article from SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2009
Focusing on Youth
Daily Lectures at AYC
Imagine the Sabbath for a young person: waking up early to put on dress clothes, jumping in the car and arriving at a meeting place to have services. Every week, a new sermon is played. The messages heard, though they are applicable to all, naturally are geared toward baptized members of God’s Church. Young people at services, not yet having God’s Spirit, hear this message with different ears. At this point in their life, they may find it difficult to grasp what is being covered or to truly understand these messages. This introduces a big reason why Ambassador Youth Camp is so beneficial: it provides campers with special Bible lectures, specifically directed toward them!
Each day at camp began with a lecture, given in the mess hall right after breakfast. These messages promoted God’s way of life and set goals for campers, both during camp and in the future. Campers split into girls and boys groups for the first lectures, which were delivered by Mrs. Ambrose for the girls and Mr. Kevin Denee for the boys. Mrs. Ambrose spoke about standards of dress, an important topic for girls growing up in God’s Church. The subject of Mr. Denee’s lecture was true manhood.
In his lecture, Mr. Denee quoted I Corinthians 6:9 and Proverbs 20:29, drawing a contrast between the effeminate men found in this world and God’s definition of a real man. He emphasized qualities such as physical and mental strength, maturity and good judgment. Mr. Denee also gave specific guidelines for men’s appearance. When asked, many of the male campers referenced this lecture as the one that impacted them the most. It forced listeners to examine themselves with standards of true manhood fresh in their minds.
Mr. Chris Lomas, a visiting minister from South Africa, gave the teens another powerful message. He connected the existence of broken homes in the world with the wrong foundation in dating. He made clear that a young person should focus on their conversion before pursuing relationships. I could see that learning to date correctly was vital for us to inculcate, as I have had many friends in the Church leave because they wanted to date in the world.
Throughout AYC, ministers devoted time and effort to come to camp to deliver these daily lectures, sometimes traveling great distances. Mr. William Behrer, a local church elder from New York, inspired youth to think expansively to solve problems.
Citing I Timothy 4:12, Mr. Behrer urged campers to be confident despite their youth, while keeping in mind the boundaries of God’s Law. Using visual aids, he demonstrated how to better analyze a problem. Lectures such as this were practical, providing principles to apply in everyday situations.
Youth in the world feel as if no one understands them. They don’t think adults “know who they really are,” and develop bad attitudes. It means a lot to have someone talk to you, identifying with you and your situation as a young person. At AYC, the ministry spoke directly to campers, providing them impetus to grow.
Daily lectures helped campers build stronger foundations, set goals, and guided them toward one day becoming members of God’s Church.