The youth forum HIT.ON took place in Kharkov on September 17–19. It so happened that the event, originally planned as a small local meeting for young people, achieved a nationwide status. The organizers felt God's guidance throughout the entire preparation period, as well as during the forum.
More than 100 people came to the meeting from all over Ukraine, as well as from far abroad. The age of the participants also had a wide range. However, no one left disappointed.
Oleksandr Koropets and Serhiy Antonyuk, from Lvov, were invited to the event as speakers. They brought up topics that were interesting and relevant to every young person sitting in the room: namely, topics about the practical role of the Christian and the relevance of the Bible today.
On Friday, Lev Vertylo, leader of the Adventist Church in the East Dnieper region, came to greet the assembled youth. A large number of listeners gathered for the seminar on relationships, conducted by Avetik Darbinyan. Alexander and Anna Chernov led the first half of the forum and were able to establish such contact with the audience that they actively responded to many questions.
Natalya Obydennova and Maxim Ostrovsky, forum program coordinators, prepared many surprises for the participants. In particular, at the end of the program, two secret speakers had to be guessed. These are the speaker “I” (each forum member who chooses where to be and assesses the situation) and the Speaker God, who directs our lives. He is the Hit— the main priority in our lives.
The program was intense but designed in such a way that the forum participants could walk around the city a little and get to know and communicate with each other. The most interesting thing is that despite the different cities and languages represented, this was not a barrier to fellowship at all.
The music ministry at the forum should be noted separately, as many new songs were played, some of which were sung by their authors. Actually, the anthem of the forum, written by Maria Obydennova, coordinator of the forum's music ministry, was also sounded for the first time at the meeting.
An unusual atmosphere reigned at the Sabbath evening concert when new and old hymns sounded in dim lights. With candles lit, the evening ended with the singing of a well-beloved song, "Marvelous Diamonds of the Stars".
Throughout the entire program, anyone present in the hall could receive a prize from the forum’s partners, who prepared valuable gifts: cups, pens, bracelets, notebooks, books, and even vouchers to the camp. All that was needed was to be in the hall at the right time.
After the official end of the forum, a photo quest was prepared for the young people, in which all participants could walk along a pre-prepared route and see all the main attractions of Kharkov in a short time. After that, a free excursion to the Anatomical Museum was organized for those who wished to attend.
HIT.ON has officially ended, but God continues to work in the heart of each participant.
This article was originally published on the Euro-Asia Division’s news site