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“Where are we heading?” and “What will JY be like in 10 years’ time?” are questions that have been put to me very often in the last decade. My answer has always been a frank “I don’t know.” Certainly, 15 years ago I could never have imagined such an international face for the Jesus Youth movement. Ten years ago it would have been impossible for me to dream
of such Continental Conferences as the three we have just witnessed. They were a great experience and continue to create ripples in South East Asia, Europe and the Middle East even as we are looking forward to the South Asia, North America and Asia Oceania conferences. So too, I could never have thought in my wildest dreams that I would get to meet so
many young missionaries with hearts full of zeal for the Lord... Undoubtedly, the movement has grown steadily and continues to do so – from place to place, from country to country, coursing through cultures and breaking through the barriers of language. Yet can a movement grow mature and stay young at the same time? Interestingly, as I reflect on our
movement these days, I feel the Holy Spirit is doing just that. The movement began more than two decades ago with a focus on youth. Many of us were drawn into this movement in our late teens and found our lives transformed. One thing that challenged us most in those early days was the life witness of our elders who balanced successful careers along with the work of the Lord. The challenge remains, and down the years our Lord has been repeatedly fulfilling and renewing His promise – ‘I will guide you step by step.’ Yes, God is faithful and continues to guide us in unimaginable ways. I firmly believe that God is now directing us towards the next step. In the initial years of the movement the majority of its members were youth and mostly unmarried. In contrast as we look around now, we see so many mature, trained people who are married and settled down. A few are involved in the youth ministry it is true, but many of them are struggling to
find a platform where they can grow and which will support the life style they live and enable them to continue to participate in the mission of the Church. Almost all the continental conferences have had separate sessions planned for families. When we have had similar gatherings of families earlier, the main purpose has always been to challenge them to be active in
the youth ministry. Through these continental conferences, however, we are endeavouring to establish a specific identity for families – ‘JY Families’. This needs to be more than just a ministry. There is a need for ‘JY Families’ to become a movement of committed missionary families – not just for reaching out to youth – but to actively take part in all the missions of the Church, particularly in the CCR. Meanwhile, the significant growth of the JY Teens Ministry across the world is certainly a sign of the Holy Spirit - and a call towards a greater focus on Teens and Youth. Recent surveys reveal that 85% of those involved in any activity of the Church began before the age of 18 years – another 10% before 21 years. Which means that it is practically impossible to reach out to the youth if we don’t do it before they turn eighteen. Our movement has always been strong in youth to youth evangelization - and now families too are becoming an integral part of our ministry. Gradually, even as I pray for more labourers in His vineyard, I also see a defined co-ordinating system for Teens, Youth and Families coming into place. At this moment though, I stand as always, amazed at the work of the Holy
Spirit. Isn’t it beautiful, I ask myself, that we can grow mature and stay young at the same time?
Manoj Sunny
Jesus Youth International Co-ordinator
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