Feb 14, 2019, 1:20 PMDarell J Philip
The True Meaning of Friendship
In the first of many sessions to come from The Relationship Series, the Hackney Adventist Youth team presented Friends – I'll Be There for You? to a packed audience on the afternoon of Sabbath 9 February 2019. For those who were present, it was just good to see the resurgence of Adventist Youth Services (AYS) once again in church with the bonus being a plethora of young people taking the lead.
The format of the sessions was split into three parts. The first was a series of icebreakers which aimed to get everyone mingling to know each other better and to also build bridges between the generations whilst also demonstrating teamwork. The Full House activity, for example, was in a bingo format where participants had to go around the church with a group of questions relating to people's interests and life circumstances. Questions included: Who speaks another language? Who plays a musical instrument and who has 3 siblings? Once all the questions had been completed the participant would have to shout out the word Friends to signal a Full House. It was great to see both young and old participating in such an activity as well as it being an encouragement to those leading the programme.
Another activity which took place was Lead Me Home, where individuals were paired up, with one of them blindfolded while the other had to give out clear instructions which led their blindfolded partner back home to their seat. It was an entertaining activity for both the participants and the audience which reminded us that Jesus is our Shepherd, we are His sheep and we are to know His voice and respond positively when He calls us.
The second part was a talking point which was led by guest speaker, Jermaine Wong. Founder of Final Call Productions – a Christian theatre company that seeks to inspire, engage, encourage and inform its audiences through drama, theatre, film and poetry, Jermaine spoke about the friendship of David and Jonathan which was based on their mutual respect for God. He said, "A friendship has to be more than having a few things in common but should rather be based on souls being knitted together for God as demonstrated in the friendship of David and Jonathan."
The session then concluded with a Takeaway given to everyone by Youth leader, Rebecca Marshall. On the importance of friendship, she said, "A friend is more than an acquaintance but rather someone who encourages us on our life journey and ultimately leads us back to God."
It was clear for all to see that both AYS and our youth were back and it is hoped that this may long continue.
In the first of many sessions to come from The Relationship Series, the Hackney Adventist Youth team presented Friends – I'll Be There for You? to a packed audience on the afternoon of Sabbath 9 February 2019. For those who were present, it was just good to see the resurgence of Adventist Youth Services (AYS) once again in church with the bonus being a plethora of young people taking the lead.
The format of the sessions was split into three parts. The first was a series of icebreakers which aimed to get everyone mingling to know each other better and to also build bridges between the generations whilst also demonstrating teamwork. The Full House activity, for example, was in a bingo format where participants had to go around the church with a group of questions relating to people's interests and life circumstances. Questions included: Who speaks another language? Who plays a musical instrument and who has 3 siblings? Once all the questions had been completed the participant would have to shout out the word Friends to signal a Full House. It was great to see both young and old participating in such an activity as well as it being an encouragement to those leading the programme.
Another activity which took place was Lead Me Home, where individuals were paired up, with one of them blindfolded while the other had to give out clear instructions which led their blindfolded partner back home to their seat. It was an entertaining activity for both the participants and the audience which reminded us that Jesus is our Shepherd, we are His sheep and we are to know His voice and respond positively when He calls us.
The second part was a talking point which was led by guest speaker, Jermaine Wong. Founder of Final Call Productions – a Christian theatre company that seeks to inspire, engage, encourage and inform its audiences through drama, theatre, film and poetry, Jermaine spoke about the friendship of David and Jonathan which was based on their mutual respect for God. He said, "A friendship has to be more than having a few things in common but should rather be based on souls being knitted together for God as demonstrated in the friendship of David and Jonathan."
The session then concluded with a Takeaway given to everyone by Youth leader, Rebecca Marshall. On the importance of friendship, she said, "A friend is more than an acquaintance but rather someone who encourages us on our life journey and ultimately leads us back to God."
It was clear for all to see that both AYS and our youth were back and it is hoped that this may long continue.