Grow Ministries invited young people in the LCA from across Australia and New Zealand to learn more about and share their voices on issues that our church is facing prior to the 2018 National Convention of Synod.

NYF18 – or National Youth Forum 2018 – drew 27 participants to South Australia over three days in April. Held at Australian Lutheran College (ALC) in North Adelaide, the weekend has been deemed a huge success.

NYF18 was supported by the team from Grow Ministries, staff of ALC and the LCA, Lutherans for Life representatives and participants of the 2017 Grow Leadership Program.

Here is a snapshot of the weekend …

WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THE YOUTH FORUM?
‘The feeling of not being alone as a Christian, there are many young people out there also a part of the Lutheran church.’ – Meg

‘The sense of community made by the participants and mentors.’ – Matthew

‘Getting to know other Lutherans my age and learning about the Lutheran church.’ – Zac

‘Time talking about and learning about contentious issues that we probably don’t talk about enough. The relevance and applicability to everyday life also.’ – Chloe

‘Hearing from pastors who know their stuff.’ – Tom

WHAT DID YOU LEARN AT NYF18?
‘To respect different viewpoints and remember the essentials.’ – Tom

‘To be more willing to engage with other congregational members about theology and the history of the church. NYF was also a good reminder about the importance of intergenerational discussion and relationships.’ – Chloe

‘I’d come into the weekend feeling quite disappointed by my congregation’s [lack of] support of young adults – now I’m really encouraged to help change that.’ – Lachlan

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT SERVING IN THE WIDER LCA?
YES 91.3%

HAS THIS WEEKEND INSPIRED YOU TO SUPPORT YOUR OWN CONGREGATION?
YES 79.17%
NO 0%
NOT SURE 20.83%

NYF18 was made possible by the generous support of the LCA’s 50.500 faith.freedom.future initiative for this synodical period to celebrate, to commemorate, and to focus on the church that God is building.

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