Leaders Felicitate Baptist Youths on 2023 Youth Week, Golden Jubilee Anniversary

By Jide Afolabi, Lagos

The Leadership of the Nigerian Baptist Convention Youth Conference has felicitated with the youths of the Nigerian Baptist Convention on the commencement of the 2023 Youth Week and 50th-anniversary celebration.

In his Presidential Address exclusively obtained by citymirrornews, the President, Amb. Toba Emmanuel Bamidele while congratulating the youths appreciated them for their commitment and contributions to the youth ministry at all levels.

He said that the theme for the year, “I am the Living Water” (John 4:8-11, 14) was divine and coming at the right time when the land was full of thirst, yearning, and expecting from the youths.

The President trusts God for a season of newness and refreshing. “As we celebrate and earnestly seek the face of the Lord, I trust Him to bring us to a season of newness and refreshing by the power of the living water. May the week be a time of great and glorious transformation for us as youths, for our churches, and the nation as a whole?”

Bamidele while congratulating the youths on the golden jubilee anniversary of the Nigerian Baptist Convention Youth Conference urged them to use the avenue to celebrate past leaders and mobilize resources for the building of the Youth Resource Centre.

“It is important for me to remind us to use the youth week as an avenue once again to celebrate and appreciate our past leaders for laboring so much to ensure NBCYC is what it is today. We should also remember our commitment to using the opportunity to raise special offerings in our churches, associations, and conferences for the building of our Youth Resource Centre at Baptist International Conference Centre, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The Lord will use us to this vision a reality in Jesus’ name”.

“As we celebrate Jubilee this year, may the living water flood our hearts and dislodge every obstacle to our purpose fulfillment. May the blessings and life-giving power of the living water be yours today and always.”

In his Youth Week felicitation message, the Director, Youth and Student Ministries, Rev Dr S. Olawuyi James acknowledged and appreciated the leadership of the youth at all levels within the Baptist denomination.

He said that there was a need to raise awareness and rally support for the upcoming Youth Congress tagged “Youth Arise”, a programme that will draw about 20,000 Baptist youths from all youth organizations in the Nigerian Baptist Convention including the Nigerian Baptist Convention Youth Conference, Royal Ambassadors, Lydia Auxiliary, Girl’s Auxiliary, Teenagers, and Baptist Corpers Fellowship among others.

The Director said “We are delighted to announce the commencement of the 2023 Youth Week. We would like to acknowledge and appreciate the leadership of our youth at all levels within our esteemed denomination.

“During this Youth Week, we have a unique opportunity to raise awareness and rally support for the upcoming Arise Congress. We urge each one of you to actively mobilize fellow brethren for the Arise Congress 2023.

“It is of utmost importance to ensure that everyone in your church is aware that this program is designed for young people, and it is a time for the emergence of young minds. Let us utilize Youth Week as a means to create the necessary awareness.”

He added that to streamline communication, a dedicated platform for sharing information has been established.

The Youth Week is an annual week-long celebration of the faithfulness of God upon the youths wherein the youths are given the leadership and authority of the Church to perform responsibilities hitherto carried out by the Church Pastors and Church leaders to discover talents and train youths for future leadership in all Baptist Churches affiliated to the Nigerian Baptist Convention.

The 2023 Youth Week commences on Sunday, June 4, and ends on Saturday, June 10, 2023.