DiscipleSHIFT Camp Meeting 2019
Adventist Youth Ontario Camp Meeting leadership team taking a silly picture at the end of a very tiring day.
What a time it was to be in God’s presence at Camp Meeting 2019! The theme for this year is Discipleshift. Our collective celebration started on Friday, June 7, at Downsview Adventist Church. Praise and worship was led by Rasheeda Jeremiah and team from Cornerstone ACF, Hamilton, ON. The night was filled with icebreakers, plenty of laughs, and a Word from God. We were blessed to hear from two of our speakers, Alvea Hurlington and Pastor Tacyana Nixon, who delivered challenging messages to begin the weekend.
Rasheeda Jeremiah & Cornerstone ACF Praise Team.
On Sabbath morning, we convened at the International Centre for service, starting at 9:30 a.m., for both the teens and young adults sections. Pastor Daniel Innocent kicked off Sabbath school in the teens section, and Pastor Robert Greaves in the young adults section. Both sections had group discussions led by various leaders from different churches. In the young adults section, the conversation was on different characters in the Bible and their lives in discipleship. One of the discussions reminded us that our spiritual gifts are for the work of God and not ourselves. Over in the teens section, the discussions varied from mental health in the church to mentorship, living with racism, and so much more. We learned not to hide the gifts God has given us to use, how to create healthy boundaries, and how to relate to others from different faiths. Kingsway College blessed us with a special music to end the first part of our morning service.
We also had our ministry expo in the hallway where various youth and young adult ministries were able to share what they do and how attendees can get involved.
“Don’t ask WHAT you’re going to be when you grow up, but WHO will you be when you grow up”
—Quote from on of the group discussions.
Divine service started on a high note as Rasheeda Jeramiah and team led out in the young adult section and Shaina Lue and team led out in the teens section. After the welcome and announcements, we were privileged to have five languages and senses represented in prayer. Burman University Choir, Blessed Hope Choir and Kingsway group blessed us with song selections. Our divine service speakers were Luke Charles (teens) and Pastor Tacyana Nixon (young adults). Luke, a kinesiology student from York University, titled his sermon Disciple-ish in the teens sections. His points of reference can be found in Matthew 14:13-33 and John 15:5. He spoke about the symptoms being disciple-ish, including not knowing much about God, gauging ourselves on what others think rather than what God says, dwelling on the past and much more. When God gives us a mission, He empowers us to do it in full, not just partially. When we spend more time with God in His promises, we can avoid the symptoms of being disciple-ish.
Pastor Tacyana Nixon preaching.
Pastor Tacyana Nixon of Adventist Learning Community and former pastor at Princeton Adventist Church titled her sermon “Losing Your Keys” in the young adults section. Her points of reference can be found in Matthew 14:22-30. She shared an experience a few years back when her daughter was just an infant, how she couldn’t find her keys and the frustration that brought her. She spoke about how the trajectory of her day changed the moment that she couldn’t find those keys. Sometimes it’s easy to get upset with God over stuff He hasn’t done; she lost her keys, He didn’t. She encouraged us to remember that the same God who pulled Peter out of the water is the same God who takes care of the big and small stuff. God gives us the keys that we’re often too frustrated to use. Pastor Nixon encouraged us to take the time to look at what God has given us and how we can use it. She also encouraged us to trust God with all things in our lives, no matter how insignificant we may feel that they are.
Compassion kicked off our afternoon celebration with various initiatives such as the food drive and blessings in the park. In the evening, Pastor Nixon closed off the young adults' section after the compassion awards, and David Machuca concluded service for the teens. The teen section hosted its 2nd annual talent show, where talents from churches around Ontario shared their gifts with us. Alessandro Coronado and Divine Domingo were the MCs for the night. Teens sang, played instruments, danced, rapped, and performed spoken word for their peers. Overall, this weekend was one for the books! Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the services and initiatives we had throughout the day.
