JUNIOR YOUTH (J.Y) LEADERS’ PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS
DELIVERED TO THE 16TH J.Y LEADERS CONFERENCE HELD AT EMMANUEL
CONGREGATION- KUKURANTUMI
Protocol
Mr.
Chairman, Rev. Ministers, Catechists, Distinguished Guest, Fellow Executive
Members, ladies and Gentlemen, all protocol duly observed, J.Y…… Youth for
Jesus…..
Preamble
Be
imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children… and live a life of love,
just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God… but among you there must not be even a hint of sexual
immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper
for God’s holy people… Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit… Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord … always giving
thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our lord Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 5: 1-3, 18-20 NIV).
Gratitude
I render warmest gratitude to God, the father,
who has assigned me to serve in his vine yard. I am grateful to Him for
directing me with strength, guidance and vision. To the Presbytery chairman-
Rev. Ansa Peasa, the Presbytery Clerk- George Andam, the out gone CLAN
Director- Rev. Frank Twumasi Nkum, the present CLAN Director- Rev. George Amo
Takyi, the out gone Presbytery Youth Coordinator- Rev. Frank Amuzu, the present
Presbytery Youth Coordinator- Rev. Eric Antiri, all agents and local sessions I
say bravo.
Again
I am praiseful to all J.Y leaders in our noble presbytery for being very
supportive in pasturing the J.Y members and also assisting in the organization
of J.Y programmes. For showing a quick, vehement and ardent desire and hard
work towards the success of the J.Y ministry, I ask God’s blessings on all my
able executives as well as all and sundry. God bless all of you. Amen!
Theme
for the Year:
“Be Filled With the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5: 18b)
The
Holy Spirit manifest, operates, and acts in several ways in the life of the
believer. First, He seals every believer who first comes to the faith,
accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Second, we also hear of the Spirit empowering
believers. Third, we also know that the same Spirit will quicken our
mortal bodies on the day of resurrection. There also the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit on believers. Believers again may be baptized by the
Spirit, filled with the Spirit or at times the Spirit may come upon
a person or indwell the person. All these demonstrate the several
operations and activities in the life of the believer (Junior Youth Guide
Volume 4, 2005)
In the words of Varley (1963) ( cited in MacArther,
2013), “the world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through a man
who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.” Varley didn’t say he had to be
educated, or brilliant, or anything else. He just has to be a man. One who
avails oneself.
The
key to rightly living the Christian life is being controlled by the Holy
Spirit, who provides energy for walking “worthy of the calling with which you
have been called” (Eph. 4:1). Unless you are controlled by the Spirit of God,
you can never walk in humility, love, unity, light, and wisdom. The life of God
in the soul of man is the only way anyone can live a righteous life. To walk
without the spirit therefore is to walk without wisdom (Eph. 5:15-17).
In
order to keep the fire burning, one must;
-
Read and meditate upon the
words in the Bible.
-
Pray and at times fast.
-
Be prayed for by laying
on of hands (Acts 9:17-19).
-
Sing spiritual hymns
and songs (Eph. 5:19).
Keeping
in tune with the Holy Spirit these ways will draw us more closer to God. That
is to say every Christian must live a Spirit-Filled Life. Living a
spirit-filled life does not only help us to communed with God but also empowers
us for service (Acts 1:8), live against evil (Acts 13:8-12), and pray fervently
(Eph. 6:18), to mention but few.
Children and J.Y Week Celebration
Mr. Chairman, I acclaim to all and sundry
who’s effort and enthusiasm led to the success of this year’s children and J.Y
week celebration. I was glad when I saw some Districts and locals having a
joint meeting with the children service teachers to plan towards the
aforementioned celebration. I entreat all locals who were not able to do so to
learn from others. This is the fourth celebration and I believe our reports
will bring out grandly improvements so far or otherwise we must sit up.
2015 Moderator’s Essay Competition
Mr. Chairman, let me whomp on the fact that
most locals and Districts fail to participate in the moderator’s essay
competition. Within these four years, only three Districts have continually
been participating in this essay competition, namely, New-Tafo, Asamankese, and
Kade Districts. I commend Akwatia and Kibi Districts for joining the race this
year.
I
wholesomely apologize on behalf of the executives for not able to award the
excelsior. However, some who have been consistently excelled will be awarded in
this year’s Presbytery Meeting.
