The annual youth convention for New Zealand youth took place in late November 2019. The motto for the weekend was “Come as you are”.
Youth from all over the country travelled to the Waikato region to enjoy a weekend of spiritual development and fellowship. The weekend activities commenced on the Friday evening with opportunities to get to know each other better around the campfire, sharing of stories, and marshmallows.
On the Saturday, youth commenced the day in the prayer chapel, meditating and praying. This was followed by breakfast and workshops which focused on LGBTIQ, with a representative from Rainbow NAC USA present at the workshop via Zoom.
Later in the morning youth enjoyed a music jam session, and the facilities of the camp which included swimming, kayaking, hydro slides, and boating. There was further opportunity for meditation in the prayer room and spiritual counselling sessions with leaders.
In the afternoon youth gathered with Apostle Williams to have a deep dive into their spiritual development, focusing on mental health. The day concluded with dinner followed by a quiz night. At the end of the quiz each youth member was gifted a bluetooth speaker with the motto engraved onto it as a memento of the weekend.
On Sunday morning the youth gathered together for a divine service, conducted by Apostle Williams. They were joined by members from congregations in the Waikato region including Hamilton, Tauranga & Taupo. The bible text was taken out of Psalm 126:3-4 and the focus was around the streams of blessing.
After service the youth enjoyed a final opportunity for fellowship before packing up and going their separate ways. The weekend left lasting impressions and the youth look forward to the next opportunity to be in each other’s company.
