An international youth training event, dubbed Impact Toronto 2000 (IT2000), will bring together almost 300 young adults from around the world for an event that will run concurrently with the Seventh-day Adventist World Session in Toronto from June 29 to July 8.
The IT2000 events, which have been largely organized by young adults, will allow participants to learn in one of 17 innovative service areas from some of the Adventist Church’s top talents. Puppet ministry, street art, music, drama, and mime are just some skills that will be taught on Toronto’s streets. IT2000 participants will also take part in special events, assisting with two different series of meetings aimed at young adults in the Toronto area.
According to IT2000 organizers, the main draw for participants is the chance to improve their ability to meet people where they are and offer a helping hand. And the bolder the approach, the better: the first choices of many IT2000 delegates were the front-line ministries–prayer, door-to-door visitation, and compassionate outreach.
“Children and youth have a different culture,” observes VBS (Vacation Bible School) Live! leader Walter Rogers, a premed/religious studies major at Canadian University College, the church’s university college in Alberta, Canada. “I see the need for spirituality to be an exciting, dynamic and powerful force in children’s lives,” he says. With a highenergy program and a group composed entirely of high school and college student volunteers, Rogers, in six months, has built a thriving congregation of six to12 year olds who look forward to Kids’ Church and a visit from a volunteer during the week.
IT2000 is a joint venture between the Youth and Young Adult Ministry departments of the Adventist Church in North America and the Church in Canada and aims to showcase Adventist young adults in action. IT2000 participants will be among the expected 60,000 Adventists in Toronto in late June and the first week of July for the 57th General Conference Session–the international meeting of the Adventist Church which is held in a different city every five years. The last Session, in 1995, took place in Utrecht, Holland.