To
the winners this year, I say ‘ayekoo!’ they include;
1st
- Lois Ofori from Asamankese District
2nd
- Bernard Ofosu from Kade District
3rd
- Bediako Elorm Martinson Gifty
from Kibi District
Ones
again, congratulations! I look forward for improvement in the ensuing year. The
topic is “I want to grow like Jesus.” The first three entries from each District
must reach the presbytery J.Y president on or before 30th may, 2015
to be forwarded to the CLAN Director for perusal.
Adult
Service
Mr.
Chairman, I want to seize this opportunity to admonish all J.Y leaders to intensify
our normal practice of joining the mother church for forenoon service either at
the end of every month or at the beginning of every month. Some locals remain
in their place of worship almost throughout the year. The purpose of this
motive is to assist the J.Y members to learn from the adult service and to
emulate it.
‘Mock service’ is
probably one useful tool I believe will help groom the young ones in
Presbyterianism. Periodic organization of the aforementioned service will not
only cause the J.Y members to learn but will also build their confidence. In
order to promote this notion I beseech conference to deduce means for the
realization of mock service in all locals. Either we agree on a specific date
whereby all locals will organize mock service simultaneously or each local
select a date of convenience. Secondly, either this service is being conducted
on Sunday forenoon service or on any other day in the presence of the
congregation. Furthermore, either this service is held once a year or periodically
as per the decision of conference. Let me add also that each District shall
report on it yearly.
I
will respect conference decision plus any other fruitful deliberations to promote
this service.
Place
of Worship for J. Y
A
very disturbing realization is the fact that some locals in our noble
presbytery do not have a place of worship for the J.Y members. Due to this the J.Y members worship with
adult every Sunday. This challenge does not only prevent them from learning
their study materials but also weakens the effectiveness of the group. My plea to all agents is that they ensure
that our J.Y members get a place of worship as well as a leader.
Youth
calendar Year
Mr.
chairman, I have taken pains to study
the programme of activities presented in the 2015 J.Y guide and have realize
that the activities are fruitful to the growth of the J.Y members in our
church. I therefore supplicate that all leaders must make good use of it. Locals who find it difficult to meet after
Sunday service must infuse the programmes into Sunday service.
Bible
Study Outline
The
J.Y Education committee has resolved that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana
Bible study outline for the period of September, 2014 to August 2015 must be
used. I encourage J.Y leaders to get copies and guide J.Y members to study it
every Sunday. J.Y members are also encourage to own copies.
Joint
Programmes
Mr.
chairman, I be tone in adhesion to Rev. Kwaku Bio Kyeame ( G.A CLAN Director) that agents should help
the J.Y to have joint programmes with the YPG and YAF where necessary to create
a bond of understanding and unity among all the generational groups. This will
create the atmosphere of generating from one group to the other. Also it will
enable the J.Y to conduct programmes like debate and symposium presented in J.Y
guide.
Maiden
Zonal Convention
It
is the first of its kind that we organize presbytery J.Y convention on Zonal
bases. This proves your hard work in organizing J.Y members in their numbers to
programmes. As you always do, let us team up to have a successful zonal
convention this year.
Inadequate
J.Y leaders
It
is not a hidden fact that whilst some locals do not have J.Y leaders at all, some
have inadequate leaders. I request all District J.Y presidents to pressurize local
agents to assist curb this challenge. All hands must also be on board to
encourage equipped and competent members to join the leadership of J.Y.
The
Spiritual Life of J.Y Leaders
Ladies
and gentlemen, I would like to exhort all J.Y leaders in this end time. Apostle
Paul said ’’Do not get drunk on wine…. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns
and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord (Eph.5: 18a
& 19, NIV). We are mentors to the Junior Youth and hence let us present a
life wealthy of emulation.
More so, let us be less compliance but
more action oriented performers. Like the Apostle Paul said ‘’serve
wholehearted, as if you were serving the Lord, not men…. Grace to all who love
our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love (Eph. 6:7 &24 NIV).
Conclusion
In my penultimate year as presbytery .YJ
leaders President, I am engulfed and have gain more experience in leadership. I
encourage all able men and women to take the mantle next year. Onward:
Christian soldiers, march on to war …
I wish all of you a successful
conference. Thank you.
