A Whirlwind of Faith & Fellowship
What a whirlwind month March 2025 was! From Youth Week of Prayer to Global Youth Day, and all the regional and ministry meetings and events in between, March concluded the first quarter of the year on a very high and positive note.
I had the privilege of visiting many of the combined youth week of prayer services. My youth week visits often begins in Eastern Ontario, where the week’s launch would be held as a youth rally weekend collaboration with the region and the ACF club at the uOttawa campus. While there was not a rally this year, the on-campus event for Lighthouse ACF was teeming with students from that campus, as well as youth from around the region.
As customary, I visited the other regions hosting combined services. The worship moments were spirit-filled and delivered with songs of praise, inspirational messages, and interactive moments of prayer, not to mention the snacks and fellowship to close the evening. This year, I was thrilled to speak for one evening at two different regional worship services.
Pastor John Scott, Ontario Conference Youth Ministries Director, modelling AYO’s limited edition hoodie.
Some regions whose churches are located far apart usually host services online. However, for the first time, Northern Ontario hosted its sessions from the Iron Bridge Adventist Church and broadcast them on YouTube in order for youth to receive the sessions.
To closeout the youth week of prayer, I am always inspired by the incredible creativity our regional executives and their teams implement to deliver Global Youth Day activities. As examples, East Central and Western Ontario targeted particular cities within their regions to make an intentional impact within those cities. These and many more outreach initiatives were reported throughout our annual Global Youth Day broadcast, hosted by Akehil Johnson and Samantha Delisser on the AYO YouTube channel. I commend all of our regional leaders for your outstanding leadership thus far!
As the second quarter of the year begins, our focus turns toward the anticipated annual Ontario Conference Camp Meeting weekend, Ontario Bible Bowl Championship, and a variety of mission trips and humanitarian endeavours being planned for Ontario’s youth and young adults. I invite you to stay tuned to all the updates via our AYO website and social media platforms.
Furthermore, I invite you to get involved in the youth ministries of your local church, as well as the multiple regional activities available to empower you as a kingdom ambassador. Finally, the Youth Ministries Department is also facilitating vital restructuring to effectively meet our goals and expand our reach. This effort includes recruiting new talent to serve in our unique ministries. Please inform us of your desire to become involved in this way once the recruiting campaign commences.
Let’s make it a blessed and transformative year!