WEA Youth Commission News

November 2007
 
Greetings from Africa!
I am in Africa for the annual WEA International Leadership Team meetings, representing the Youth Commission. My wife Toni and her sister have joined me and we are all enjoying the mild and pleasant sunshine and wonderful hospitality of Nairobi, enhanced of course by Solomon and Alice and the other wonderful Kenyan Christians.

Please excuse the slight gap in communication, enlarged by a fast start to our fall, extra travel for both Daryl and me and all the usual complications of busy lives. You probably heard of one of them -the recent devastating San Diego wildfires which evacuated almost all our San Diego staff from their homes, closed our offices and side-tracked a whole city with thoughts of what is really important in life! Though over 400 square miles of southern California were burned and about 2,000 homes were lost, we are blessed to report that no loss is reported to those close to our NNYM office family.

IMPORTANT CALENDAR ITEM: YC Meets in Thailand at General Assembly
The next meeting of the Youth Commission will be held October 24-25, 2008 in Pattaya, Thailand, just prior to the WEA General Assembly to be held October 25-30. The last General Assembly was held in Malaysia in 2001, where the present-day Youth Commission was publicly launched. So please plan now, by putting these dates on your calendar:

* October 24-Arrive in Pattaya, Thailand by Noon on Friday. You will probably need to fly through Bangkok

* October 24-25-YC Meetings begin at lunch on Friday and will go through dinner on Saturday, just before the opening session of the General Assembly. If we do not finish our business, we will likely convene during the week of the General Assembly.

* October 25-30-The General Assembly concludes by 12:30 p.m. with a luncheon. Please make every effort to stay for the entire program, not only for the obvious inspiration and edification by outstanding speakers and delegates, but also because there is a large role to be played by emerging leaders, and the Youth Commission itself. For more information check the website www.ga08.org

Start now to encourage national alliances to send YOUNGER LEADERS!

Africa: Observing First Hand
We visited Solomon in his AEA offices here in Nairobi, which many of you saw when we held the first YC Training Consultation here. Solomon has served extra duty this year as one of two Team Leaders helping the AEA restructure during this time of having no General Secretary. Please pray for all of AEA in this critical transition process, and especially for the selection of Solomon's successor, which will likely occur within the coming year.

Toni and her sister visited one of the two orphanages that Solomon and Alice manage. The ten HIV/AIDS orphan children (ages 6-12) just won their hearts, and the children just loved the special attention given them as they interacted and played. Pray for this servant ministry, both to this orphanage, its plans to radically expand, and for the other orphanage (the YC visited in 2002) that now houses 35 street kids.

Europe: Jussi Miettinen Appointed by EEA
After serving eight years on the Youth Commission, part of the time as Chair, Grahame Knox stepped down from his role as EEA Associate and European YC Representative to serve youth ministry in a more "free lance" way. A joint letter of appreciation for Grahame's service was sent out from Paul Fleischmann(YC), Gordon Showell-Rogers (EEA) and Geoff Tunnicliffe (WEA). After prayerful consideration and processing through the EEA, Jussi Mietinnen was presented at the recent EEA General Assembly as their new representative to the WEA Youth Commission!

EEA's General Secretary, Gordon Showell-Rogers said, "Jussi has played a full and important part in the team working to process the EEA's way forward with youth and youth networks. We enthusiastically endorse Jussi Mietinnen as the EEA's representative on the WEA Youth Commission and see it as a vital part of the EEA Strategic Plan."

Congratulations, Jussi! As a current YC member, the transition will be very smooth. We pray for you as you collaborate with Colin and Melissa Piper and others across Europe to gather your ideas and convictions about the way forward.

India: Full-time Youth Commission Leader hired by EFI
In September, the Evangelical Fellowship of India appointed Malcolm Ezekiel as the General Secretary of India's National Youth Commission. Malcolm is a highly respected youth worker, lives in Hyderabad and is well-known to Jacob Isaacs and Shavez Williams. This is great timing as the India Youth Ministry Project has just been launched to discover "best practices" that better reach Indian youth through ten ongoing city-wide youth ministry networks.

We are all eager to get to know Malcolm. Here is a word from him: "I am truly excited about this new responsibility that God has entrusted to me. There is no joy that can beat the experience of working together in all earnestness, honesty and sincerity. I feel the need to be quiet and patient till my first official meeting. However, I just cannot keep quiet and wait till that moment. There is a need to keep this ball rolling! We have not even scratched the surface of the complex and diverse context of India."

South Pacific: A Focus on Island Nations
Walo Ani is the new General Secretary of the South Pacific Evangelical Alliance. He has a good understanding of the Youth Commission and our need to find someone to serve in the lead position alongside Graham Sercombe. He asks us to pray with him that God will lead us to someone from the islands to be that person. At this time, Australia is not officially part of the South Pacific region.

Latin America: Much Travel, Many Touched
During the summer Jorge traveled to Panamá, Dominican Republic, USA and Puerto Rico. In Panama he led a conference for 170 pastors and leaders and 150 parents. He said what really stood out to him was "the need of hearts to be listened to." When he spoke in Puerto Rico, three people received the Lord. While in the U.S. he raised funds for the "Living School" they will sponsor for youth leaders next year. Looking back at his travels, Jorge said, "I thank God for opportunities to minister to many lives, to be able to take the truth of the gospel to many families and youth leaders and for witnessing how new life was born for the glory of our Lord."

Caribbean: : Youth Commissions Involved in Evangelism Festivals
After a successful Youth Commission training consultation in St. Maartens last May, summer youth festivals were hosted in the Bahamas, Tobago, Antigua, Guyana, Trinidad, St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Maartens. Thousands of youth were involved many days of Christ-exalting worship, teaching and celebration. This is a great help to the new Youth Commissions that are forming. The president of the EAC, Ken Ragoonath, said, "Networking is enabling us to make quantum leaps where in the past we have only seen incremental development with individuals working in isolation."

North America: Adventures in "PARADISE"
There are groundswells of students involved with genuine (even old-fashioned) prayer and worship. See You a the Pole drew approximately two million students to pray at their school Another groundswell is a convergence of many youth ministries at a worship event called PARADISE-a journey for youth and adult leaders with a single focus to exalt Christ and respond to His call to invest their lives in reaching this generation for His sake. The journeys of each student converge at a one-day gathering led only by Scripture and scriptural music...free of any speaker or musician on stage, free of distractions of product sales or name recognition...free to worship Christ alone! It will be unique! This is open to all countries and would be a statement to the world of the heart of those in this generation who are passionately sold out to Christ. See www.paradise08.com <http://www.paradise08.com/> or contact Paul for more information.

Please pray for these concerns and for each other: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We praise God for you and your ministry. It is always a blessing for all of us to hear how God is working around the world.

Paul Fleischmann and Daryl Nuss
WEA Youth Commission