…………………………………
Opoku Jonathan
Asare
(J.Y Leaders’
President)
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF GHANA
AKYEM-ABUAKWA
PRESBYTERY JUNIOR YOUTH LEADERS CONFERENCE @ KUKURANTUMI FROM 27TH
FEB. – 1ST MARCH, 2015 PRESBYTERY YOUTH COORDINATOR’S ADDRESS
Preamble: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for
the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from
the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving. Anyone who
does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism (Col
3:23-25).
The Chairperson for this august occasion, Presbytery Clerk,
Colleague Ministers present, Youth Superintendent, J.Y Leaders’ President,
Catechist, Presbyters, Invited Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen, all protocol
observed. The Peace of God be unto you (Shalom)!
J.Y ……….Youth for Jesus.
Beloved in the LORD, in one accord let us give thanks to the LORD
Almighty for the goodness and mercies He has bestowed on us to experience this
hopeful and fateful year of our LORD Jesus Christ. Indeed, we are most grateful
to Him for his many blessings to the entire presbytery, districts and various
locals within.
Appreciatively, I wish to express my effusive thanks to the
Almighty God as well as presbytery council for accepting my appointment as the
youth coordinator for this unique presbytery. I hope we shall work in unity and
pray for each other for a successful tenure of office. Brethren in the Lord,
kindly permit me to elaborate on the following issues that upset our job as J.Y
Leaders;
a. Biblical
Knowledge and Prayer Lifestyle
Fellow brothers and sisters in the LORD’s vineyard, our master
Jesus Christ who called us to be leaders of this noble church and for that
matter Junior Youth class is so faithful and just to equip and send us for
bountiful harvest. Therefore, let spend time to hear or receive inspiring
messages from the LORD (The Sender) through
daily devotion or quite time observation and effective Bible study on relevant
topics needed for presentations. Let’s remember to prepare ourselves well and
gain in-depth knowledge through internet and other biblical literatures before
our presentation in church because the youth of today are very innovative and
inquisitive to explore current facts.
Besides this, Martin Luther once said “Prayer is a strong wall and
fortress of the church; it is goodly Christian weapon”. Therefore,
let’s be vigilant and pray fervently for God’s direction, protection and
liberation from this evil world in order to lead our members to Christ.
The third stanza of PH 3 reads,
Host of evil men may scare you, Satan’s
wicked foes. Saints of Christ, they fear no evil in this battle fierce. For
they have the word of God, and with faith and prayer they fight. All equipped
with God’s own armor, Victorious they are.
b. J.Y Leaders
as Role Models(Mentors)
According to wordweb English Dictionary, a mentor refers to a wise
person who serves as a teacher or trusted counsellor. 1 Peter 2:21-25 and Phil.
2:5-8 portray Jesus Christ as our mentor who demonstrated exemplary life for us
to follow. As leaders of Junior-Y, the perception of our children is to follow
our examples whether good or bad because they have great reverence for us. In
view of this, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit as chosen by the church
as the main theme for this ecclesiastical year. Let us practice holiness to
drive our J.Y members into the kingdom of God.
c.
Basic Teachings
The current challenge of our church is to equip our members
especially J.Y with adequate knowledge on certain doctrinal issues that may
affect their faith and pull them out of this church. As a result of this,
teaching services on topics like baptism, confirmation, communion, prayer,
tithing and many others can be observed every three months to groom our members
to be matured Christians. This can be achieved through good resource personnel
in our church like ministers, catechists, presbyters and others.
d.
Motivation by the Church
Truly, the responsibility of J.Y leaders is not quite different
from other leaders or agents of our church which calls for monthly or yearly
allowances. I believe vehemently that, greater percentage of our J.Y leaders
are performing creditably and needed a little push to sustain their good deeds
for the church. Unfortunately, many congregations have not yet recognised the
necessity to motivate these hard working J.Y Leaders as enshrines in one of our
presbytery decisions taken some years ago.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I wish to thank all and sundry once again for your
attention and support to move the church forward. God richly you all!
