BYF Seminar “Come and Connect!” Report
More than 500 young people connect with the Baltic Youth Festival
On Saturday, 10 March, the Baltic Youth Festival seminar “Come and Connect!” gathered more than 500 young people from Latvian churches, who were encouraged to follow Christ's call and tell their friends about their faith.
The seminar was attended by youth leaders of Latvian churches and their teams, young people from Riga and other Latvian churches, as well as young people from Lithuania and Estonia. Baltic Youth Festival director Viktor Hamm spoke to the seminar participants about the challenges of young people in every generation, encouraging the youth to witness to their friends about Christ. Agris Ozolinkevics, leader of the Festival Youth Committee, introduced those present to the “Bring a Friend” programme, within which young people are invited to pray for their friends, invite them to the festival, and spend more time with their friends in daily life.
Doctor of theology Johannes Hartl (Germany), initiator of the Catholic charismatic youth movement, challenged the young people with a simple question: what do you want to experience on 9 June at Arena Riga? Only good music and a well-arranged festival venue? Or to experience people's lives being changed, people being set free from destructive lifestyles and addictions, and young people returning to God? Dr. Johannes Hartl invited the young people to think not only about their effectiveness, but also about fruitfulness - sometimes we can be outwardly effective, but that still does not mean we are fruitful. Not only a job well done is needed; we often also need to fight a spiritual battle so that our ministry brings blessing to others.
At the seminar young people could learn everything necessary about involvement in the Baltic Youth Festival and its preparation, and many young people signed up to be festival volunteers. Seminar participants took part in an SMS contest for the best way to invite friends to the festival. The winning team's suggestion - a text message from an anonymous number with an invitation to a meeting at Arena Riga on 9 July, signed God - received the loudest applause and ovations from the youth. Young people who had come to the seminar from different denominations and churches also united during the evening in common worship led by the groups “Vestnieciba” and “History Makers”.
On 9 June, the Baltic Youth Festival will take place at Arena Riga - the largest music festival of faith testimony in the Baltics. The festival is organized by the churches of the Baltic states in cooperation with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), and the festival's aim is to reach thousands of young people in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia with the Gospel message in a musical language young people understand.
Photo gallery from the seminar
We invite you to become friends of the Baltic Youth Festival and follow our updates also on social networks.
Draugiem
More information:
Ivars Kupcis
Baltic Youth Festival
+371 66015021
+371 29266134
ivars@byf2012.lv
www.byf2012.lv