People everywhere pray

You cannot go wrong when praying

Young people from the congregations in the Asian part of Russia, from Yekaterinburg to the Kamchatka Peninsula, came together for a youth summit near Novosibirsk from 19 to 21 July 2024. They were welcomed by Apostle Marat Akchurin. Between games and socialising, the young people reflected on the Church’s annual motto “Prayer works”. For example, in a workshop on songs from the New Apostolic repertoire, which are basically prayers. They also talked about the fact that you don’t have to be ashamed of praying. The young people also learned that there is no wrong way to pray. God understands everything even before it is said. And there was an open exchange of experiences about praying in the family. The programme in the evenings ranged from sketches to singing and dancing. The Apostle then conducted a divine service for the young people and the congregation of Novosibirsk on Sunday, during which a person was sealed.

Holding on and letting go

“Prayer works” was the theme of a youth event on 4 August 2024 to which young people from Madina in Ghana invited the entire congregation. Bishop Charles Kesse conducted the divine service based on John 4: 28–29: “The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ‘Come, see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’” During the service, he encouraged the youth to hold on to the gift of their faith and to let go of everything that is holding them back from spreading their faith in the world. After the service, the young people organised a free health care screening for the members of their congregation.

Praying on the beach

You could tell from the T-shirts what the meeting from 29 August to 1 September 2024 was all about. Orar Funciona (“Prayer works”) was written on the colourful T-shirts the young people in Venezuela were wearing. They had gathered in Santa Fé to celebrate their National Youth Day. In workshops they discussed what the annual motto meant for them. They also spent a lot of time at the beach. They took a boat to offshore islands to admire the beauty of nature, made music together, and invited the not-so-young members of the Santa Fé congregation to join them for lunch. On Saturday evening, the young people came together to praise and honour God with music. On Sunday, Apostle César Barrera conducted a divine service for them. The meeting ended with a breathtaking sunset..

Speaking and listening

The children heard about talking and listening in a divine service in Bergkamen-Rünthe in Germany on 8 September 2024. The service was based on 1 Samuel 3: 10: “Speak, for Your servant hears.” In the Sunday School lesson before the divine service, the children and their teachers had already been working on the topic of speaking and listening. They played the Telephone game in which you have to listen very carefully to the messages that are whispered from player to player. And if you want to guess what is inside a tin, you have to listen carefully too. In the children’s service then, Priest Conradi told the youngest members of the congregation about Samuel, who was called by God to be a prophet. The Priest made the event come alive and made it clear to the children that they too can talk to God, who listens to them very carefully. He encouraged them to also listen carefully to God when He speaks to them. Prayer requires silence so that we can perceive God’s answers. In addition to being as quiet as mice during the service, they also let their voices ring out to the glory of God.