Better communication between Seventh-day Adventist young people and church administration is the goal of two initiatives from the office of Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the world church.
Better communication between Seventh-day Adventist young people and church administration is the goal of two initiatives from the office of Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the world church.
On Sept. 13 Paulsen will meet with students on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, for what is being described as an “open, no-holds-barred discussion of issues of concern to Adventist young people.” The one-hour conversation, called “Let’s Talk—Again,” is a follow-up to last year’s “Let’s Talk” telecast that included teenage members of the church, and will be broadcast live by the Hope Channel to the Americas, and will be rebroadcast later in Europe, the South Pacific and Africa.
During the satellite event Paulsen will also launch the Let’s Talk Web site, designed to continue the dialogue between his office and Adventist young people.
“I recognize that many, many of our young people feel distanced from the church—they feel as if they don’t have a voice, they don’t feel that they have been heard, they don’t feel that they have been understood,” says Paulsen.
“But I want them to know that the church cannot be defined and cannot survive without them.” Reflecting leadership interest in the concerns young Adventists have, he added, “we want them to be heard—what they feel, and what they would like to say to their church. And I want them to know that it is our intention to take their comments seriously.”
The Let’s Talk Web site will provide a way for young people to send their questions or comments to the Office of the President and receive a reply. The site will also link visitors to a wide range of online resources. It will be found at http://www.letstalk.adventist.org
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Let’s Talk—Again will be broadcast live from Andrews University campus on Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. on the Hope Channel. Broadcast times in Europe, the South Pacific and Africa, and information on downlinking the program for your campus or church, will be available at http://www.hopetv.org/ in mid-August.
