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this page Newsletters - IAYN Newsletter No.3 Pentecost 2007
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Team Conference South Africa
Dear brothers and sisters, recently we had the opportunity to participate in the TEAM Conference, in South Africa, in Boksburg from 7th to 14th March. The main theme of the Conference was social issues related particularly to HIV/AIDS, malaria and problems related to women and children.
Our delegation from Brazil was composed of the Bishop Primate Dom Mauricio Andrade, Rev. Canon. Francisco Assis, Ruth Barros(Belem-PA), Erica Furukawa(Sao Paulo-SP), Luciene Franco(Rio de Janeiro-RJ), Fabiano Nunes(Rio de Janeiro-RJ), Paulo Couto(Brasilia-DF) e Tais Kovaleski(Santa Maria-RS), representing our dioceses and our Province.
The themes involved were very important to me, a Nursing student, as I had the opportunity not only to learn about some of the work in other provinces, but also to have shared with other health professionals like me and talk about our difficulties and successes in this area. It is also very important to point out that in the meeting with the Latin Americans where we discussed the Millennium Development Goals, we also prepared liturgy and other moments when we could be together for a better integration.
For the Anglican Communion, I believe that it has been important in the sense that we discussed new roads to take, new work that needs to be developed and issues that are really important for the development of our Communion. As far as the IEAB (Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil) what was particularly important was the great challenge and desire to create and continue social projects, especially those involving women, children and the youth.
In General, the TEAM Conference was better than I had expected, as it was a rare opportunity to meet with brothers and sisters from different parts of the world, it was a real cultural enrichment, and we are challenged not to let the ideas of TEAM "die", but we have a commitment and the duty to make our church a church that is "alive" in love and in Mission!!!
Finally, when I hear people say that the youth are the future of the church it annoys me. The youth are the present and are present in the communities in a lively and effective way.
May we have faith to change what should be changed, courage to face the difficulties and motivations so that we can bring people to the Kingdom of God. (Tais Kovaleski, Brazil)
IAYN Event 2007
A network gathering of Provincial Youth/Young Adult Advisors and young adults will meet in England in September. The venue is to be the High Leigh Christian Conference Centre in Hertfordshire, just 50 miles north of London. During the week participants will be joined by staff from the Anglican Communion Office, be reflecting upon the forthcoming Lambeth Conference, and have an opportunity to spend a day at the Walsingham Shrine - a historical place of pilgrimage in the UK.
South Asian Christian Youth
Last month, we celebrated two Christian Festivals, "The Ascension Day of Christ", on 17th May and "The Pentecost Day", on 27th May. On that day, the Holy Spirit fell down to the Disciples of Jesus and gave them boldness and a power to preach the Gospel. The Holy Spirit, even today, is guiding us and giving us power. So through this power, we should work for the mission of our God, "Peace & Reconciliation"and Fulfillment of the "Great Commission of Christ".
We all are hearing different news of Instability and insecurity in different parts of South Asia especially some news from Pakistan. There are some political crises in the country and beside those, there is insecurity, suicidal bomb attacks and terrorism in different parts of the country It is also a difficult time for the Christian minority in Pakistan. On one hand, there are about 7 court cases of the Blasphemy Law in Sindh' Province and on the other hand some threats and pressures of conversion on the Christians in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). So we ask all of you to pray for the South Asia region, for Justice & Peace and Stability. Inter-Faith Activities: In such a difficult situation in NWFP, there is a dire need to work for "Peace & Harmony" among the people belonging to different religions, the time when the religious extremism is growing.
A seminar organized by the "World Council of Religions", NWFP Branch, was held in Peshawar, on 26th of May, in which the Chief Minister of NWFP, sent his "Minister for Information" to the seminar and religious leaders from different religious community came to this conclusion to work jointly for peace in our region.
News from Nepal:
It was my great privilege to meet the SACYN members in Nepal at the time of the Core Group Meeting in last March, at Lalitpur. We enjoyed the time and the meeting with the Core Group. It looks like that we Nepalis are sitting inside the fire pond these days. The world is seeing that we are entering into a Peace process, but evidently, it has been quite difficult for us to recognize what and how does peace looks like. The everyday processions, demonstrations, closures and killing have completely disrupted and vandalized our nation. We are moving backwards and not forward. I humbly request for your kind prayers for Nepal and for the Nepali people.
