May 15, 2007 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States …. [Taashi Rowe/ANN]
With the planting of a tree on May 15, Seventh-day Adventist young people around the world celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Youth Ministries department.
Several leaders of the Adventist world church and lay members gathered at the Washington Seventh-day Adventist Spanish Church in Silver Spring, Maryland at 3 p.m.– the exact time that the Youth Ministries department was created 100 years ago in Gland, Switzerland.
While planting several hundred trees across the globe is good for the environment, Baraka Muganda, director of the Youth Ministries department for the world church, said planting trees has a symbolic purpose as well.
“When the next generation asks what this tree is for we want them to know that this church cares for young people,” he said. “Because of that care–that spiritual care–the church created a special department to nurture young people according to their needs and challenge them to participate in the mission of the Church.
“The tree will also remind us [that] Youth Ministries bears fruit–young people for Jesus Christ. This is why we plant a tree,” he added.
Youth Ministries leaders estimate that 70 percent of the Adventist church is under 30 years old–the exact age group that the Youth Ministries was created to minister to.
Josant Barrientos, a 24-year-old pastor helping with youth ministries in two different local churches, said, “It's a blessing to be part of … something that has been helping young people worldwide. I'm an example of how effective Youth Ministries is. I've been a part of it since I can remember and that has given me [the desire] to go and help young people learn about Jesus.”
In addition to tree planting, the world church Youth Ministries department encouraged young people to do other projects to mark the occasion such as service projects, preaching and baptizing young people, musical concerts and a special prayer for young people.
We must “keep in the minds of youth and youth leaders the original purpose of creating this ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church was the 'Salvation of our youth and training them for service,'” Muganda wrote in a letter earlier this year to youth leaders around the world.
Copyright (c) 2007 by Adventist News Network.
