Changes should be expected in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea’s 21st National Youth Conference at Heldsbach, in Finschhafen District, next month.
The event in Morobe Province will be more interactive and fun.
ELCPNG National Youth Director, Tony Kundang, remarked that the traditional manner of facilitating the youth conference will undergo subtle changes.
Kundang noted that during each conference, youth delegates, often numbering over 800, usually discuss agenda, receive progress reports on work, and discuss outcomes, as well as engage in other conversations on issues and challenges affecting youth programmes, activities and related schedules.
Furthermore, he mentioned that pastors still will deliver Bible studies to youths throughout the week-long conference but this conference will have more of a retreat atmosphere.
“I want to make the conference more interactive by focusing on our five-star programme and allocating time for the youth delegates to discuss, exchange information and assist one another in understanding the contents of the star programme better,” Kundang stated.
“Under the five-star programme, our first star focuses on Christian faith-building, the second star on stewardship, the third on capacity-building, the fourth on evangelism, and the fifth on Christian social activities.”
He emphasised that youths must understand their heritage, their origins, their roles and responsibilities as youths, and their rights as members of the ELCPNG.
He further mentioned that they will introduce the history of the church to participants. And being in Finschhafen, the birthplace of the church, they will organise tours for the youths to visit historical sites, including where the first missionary, Johann Flierl, lived.
This, he hopes, will strengthen their faith and leave them with lasting memories of the church's extensive history.
The conference is scheduled to take place from September 24th to 29th at the Heldsbach Lutheran Mission Station.