The CAC Board of Youth Ministry (BOYM) participated in two youth conferences in June 2019. Praise God for these wonderful opportunities for an ekklesia of Methodist youths to come together to worship God.
CAC Methodist Young Leaders’ Conference 2019
The CAC Methodist Young Leader’s Conference (MYLC) was held from 21 to 23 June 2019 in Johor Bahru. Built on the theme “The World is My Parish”, the conference was the third instalment of a four-year MYLC series in connecting and coaching our young leaders in establishing our Methodist identity.
This year’s conference was spearheaded by Bukit Panjang Methodist Church Ministry Staff Mak Sue Ann and CAC Pastor Jasper Ngoh, under the advice of the BOYM Chairperson, the Rev Irman Halim. Dr Leow Theng Huat, a lecturer from Trinity Theological College, was the conference speaker.
Dr Leow unpacked the meaning and context of Wesley’s well-known declaration, “the world is my parish”, and challenged our young leaders to live out this Wesleyan ethos within our different spheres of influence. There are barriers that deter us from treating the world as our parish—such as election; time and space; and Gnosticism—as well as Biblical and theological truths to overcome these barriers.
Methodist youths should see themselves as co-workers of Christ, created by God in His image to co-work with Him by His grace. Dr Leow challenged youths to see the church beyond the confines of each local congregation, and beyond Christianity as a private spiritual matter.
May all Methodist young leaders regain the “world parish” mentality of John Wesley, with every facet of our lives presenting opportunities for Christian ministry.
WFCMC 9th Young Leaders Conference 2019
The World Federation of Chinese Methodist Churches (WFCMC), of which CAC is a member, held their 9th Young Leaders Conference from 27 June to 1 July 2019 in Hong Kong with about 350 delegates in attendance. CAC is proud to have led a delegation of more than 20 Methodists to represent Singapore at the conference.
Over the five days, the term “ekklesia” was explained to the youths through a series of talks. Youths from different conferences forged meaningful friendships through group sharing and valuable fellowship, and built friendships over fun events such as a cultural night. On the third day of the conference, CAC President, the Rev Dr Gregory Goh, spoke on two topics: “Understanding, Treasuring and Passing On Our Tradition” and “Continuation of Traditions Toward Our Spiritual Life”.
We praise God for the wonderful friendships forged and meaningful conversations shared throughout the conference! We thank our hosts, the Methodist Church in Hong Kong, for a well-organised conference, and continue to pray with our brothers and sisters in Hong Kong that peace may be with the city.
By the CAC President’s Office, CAC Board of Youth Ministry
Photos courtesy of WFCMC Facebook and the CAC Board of Youth Ministry