AGYFC – Bridging the Gulf Conference

This week, about 17 youth leaders from across the Arabian Gulf came together, for no other reason but that they are passionate for Jesus, and passionate to see young people love Him too.

The Arabian Gulf Youth for Christ group held a conference in Dubai this week, for youth leaders to come together and learn from each other, build relationships with each other and help each other to see the fire of God ignite around the gulf.

Represented at the conference, were 3 different youth groups ‘leaders from Abu Dhabi, the youth leaders from Al Ain, Kuwait and Oman. Phill from Kuwait encouraged us with two powerful messages, in the first and last sessions. In the first session he reminded us about not missing the Messiah in our youth programs, but to always seek His presence and seek His face in everything that we do and plan in our youth groups. In the last session, he encouraged us to be burning bushes, which God can use in the young people’s lives, even if we are only burning for one person.

And then in both the messages, we were reminded that we cannot give the youth we work with what we don’t have ourselves, and if we are leading young people to have a relationship with Jesus, then we need to have one with Him first. – Powerful stuff, we were so encouraged!

A great asset was being able to hear from one another about our youth groups and to see with our own eyes what God is doing among young people in the Gulf. Our benefit was also to have input from one another, with perspectives running from years of experience in youth ministry, and perspectives from those who are new to youth ministry. We shared our hearts and our resources, and wrapped it all up with amazing times of worship and prayer.

Then off course, a youth conference wouldn’t be what it represented if it weren’t for great fun! From beginning to end, our laughing bones were tickled and we could be comfortably silly with one another, from eggs to superman (I personally never made it pass been a chicken),

to been bears on unicycles, Bollywood stars and gumboot dancers (not to mention the air guitar!) and fashion models,

by the end of the conference we were so good that we could fit 16 adults on an A3 size paper! Judging from that alone, I’d say the conference was quite a success!

Thank you AGYFC team for organizing it, and for been faithful in hearing and obeying God’s call to serve in the desert places. May God richly shower His blessings on youth work in the Gulf – so that the Gulf would be filled with His glory.