Displaying items by tag: young people

2019’s Soul Survivor saw 2,100 become Christians. But now, after 27 years, organisers said God was calling them to ‘hand over the baton’. Over 30,000 attended this year’s events in Peterborough, Stafford, and Kinross. Founder Mike Pilavachi said that God has spoken to them and they were looking forward to the future. They have seen people walk out of their wheelchairs. One had not walked for five years, one for ten years. People have been set free from addictions. ‘Stuff happens when you give the Holy Spirit space.’ While the summer festivals end, Soul Survivor will continue to operate as a church in Watford and run events to equip church leaders across the country. Leaders are encouraging young people to attend four alternative events, similar in style, next year.

Mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, are often said to be a ‘gaping hole in the global church’s holistic response to human need’. Please pray into these World Health Organisation facts: - one in five of the world's children and adolescents have mental disorders or problems. -Nearly 800,000 lives are lost through suicide every year. -Wars and disasters increase mental health problems dramatically. -Poor mental health leads to poor physical health. Many people worldwide deny themselves mental health treatment and cure because of shame and embarrassment. -Mentally ill people in many countries are locked up, restrained or have their human rights violated in other ways. Pray that Christians will break the cultural taboos and stigmas associated with mental health issues, and address them in a holistic and loving manner. Pray that care for the mentally ill and traumatised will become a hallmark of the Christian Church. See also article 2 in UK Section, ‘We Cry over What Children Say’.

RSE (relationships and sex education) is a contentious issue. Several schools in Birmingham recently suspended the teaching of an LGBT+ inclusive programme, No Outsiders, after protests from parents. Stephen Fry and others wrote to the education secretary saying that political, religious and cultural sensitivities should not be allowed to thwart mandatory age-appropriate RSE from the first year of primary education. The signatories say that lessons should be LGBT+ inclusive and ‘inform older pupils about sexual pleasure for LGBT and how to achieve it for themselves and a partner’. They call for statutory enforcement of even more explicit teaching about sex; for further normalisation and promotion of homosexual behaviours and that same-sex, homosexual, and bisexual relations must be presented as equally valid, with no faith school opt out, or parental right of withdrawal. They said, ‘Our goal is to ensure that pupils leave school emotionally and sexually literate and able to enjoy fulfilling, caring and enduring relationships.’

Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Dowd of Montreal is the sixth-youngest episcopal leader taking part in this month’s synod of bishops on young people. He insisted that observers will get the synod wrong if they conceive of its aim as bringing more young people into the Church. ‘Something we emphasised in my small group is that it’s about bringing young people to Christ. The new evangelisation is not the new ecclesialisation. If we can bring people in contact with the living Christ, and if we believe that he’s actually alive and still speaking to us through the Spirit, that’s what we want.’

Faithful missionaries brought the Gospel to Tonga in the 19th century. The bold red cross displayed on the country's flag represents its Christian heritage. Today nearly everyone in Tonga has access to the Gospel. But the islands are experiencing a slow and steady spiritual decline. The church is plagued with bitter schisms, selfishness, politics, false teachings, and nominalism. Many are being drawn away to ‘new’ teachings. Tonga has the world's highest percentage of Mormons, and 4% follow Baha'i teachings. Some say that faith across the Pacific has become so shallow that the region must be re-evangelised. A move of God is desperately needed. Pray for freedom from the love of money among young adults tempted to seek riches abroad. Pray for emigrant believers to keep their Christian identity in their host nations. Pray for hope and eternal purpose for youth turning to crime and drugs as solutions to boredom.

The deadline for registering to vote in this year’s local elections is 17 April, and many young people who could not vote in the last election are now eligible to do so. There are young adults in our churches, families and towns who do not yet understand the times we are living in. They do not realise the potential for change that can be achieved through understanding local issues, or how their votes can influence the lives of many.

Lamentations 2:19 says, ‘Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children.’ A report into social media use among 8- to 12-year-olds has stated, ‘Schools should play a bigger role in preparing children for social media's emotional demands as they move from primary to secondary school; and parents should prepare children emotionally for the significant risks of social media as they move schools and meet new classmates.’ Meanwhile, an IJM report said, ‘Cybersex trafficking is the live-streamed sexual abuse of children viewed over the internet. It’s brutal, growing at an alarming rate, and fuelled by the behaviour of Westerners, including people from the UK.’ See

New research from the Children’s Society reveals that fear of crime is damaging the well-being of 2.2 million UK teenagers, with one in three girls fearful of being followed by a stranger and one in four boys worried they’ll be assaulted. Over one million older children are contending with at least seven serious problems in their lives, significantly harming their happiness. Fear of crime has emerged as the most widespread issue for children, with almost 40% worried about falling victim to two or more crimes. The survey of three thousand 10- to 17-year-olds revealed that 53% have experienced at least three hardships in the last five years, making them markedly unhappier. Teenagers with seven or more serious issues in their lives are ten times more likely to be unhappy than those with none. Also 2.1 million teenagers were worrying because their parents were struggling to pay the bills.

The latest research commissioned by HOPE Revolution shows that 13% of 11- to 18-year-olds are actively following Jesus, praying regularly and attending church at least once a month. We long for these young people to take the lead in sharing the hope they have with their friends and family.

(Phil Timson, HOPE)

A campaign to encourage conversation about mental health among children and young people will be piloted in three Welsh schools, with others to follow. It will raise mental health awareness through a programme (using lottery funding) which works with pupils, teachers and parents. One in ten young people experiences mental health problems, with the associated stigma and discrimination often making life even harder. The scheme will work closely with schools to help young people develop the confidence to talk more openly about mental health - at school, with friends, or at home. When Laura was seven or eight she realised that hearing voices was not something everyone experienced, so she kept it a secret and her mental health got worse. At the age of 15 she told her mum; she says that talking saved her. Now she has support from family and friends.