GYC Europe Convention Opens With a Call to Find Every Life Answer in Christ

In Katowice, Poland, attendees reflect on their identity, purpose, destiny, and morality.

Auguat 3, 2025 | Katowice, Poland | Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review

More than 600 young Seventh-day Adventist adults from across Europe and beyond gathered in Katowice, Poland, for the opening of the 2025 Generation. Youth. Christ (GYC) Europe Convention July 30. The event, held under the theme “To Every Nation,” brought participants—most between 18 and 35—for five days of worship, workshops, and community outreach.

“We live in a world full of drowning people,” Naison Chitiyo, GYC Europe president, told participants in his opening remarks. “People are drowning in guilt, in shame, in sin, in loneliness, in hopelessness, in purposelessness. And they need someone to help them.” He shared the experience of Lenny Skutnik, who among dozens of bystanders jumped into the Potomac River after a plane crashed into the river’s freezing waters in January 1982 to rescue passenger Priscilla Tirado and bring her safely to the shore. “Unfortunately, like everybody else, too often, we just stand, and we watch.”

Chitiyo said that Seventh-day Adventists need to do more. “He’s called us to be His saving hands in the salvation of souls,” he said. “God has given us a prophetic mission . . . a prophetic message . . . to share, not with a whisper, but with a loud voice, and not only through our words but also through our actions. God wants us to do more than just sit and watch.”

A Word From Church Leaders

GYC is an organization that started in the U.S. in 2002 to galvanize young people toward Bible study and commitment to mission. It is committed to the Adventist message and mission, but it’s not part of the corporate Adventist Church. Still, the organization works in close coordination with church leaders. On July 30 several regional church leaders attended and brought greetings to the 2025 convention attendees. Among them were Zenon Skorupski, South Polish Conference treasurer, and Daniel Duda, Trans-European Division president.

Skorupski thanked GYC Europe leaders and members for the organization support to reach out into the local area. “Last week, with the help of your volunteers, we started a mission program to start an international Seventh-day Adventist Church here in Katowice,” he shared. “We will continue with these activities during the next few months.”

He also shared that the church’s present goal in Poland—a traditionally difficult place for evangelism—is planning on launching discipleship groups, “as the best tool to develop relationships, using the church’s resources for mission.” “I pray that this conference’s workshops will help you to connect with each other, inspiring you to take actions with God and change the world around you.”

Duda also addressed those “young leaders, dreamers, and disciples of Jesus” who traveled to Poland for the event. “What a joy is to have you all here to seek God’s presence, to dive deep into the Word, and to recommit your life to His calling,” Duda told attendees. “I want to assure you that you are not just the future of the church; you are the vibrant, living present.”

A Lineup of Practical Workshops

The 2025 event features a lineup of workshops focused on theology, mental health, mission, and spiritual life, among other topics of interest to young people. During the opening night, several of the presenters pitch their workshops to attendees.

They include topics by Raluca and Roman Ril, who specialize in conflict resolution, emotional healing, and physical restoration. Christopher Kramp, an evangelist from Germany, will discuss how new discoveries in history and archaeology support the Bible, and speaker and author Joakim Hjortland will discuss what to do when we feel that God is silent and seems not to answer our prayers.

Other workshops promise to share how to better understand the biblical topic of righteousness by faith, how to start a social media ministry, and how to reach people through the Adventist health message. The latest will include a cooking demo with Christian Karlsson, a pastor and CEO of a plant-based culinary school in Sweden; and chef and certified personal trainer Kasper Carstensen. “I’ll make one of my favorite dishes,” Carstensen advertised, “and I’ll be sharing some personal testimonies from the mission field—from orphanages, health retreats, and so on.”

Answering Essential Questions

The keynote speaker was Adam Ramdin, executive producer for Lineage Journey, a series based on historical events and places that are important for the history of the Christian church and Adventist heritage. In his message Ramdin called young Adventists to be ready to answer “The Big Four”—life’s most important questions.

Ramdin reminded attendees what those questions are. The first is “Where do we come from?” “Not only ethnically but spiritually,” he said, pointing to Revelation 10, Daniel 12 and 8, and Revelation 12 as the basis for the prophetic identity of Seventh-day Adventists.

A second key question that sooner or later, everyone asks is “Why we are here?” Ramdin shared. “What is the purpose of my existence? It’s a question of purpose and is connected to the first, because if we come from the hands of a loving God, we’ll be able to answer this second question,” he said, and to find out “what is our unique place that God has for us in this world and in this church that we are a part of.” Spiritually, it is to share the message of a Savior who died, rose again, and soon will return, he said, pointing to Revelation 14.

Two More Questions

Out of those questions comes the third, Ramdin said. “Where are we going?” In other words, what happens after we die? “It is a question of destiny,” he emphasized. “And if you know where you’re going, it actually plays back into why you are here.” He explained, “If as a Christian you say you know you are going to heaven, you can’t keep that to yourself. You have to tell others about it!”

Finally, a fourth question is “What kind of person we ought to be?” which is a question of morality. “You are going to heaven and want to tell others about Jesus. But you are mean, you have a short temper, and you’ve got pride and jealousy,” he illustrated. “What kind of person ought I to be when living my purpose?”

The Answer to All Our Questions

The secret is “to follow the Lamb,” Ramdin shared, quoting the Revelation 14 description of those who are saved. “Are we following Jesus in all we are doing?” he asked, reminding attendees that “we live in a society that longs for authenticity, for consistency.”

All the answers to these questions, Ramdin emphasized, are ultimately found in Christ. “May we find our identity, our purpose, our destiny, and our morality in Christ.”

Generation. Youth. Christ is a supporting ministry not affiliated with the corporate Seventh-day Adventist Church.