Long live P.C.G
Long Live J.Y
Humbly submitted by:
REV. ERIC AFORO ANTIRI (YOUTH COORDINATOR)
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH OF GHANA- AKYEM ABUAKWA PRESBYTERY
SUPERINTENDENT’S ADDRESS DELIVERED TO THE 16TH
JUNIOR YOUTH LEADERS CONFERENCE HELD AT THE KUKURUNTUMI PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
FROM 27TH TO 29THFEBRUARY 2015
Mr
Chairman, Rev. Ministers, Catechist, Fellow Executives, Distinguished Guests,
Noble J. Y. Leaders, Ladies And Gentlemen, All Protocols Observed, J. Y.
………………….. Youth for Jesus …………………..
‘’For by grace you are saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone
should boast’’{Eph. 2:8-9}. It is indeed a great blessing and by the grace
of God that we have seen another year and have met as God’s chosen ones. We
thank God for his gift of life. We also thank God for how far He has brought
the Junior Youth ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana especially in the
Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery. I am very much enthused to address the Leadership of
the Junior Youth of the Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of
Ghana for the second time as the Chairperson of the Youth Ministry of the
Presbytery.
Let
me use this platform to show my appreciation to the Chairperson and his
Administration, all Ministers, Agents and Presbyters for their co-operation and
support to the Youth Ministry. I encourage them to continue to support us. I
also appreciate the co-operation of my executive members for their dedication
and co-operation. Let me also thank my predecessors especially Mr. D. K. Opoku
for their support. I again acknowledge the dedication, passion and support of
my co-odinator – Rev. E. A. Antiri not forgetting the immediate past
co-ordinator Papa Amuzu. To you who have been called by God as workers in his
vineyard, I say ayekoo!!! I really appreciate
your co-operation, dedication and contribution which has brought the Youth
Ministry this far. May God reward you all according to his own riches.
As
I said in my address last year, we have gathered here to evaluate our
activities for the past year and plan for the year ahead. Let us therefore be
very much objective and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us make informed
decisions that will foster progress in the ensuing year.
THEME FOR CONFERENCE: BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT {EPH.5:18}.Mr. Chairman,
beloved in Christ, I suppose that, if anyone should be abreast, and boast with
the knowledge of the Holy Spirit, it should be the Presbyterian. I am saying
this because For the past six {6} years the Presbyterian church of Ghana has
deliberated on the personality, manifestation and operation of the Holy Spirit
in the church and in the life of the Believer, this proves our true identity as
not belonging to the flesh but to the Holy Spirit {ii Corinthians 10: 3}. This
year, the Church’s concern is to see the promise of Jesus Christ in {John
14:15-18} fulfilled in the lives of her members and for our conference J. Y.
leaders in Akyem Abuakwa. We see this promise fulfilled in the first apostles
in Acts 2:1-4.‘’And in the fulfilling of
the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly
a sound came out of the heaven as borne along by the rushing of a mighty wind,
and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And tongues as of fire
appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them. AND THEY
WERE ALL FILLED OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, and began to speak in other languages, as
the Spirit gave them utterance. This is our time to carry the ministry of
God and we need the in - filling of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s use of being drunk
with wine in contrast with being filled with the Holy Spirit demonstrates the
influence that the Holy Spirit has on the believer as alcohol on a drunkard.
People intentionally drink to be able to do what they could not do. For
instance to engage in riot. Let us also allow ourselves to be filled with the
Holy Spirit to be able to do what we could not do as mere mortals.
DISCIPLESHIP: Ladies and Gentlemen, the
greatest need of the church today is discipleship. It is not surprising
therefore that Jesus ended His earthly ministry by issuing the great commission
{MATT. 28:18-20}. A disciple is someone who has made a personal choice to be a
votary of Jesus Christ. He is someone who learns from the spirit of Christ,
accepts and assists in spreading the good news. God’s greatest desire and
purpose for everyone in His church is to grow in Christ, live the abundant
Christian life and bear fruit that glorifies God. God demands that we give our
lives back to him and live a Christ like life. According to H. A. Evans Hopkins
cited in Rooted in Christ “Nothing
less than unconditional surrender could ever be a fitting response to His
sacrifice at Calvary. Love so amazing, so divine could never be satisfied with
less than our souls, our lives, our all’’. Let us therefore at a forum like
this not think of only reports and criticisms but also assess our lives as
workers in His divine vineyard.
