The Global Youth Day hosted by the General Conference (GC) Youth Ministries Department was held in the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) territories, including Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Mongolia, on March 15, 2014. The GC Youth Ministries Department holds this event on a Sabbath at the beginning of the Youth Week of Prayer in order to 1) Recapture the reality of the Seventh-day Adventist Youth as a Global Movement, 2) Lead our youth to rediscover the sense of belonging to a global army, 3) Reposition mission at the heart of global youth ministry, and 4) Provide a much needed positive and constructive response to perceived fragmentation.
NSD also participated in the event this year to fully share the meaning and the purpose of Global Youth Day. Various community services took place, including evangelistic tract distribution, house visitation, street cleaning, visitation and concert for patients in hospitals, visitation the elderly living alone, briquette delivery, free meals for the homeless, and blood donation.
About 600 young people in the Korean Union Conference (KUC) joined the event for the first time and offered many different community services in crowded places, such as hospitals, nursing homes, subway stations, squares, and parks. Their services were broadcast live across the world through satellite and spread through online phone, Facebook, and mobile applications. Adventist young people who practiced showing love for neighbors on Global Youth Day said, “It was an opportunity to think of my identity, such as who I am and how to live my life.”
“Be the Sermon”
About 600 Korean Adventist youth in matching navy shirts with the phrase, “Be the sermon” printed on them gathered together. They pledged to go with the gospel to all lands, all people and all nations by reciting the motto of Youth and Music ministries (YMD), “The love of Christ compels us,” and the YMD aim, “The Advent Message to all the world in my generation.”
Kim DaeSung, KUC president, appealed to the young people. “Whatever you do, whatever you study, no matter what kind of jobs you have, I hope you experience daily spiritual victory in delivering the gospel and winning a battle with yourselves.”
Kim NakHyung, NSD youth director, welcomed participants. “The Lord is calling you now. Let’s share in sacrificial ministries for Christ. Go to your neighbors with love from Christ’s heart.”
Participants prayed for the 8 million Adventist young people all over the world, for revival and development of Adventist Youth clubs in each local church, for upright development of the Korean Adventist Church, and for the Youth Week of Prayer.
After the worship, there were different services, including a concert for hospitalized patients, cleaning streets, an antismoking campaign, blood donation, and tract distribution.
Participants on Service and Sharing
Attendees hope that this sharing can continue until God’s kingdom comes. “It made our hearts flutter knowing that our world brothers and sisters in the same faith are serving others at the same time.”
Students at Sahmyook Health University College who cleaned streets said, “We never realized that there is a lot of trash everywhere. Just as we cleaned the dirty streets, may the Gospel clean the sins in our hearts and minds.” One of them testified, “As we picked up cigarette-butts, an owner of a food stall told us that she had never seen such young people during the eight years of her business there, and she gave us plastic gloves. It was a very little thing, but we realized that God is glorified through our service.”
The youth from Gangnam Central Church also gave their impression. “It was merely to pick up trash, but we were touched by many people who complimented us as we were cleaning streets. As Adventist youth, we should have more missions.”
“Frankly speaking, I was not happy to join the service at first,” said Gil YeonHee, who worked on removing adhesive material. “The weather was cold, so I just wanted to stay at home. However, it was rewarding to have a Sabbath of service.”
“I was so worried at first because it was my first time to do this, but people responded better than expected,” remarked Kwon HyeokMin, who joined street evangelism at CheongHak Church. “It was good to spread the gospel with joy, so I want to participate in it more often.”
Fifty-two young people donated blood. “I hope the blood I donated can be of help to somebody,” said Won JunHo from ACT Church in West Central Korean Conference. “I had thought about donating blood, but it was not easy to do. On Global Youth Day, I gathered up my courage to give blood together with my friends.”
Experiencing the Preciousness of Serving Others
Participants learned that true sharing comes back with a bigger reward. They witnessed that social service leads to mission work. “Be a Sermon” by sharing love with neighbors with Jesus’s mind is the life Adventist young people must move toward.
At the same time, it was effective for young people scattered in local churches in promoting communal spirit with the world church and other Adventist members throughout the world. It made them feel unity, passion, and pride.
Live activities of world Adventist young people in New Zealand, Australia, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Russia, Romania, South Africa, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and New York, USA, were broadcast through the Hope Channel for 24 hours.
Those who watched the broadcast activities and those who participated in the community service said, “We hope there will be more opportunities like this to share activities and impressions with world church members.”