Powerful generation of youth challenged to serve and inspire in their communities

More than 6,300 gathered at the Ciudad San Cristobal Mega Auditoirum for Inter-America’s Youth Congress, held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Jul. 28 to Aug. 2, 2014.  The five-day event included community outreach projects, seminars, presentations, activities and more. Images by Daniel Gallardo/IAD

August 6, 2014 |Guatemala City, Guatemala | Libna Stevens/IAD

Inspiring and challenging Adventist Youth with the message that they are a powerful generation in Jesus was at the heart of Inter-America’s Youth Congress last week, held in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Pastor Gilbert Cangy, youth ministries director for the Adventist Church, challenges young people to be a generation of love.

Some 6,300 young people from across Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, the French Antilles, Colombia and Venezuela entered the Ciudad San Cristobal Mega Auditorium for five-day days of seminars, presentations, and activities, to participate in the largest Inter-American Division (IAD) territory-wide youth congress, Jul. 29 to Aug. 2, 2014.

“As a powerful generation, I charge you to be a generation of love,” said Pastor Gilbert Cangy, youth ministries director for the Adventist world church during the last day of the congress.

“As you go back to your home, take the power of love with you, take the spirit of reconciliation with you, make the church a place where anyone can come and find forgiveness,” said Cangy. “Make the church a better place for you, for me, and the entire human race.”

Making the world a better place is just what thousands of young people traveled to Guatemala to do as they participated in helping launch the church’s health initiative called “I Want To Live Healthy” throughout Guatemala City during a program led by the Ministry of Health. Young people demonstrated their dedication to living a healthy lifestyle through marches and surveying some 25,000 people on healthy habits in three major sectors.

Young people also built eight homes in extremely poor communities, repaired five sporting courts, remodeled four classrooms, cleaned up streets and parks, and distributed food to poor communities and nursing homes throughout Guatemala the week prior to the congress.

IAD Youth Ministries Director Pastor Benjamin Carballo said the congress was a great opportunity for young people to embrace Guatemala, embrace each other and cling to Jesus’ embrace.

Dozens of delegates donated blood to be used in two nearby hospitals.

President of Guatemala Otto Perez Molina thanked the youth delegation and church leaders during the opening ceremony of the congress on July 29, for making such a positive impact in his country.

Continuing to guide and inspire a powerful generation of youth leaders is what the congress was all about said Pastor Benjamin Carballo, youth ministries director for the church in Inter-America and main organizer of the event.

“The delegates here in the congress represent an estimated 1.8 million young people across our churches and congregations in Inter-America,” said Carballo. “Many skipped classes to be here and to be part of movement, a powerful generation that loves Jesus and is committed to sharing love and hope.

“The congress gave us the opportunity to evaluate the emphasis and initiatives in place to promote to our young people as well as continue teaching and guiding them to continue embracing the commitment to motivate other youth to experience to experience salvation and service in their communities,” added Carballo.

Carballo said the congress was a great opportunity for young people to embrace Guatemala, embrace each other and cling to Jesus’ embrace, and for thousands of online viewers watching the entire congress session to be inspired to do the same where they were.

Pastor Jose Vicente Rojas of MOVEmentum ministries spoke to the delegation

The youth congress was broadcast on the internet, radio, and television, and covered by the print media.
Pastor Jose Vicente Rojas of MOVEmentum ministries emphasized on the great difference young people can make as they cling to Jesus to be bold and courageous in making a difference in the world.

“You are extraordinary young people,” said Rojas. “Let Christ embrace you, He wants to forgive you and give you the victory over sin. Surrender to God and do His will.”

Rojas challenged delegates to embrace their school, their country, “embrace the world and lead other to Christ when you leave here.”

Being bold and courageous is all part of being a youth leader, one that clings to God’s promises in the Bible, said Carballo as he referred to the hundreds and thousands of youth who studied the Bible and participated in this year’s Bible Boom, or Bowl, competition on the Books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah.

Miriam Orozco, 21, of Los Pueblitos Adventist Church in Guadalajara, North Mexico, knew what it took to be bold in Christ, she said after she was crowned this year’s top winner of Inter-America’s Bible Boom competition which concluded on Aug. 2, the last day of the congress. Orozco competed against 22 other finalists to answer 40 multiple-choice questions worth 500 points. Orozco earned 500 points in a total of 5:02 minutes.

Pastor Carballo hands the trophy to Miriam Orozco, winner of Inter-America’s Bible Boom competition this year held on Aug. 2.

The perfect score for Orozco represents nine months of being bold for Jesus in studying and memorizing the assigned books of the bible, being transformed by God’s Word.

“I feel so overjoyed for participating in this Bible Boom,” said Miriam. “I learned so much from these books. Almost all the books deal with so much wickedness yet they have a happy ending, a happy ending we too will experience when Jesus comes back for us.”

Orozco received a four-year scholarship to Navojoa Adventist University in Mexico, to study nursing, a free trip Puerto Rico, and will be joined by Eliasib Mojica James of Central Mexico who took the second spot and Servio Perez of Guatemala who will be sponsored to attend the World Youth Congress in Prague, Czech Republic.

More than 160 youth were pinned during a special investiture ceremony for completing a youth leadership certification program in their respective countries.

In addition, dozens of delegates received pins from the music ministry initiative under the youth ministries department for contributing melodies and songs for the church.

Two out of more than 160 delegates are prayed for after being pinned during special youth leadership investiture ceremony on Aug. 2, 2014.

Youth delegates sat in seminars and workshops on leadership, street evangelism, music evangelism, youth impact evangelism, sexuality, creationism, and more.

During the congress, 24 cities throughout Inter-America where the One Year in Mission evangelism training was announced.

Adventist young people throughout every major church region in Inter-America will be able to serve for two weeks, experience mission service in support of evangelism efforts.

Carballo hopes each delegate will have a better understanding that “our church is a very diverse global church united in every local church, that they can choose to live a healthy lifestyle, and they can experience mission service and find creative ways to share their faith.”

To view a photo gallery of the youth congress, click HERE

Video presentations of the Youth Congress will be available at interamerica.org soon.