The excitement had been building for months: the youth centre in Guinea-Bissau was finally completed and inaugurated with a divine service, traditional dances, and a shared meal.
A little girl gazes expectantly into the camera. Her black braids, adorned with colourful heart-shaped beads, frame her face. In her small arms she carefully holds a large basket lined with a white cloth. Nestled inside is a pair of scissors, soon to be used to officially open the new youth centre in São Domingos.
Encounter, education, enthusiasm
The youth centre in the small town of São Domingos in north-western Guinea-Bissau serves as a gathering place for young people. It is designed to help them broaden their horizons in both their faith and their career paths. Around 500 active New Apostolic young people live in the town and the neighbouring villages.
The young people were able to gain a first impression of their new centre in mid March last year. Although the building was not yet complete, a youth weekend was held there. Many pitched their colourful tents inside the unfinished structure, bringing life to the construction site.
From the very beginning, they showed great interest in the project. “The young people are very motivated,” reported Apostle Dimitrios Diniz (Portugal): “Many are asking for specific ways to get involved.” Now that the construction has been completed, the Church plans to offer seminars, youth meetings, training sessions for the ministers, educational programmes, and courses in digital communication at the centre.
A home for young people
Construction began in spring 2024. Logistical challenges, incorrect measurements, and difficulties in importing the building materials from Portugal delayed the project’s completion. Funding was provided through the #jugendbewegt initiative and contributions from the New Apostolic Church of Western Germany.
At the heart of the youth centre is a seminar building with seating for 80 people. Equipment has also been supplied. Three desktop computers, a printer, eighty chairs with integrated folding tables, a projector, and a screen were purchased and installed. The building is powered by solar panels. An adjoining structure houses sanitary facilities with eight showers and eight toilets.
Outside, a large sports field offers space for football, volleyball, and basketball. Although the 4,000 square metre site is fenced in for security reasons, District Apostle Stefan Pöschel (Western Germany) emphasises that “the youth centre is not intended to be an anonymous place”. Rather, we want it to be “a home for our young brothers and sisters, a place where they feel welcome and accepted”. Young people from neighbouring villages are also warmly invited to visit.
“My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually”
On 27 September 2025, the long-awaited moment arrived. Apostle Diniz officially opened the youth centre by cutting the white ribbon. He then conducted a divine service, attended by 464 young people, and dedicated the new building. His sermon was based on 2 Chronicles 7: 15–16: “Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.”
Traditional dances and a communal snack brought the dedication ceremony to a joyful close following the divine service.
Photo: INA Guinea-Bissau
