke’s life was not in vain. His enthusiasm for ministry,
especially literature evangelism, led many to a knowledge of Jesus. And
if, through the tragedy of his death, we who remain are more fully
committed to the Jesus he loved, then neither will his death have been in
vain.
Sincerely,
Justin McNeilus, President
Generation of Youth for Christ
New Website!
GYC's new website is now online, as you can see. We are working hard to make every section of the website functional. Please bear with us as some of the sections are still "under construction." In the meantime, if you want to register for GYC or get any of the other information about the conference, click HERE to go to the Conference section of the website.
New Name!
Since April 2006, GYC has been in dialogue with the General Conference to establish a better understanding of GYC's mission, relationship with the church and its leadership, and clarify common misunderstandings among church leadership regarding GYC. Communication was initiated after the distribution of a document circulated by the General Conference Youth Advisory and GYC's response to that document as stated in its Statement of Clarification.
In discussion with church leadership, three items of concern regarding GYC surfaced:
1. Its place within the structure of the organized church
2. The confusion caused by its name (especially when translated to other languages).
3. No usage of service request procedures when traveling to other parts of the World Church on behalf of GYC.
In the summer of 2006, the General Conference formalized communication with GYC's Board by establishing a committee comprised of Elders Mark Finley (Chairman), GC General Vice President; Baraka Muganda (Secretary), GC Youth Director; Armando Miranda, GC General Vice President; and James Black, NAD Youth Director. These individuals and appointees from the GYC Board eventually became the GYC Advisory Board, a committee comprised of General Conference leadership and GYC leadership. It meets regularly to seek advice from the church and update it regarding its operations.
The results of these meetings have been positive.
To improve its relationship with the Church, GYC has made the following major changes, as voted by the Board of Directors:
1. Become an organizational member of Adventist-laymen Services and Industries (ASI)
2. Mandate that service request procedures be followed for its Board of Directors and Executive Committee when acting on behalf of GYC
3. Change its name from GENERAL YOUTH CONFERENCE to GENERATION of YOUTH for CHRIST
The name change will still allow for the usage of the commonly used acronym "GYC," which will continue to be the preferred way of reference to our organization and yearly conferences.
Although the name change is in the final steps of complete legalization, the transition of daily operations such as the website and finances will take a little more time, and at the present time you may still be asked to make checks out to General Youth Conference. Registration for GYC 2007 will proceed as planned, however, and we look forward to seeing you in Minneapolis. Thank you for your understanding as we move into this new phase!
Other updates regarding GYC's organzational structure and international impact will follow as dialogue continues.