Youth leaders from the Adventist Church's mid-Atlantic region hosted a Youth Congress in the city of Baltimore, April 23 to 26, 2003.
Youth leaders from the Adventist Church’s mid-Atlantic region hosted a Youth Congress in the city of Baltimore, April 23 to 26, 2003. Themed “Magnify the Message: Taking Back the City,” the focus of the four-day congress was on mobilizing youth to bring back a message of hope and meeting the needs of inner city communities that have been devastated by drugs, violence, poor health, poverty and hopelessness.
Katherine Walton, planning committee chair for the congress, believed in the concept of ministry entities working together to pull off an event to inspire the youth to serve others. She and other congress planners began solidifying plans for the Baltimore area-congress in March 2002.
At the same time, regional church leaders declared Baltimore, the state’s largest city, a mission field. The goal of this program is to make sure effective outreach ministries and community services are provided for the metropolitan area. It also meant assisting local Adventist churches to establish family centers, substance abuse programs and other humanitarian activities.
“Youth have the energy, excitement and freshness. The older generation has the experience and structure,” said Walton. “You have to put the two together to make it all work.”
Through meetings and surveys, congress organizers decided that the focus of the event would be community outreach and service.
“By sharing our beliefs and values through a community service program, we were able to help those in the Baltimore community understand what we are about,” said Bronson Brown, program committee chair. “People never forget when you do something for them—that leaves a lasting impression,” he said.
In addition to seminars and various social activities, the 300 plus-delegates were able to participate in approximately 10 community service projects. On two of the four days, Jose Rojas, director for Adventist Volunteer Ministries Network, gathered delegates together for a motivational speech. During these rallies, Rojas let them know that even as youth they can definitely make an impact on their local community. When the rally was concluded, busloads of kids were released into specific sites in Baltimore City to perform community service acts such as literature distribution, neighborhood clean-ups, hospital visitation and more.
“I feel good when I participate in community service projects,” said Aleaka Ince of First Adventist Church in Teaneck, New Jersey. “People’s faces light up when you reach out to them,” she added.
Congress organizers, along with the Baltimore Metro Initiative and local churches plan for the community service projects to continue. “We are going to rally together as a church community to assess the impact that this event had,” said Ron Edmonds, community service coordinator and pastor of the Edmondson Heights Church in Baltimore. The Edmondson congregation will continue to find out what the needs are of their church community. They will do this by passing out surveys, visiting their community association and simply reading the newspapers. “Step out of your comfort zone and get out there and find out the needs of your community,” proclaimed Edmonds. “It will truly make a difference.”
The Baltimore event has already yielded positive results for the church: the Baltimore Sun, the city’s largest newspaper, ran a favorable article, and several local television and radio stations aired interviews with key participants.
There are 18 Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Baltimore with a membership of 4,242.