News from the Church of Pakistan (CoP)
National Youth Forum: A meeting of the Youth Leaders from dioceses of Church of Pakistan, about the National Youth Forum, was arranged with the Moderator of CoP. The Moderator, suggested that a core group would be formed, by taking one youth leader from each of the CoP's diocese, which will work out to set-up the future structure of the National Youth Forum.
Upcoming event in Church of North India
1. STORM: The Diocese of Delhi, CNI is organizing a Youth Festival "STORM", which is starting from 7th of June and will go on till 10th June 2007. Around 500-700 young people will be part of this festival. The theme of the STORM for this year is, "..Just Believe.." Mark 5:36. (by Abhishek Gier, President, SAFC,CNI)
2. Media Education for Youth: The importance of media is deeply impressed and has an enormous influence on everyone. Media has the power to make or break any person. So, the CNI felt the need of organizing a "Workshop on Media Education for Youth Empowerment and Action" from 15th to 19th June 2007 at CNI Centre, Nagpur to help young people put current images and messages about people and communities into perspective. (Source, CNI News).
News from Church of South India
CSI Diamond Jubilee Celebrations: I am indeed very happy to tell you that the Diamond Jubilee Youth Celebrations of CSI at Vishakapatnam from 24 26 May 2007, went on very well. There were more than 1000 young people all over South India. There were important sessions like Faith Journey of 60 years of CSI, Contemporary challenges of youth today, and on the theme address Rejoice in Christ, Build Communities of Hope. The Moderator of CSI has inaugurated the celebrations. This was a historical event in the life of the Church, at the same time God also gave me an opportunity to be His instrument in this Celebration. (Rev. Abraham Premchand, the Director, CSI Synod Youth Department).
5th Assembly of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI)
Pastoral da Juventude (PJ) (Youth Outreach)
The 5th Assembly of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) took place on the 19th to 25th February in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Unlike previous editions, in this assembly there were no pre-events with women and youth. In meetings that were held in the beginning of 2006, the Youth Outreach demonstrated its wish to maintain the pre-event, but due to lack of money for this, it didn't happen.
Facing this reality, the Outreach tried to guarantee at least a marked presence of the youth of Latin America at the Assembly. 40 places were available for the youth including members of the Youth Outreach,
The 40 youth who participated in the Assembly stayed at a Retreat belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. Here it was possible, within the parallel calendar of the Assembly, to exchange experiences, talk about work with youth, get to know more about the Youth Outreach of the CLAI and its objectives, work out a few plans, and also elaborate a text to the Assembly where the youth expressed their opinion on the process of the Assembly, which in a way left the youth separated from the Assembly as they had to have a parallel programme in order to meet as a group.
In the text I am sending in annex, the voice of the youth at the Assembly is the voice of the youth in our churches and also denounces the way that the churches have dealt with, or haven't dealt with, the question of youth.
Apart from this, the Youth Outreach also was concerned with stimulating the participation of the youth in the lectures, discussion groups, debates, liturgies and seminaries that took place in the 5th Assembly.
The Continental Coordination of PJ-CLAI, composed of each regional coordinator, made the most of the encounter to meet to evaluate the process until now, to present new members who were chosen for the regions and are now part of the continental team, and to choose a new continental coordinator. The new coordinator, elected for a period of 2 years, is Renata da Silva Nunes, from Brazil.
It is important to point out that the Youth Outreach has been working for over ten years and has consolidated itself as a space for ecumenical and participative leadership training within a perspective of mission, citizenship and Christian ethics, and also a meeting place for reflection, communion, integration and action where:
1. We dream of the integral training of the youth in the churches in favour of a participative leadership;
2. We dream of youth committed to our society and to the building of communities in solidarity, that are fair in their distribution of wealth, offering opportunities for ail;
3. We dream of a generation that has initiatives for the elaboration of projects of self-management and sustainability;
4. We dream of a world without frontiers;
5. We dream of the continuation of the youth encounters in our churches in an environment of celebration, spirituality, reflection, and multiplication of experiences;
6. We dream of youth who love God and want to change the unjust structures with new projects of service, mission, sexual equality, and sharing of experiences.
The Youth Outreach works with youth from member churches and non members of CLAI and its main objective has been continued training of youth leaders who work within their churches, in the ecumenical movement and in society in general.
We hope we can count on the efforts and prayers of the youth in Latin America and may God full us with his Spirit so we can continue the journey. (Renata Nunes)
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