Youth Leaders Day

On Saturday March 5, St Cyril’s, in partnership with the Sydney Youth Committee and Exodus Youth Worx invited youth leaders from Churches around the diocese for a day of prayer, fellowship and workshops about the challenges and strategies of youth ministry. After a morning liturgy, the participants were welcomed by HE Archbishop Angaelos via Zoom and received a short message of encouragement from HG Bishop Daniel. They were then joined via Zoom by Steven Christoforou, an expert in Orthodox youth ministry, for a thought-provoking lecture and Q&A session on “Why Youth Leave the Church”? Steven outlined five important pillars of a comprehensive Orthodox youth ministry:

• Young people need to know Jesus, but they struggle with doubt. This becomes an opportunity for the practices for faith.
• Young people need to know who they truly are, but they struggle with preoccupation. This becomes an opportunity for the practices of self-emptying.
• Young people need to belong to the full community of the church, but they struggle with loneliness. This becomes an opportunity for the practices of fellowship.
• Young people need to be empowered to make a difference, but they struggle with choice paralysis. This becomes an opportunity for the practices of discipleship.
• Young need to be equipped with the teachings of the faith, but they struggle with flatness. This becomes an opportunity for the practices of testimony.

The participants split up into five groups to identify the major challenges that had confronted them in their youth ministries and begin comparing and brainstorming solutions. The minutes from these separate meetings are being compiled and analysed in order to provide direction for future ways to support our youth servants.

In total, we were joined by more than 50 youth leaders from many different parishes, along with several clergy. May God bless all our amazing youth servants and strengthen them in their crucial ministry!