Hundreds of young people gathered in Melbourne, Australia, for the Adventist Youth For Christ (AYC) conference, entitled “Called by Name,” on January 26–29.
Held at St Kilda Town Hall, there were more than 420 registered attendees, with more than 250 guests visiting on Sabbath. “We had a waiting list which grew exponentially by the hour, right up ‘til the Thursday night [January 26] when AYC began. Attendees came from all over the country and the world,” said Samuel Kitevski, AYC president.
Throughout the weekend, there were morning devotions, workshops, and evening worship programs.
Guest speakers included Pastor Doug Batchelor, Amazing Facts president, and Pastor Jean Ross, director of Evangelism; Pastor Adam Ramdin, North England Conference Evangelism director; Sukeshinie Goonatilleke, Lineage Journey content writer; Joshua Gonzalez, 3am Ryde Church pastor; Pastor Philip Hyland, Victorian Conference Youth director; and Derek Rippingale, Professional Advantage Pty Ltd managing director.
The special service saw the ordination of Pastor Chris Guo. The service was led by Pastor Christian, with Pastor Justin Bone, Ministerial Association secretary for VIC, and Pastor Craig Gillis, VIC secretary, also present. Pastor Brendan Pratt, Australian Union Conference Ministerial Association secretary, presented the charge to ministry. Pastor Guo is part of the pastoral team for Gateway Adventist Centre in Melbourne.
“AYC played a powerful role in Pastor Chris’ journey, as the first AYC he attended, he was not yet baptized but was seeking more,” Kitevski explained. “He was baptized, and then attended the next AYC, where he made the decision to commit his life to service to God, and the rest is history.”
Kitevski added, “It was an honor to be able to see Pastor Chris’ journey come full circle at AYC and have the opportunity to highlight one of the countless lives which have been impacted by AYC over the years.”
On Sabbath afternoon, AYC attendees were sent out into Melbourne City for outreach, including advertising Pastor Batchelor’s upcoming evangelistic campaign. As a result of the outreach, they received more than 400 survey responses with 36 requests for Bible studies, as well as other requests for prayer and expressions of interest in Bible studies, health programs, kid’s programs, and more. These contacts will be followed up by representatives from Gateway Adventist Centre.
“It was a privilege to be able to witness so many decisions for Jesus. This weekend was a blessing and encouragement for me personally, as hearing the messages, testimonies, and seeing the decisions made, God reminded me of His calling in my own life,” Kitevski said.
Susanna Je, AYC vice president, said, “Seeing St Kilda Town Hall packed with hundreds of youth and young adults praying on their knees and earnestly seeking to hear God’s voice was a deeply moving and humbling experience.”
Je continued, “It was evidence that God is alive, and His presence was in that space. I have witnessed and been encouraged at AYC 2023 that the harvest is plentiful and those willing to be sent into God’s harvest field are many [Matthew 9:37–38].”
Next year’s AYC is themed “Crossroads” and will be held in Melbourne in January 2024.
“The next AYC is about taking Jesus with us on the journey, no matter what crossroads we face—no matter where they may be.” Kitevski shared. “AYC 2024 is about urging Jesus to remain with us—to journey with us—desiring Jesus to be revealed to us personally and desiring our hearts to burn within us.”
For more information, visit: https://ayc.life/.
The original version of this story was published on the Adventist Record website.