Dr David A. Dewitt also wrote ‘’ Biblical
discipleship is the act of one person intentionally impacting the life of some
other person in the direction of Christ-likeness’’. This no different from our
work as J Y leaders. We are indeed to impact the lives of our younger ones and
draw them closer to God.
It
is very disheartening to see the Youth drifting out of the church. A man once
said the average age of the church is 55years which means the church is growing
old. A careful search into this unfortunate situation reveals that those who
leave are not deeply rooted in Christ. I therefore want to make the following
recommendations to this conference and to the mother presbytery as well:
{i}That Rooted in Christ, a discipleship material prepared by the
department of mission and evangelism be adopted by the JY as a study material
{ii}That confirmants be
taking through a three months course using the Rooted in Christ during their preparation.
In
so doing I hope they will come to understand, appreciate and gain deeper root
in the faith in which they find themselves.
EDUCATION: ‘’Education is what
survives when what has been learned has been forgotten’’ said B. F. Skinner.
Educated person can never be deprived of his knowledge. It is therefore very
prudent to assist the younger generation to gain quality education. Our church
will be in a rut if the future generation is not well educated. It therefore
behoves on us as JY leaders to inculcate in our members the love for education.
It is for this reason that last year I spoke of an education funds to support
our young ones. A document has been drafted and will very soon be in operation.
CONCLUSION: I want to end by giving you a plan that will help you touch on the
lives of the people you are leading. That is the 7-7-7 prayer plan: Pray for 7
people a day, for 7 minutes, for 7 days a week.
Beloved,
in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your
soul prospers.
I
wish you fruitful deliberations. Thank you.
RICHARD
KWAME ODAME AGYEI
SUPERINTENDENT
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF
GHANA
AKYEM-ABUAKWA
PRESBYTERY JUNIOR YOUTH LEADERS CONFERENCE @ KUKURANTUMI FROM 27TH
FEB. – 1ST MARCH, 2015 FRATERNAL MESSAGE
The Presbytery Youth Coordinator,
District and local Ministers ,
Superintendent, J.Y. President, D.O's., Formal executive, District J.Y.
Presidents, fellow labourers
in the Lord’s vine yard, how are you? ( ni hao? ) happy new yea (
shie nyan kuala) J.Y . ........................
It is with great joy to send this worm
message of peace from afar to you. Our bond as co-workers in the Lord’s
vineyard is always renewed any time I hear of your faith and unity in the Lord.
But( like a boxer) I buffet my body
(handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships) and subdue it, for fear that
after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself
should become unfit (not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a
counterfeit). (1 cor.9:27 Amplified Bible)
Moreover, success without a successor is
failure, I therefore plead to each and everyone of us as leaders to prepare
serious and dedicate people who will succeed us so that they will continue our
good works and Glory GOD.
The Bible says , the teachers will be
judged harshly, therefore, our lives must reflect the Glory of God, we should
let our light shine before men. May people see us and see a true Christian in
Us, one who loves God.
To be a great leader, we should be ready
to humble ourselves very well and be the servant of all. Bible says whatever we
do, we should work at it with all our heart and do it to pleased GOD.
As much as possible, we should not allow
backbiting, slandering, gossiping, anger, bitterness and enviness to dwell
amongst us, if anyone of us is doing that it will affect the ministry in a
negative way.
We should always seek the face of God
and pray paaaaaaaa. It's not easy as a leader, intercede for the children, care for them, love them, bring
them closer to yourself, get closer to them, be their parents, their boyfriends
, their girlfriends in the Lord please, let them be your sons and
daughters etc. your prayer topic
everyday.
Challenges will come but we should stand
strong and keep our faith in the God who is the author and the finisher of our
faith. We should pray for wisdom to lead the children, and know that we are
there to do the will of God and to obey Christ. If you feel otherwise, then
please bow out.
Whether we like it or not ,we are
travelers on this earth, our home is in heaven.
Beloved I wish to encourage you to
remain steadfast in this end time knowing very well that the second coming of
the Messiah is near. I have miss each and every one of you more especially your
zeal in the Lord despite all the challenges some of you face.
I wish you all the best in every area of
your life, I love you all. Bye( taijien)
Your
co-worker in the Lord’s vineyard . Hexe-shangdong , CHINA
Fredrick Ofori Okata
Asiedu.
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