The 43rd Protestant Reformed Young People’s Convention is now concluded and as I reflect on what has taken place, I would like to share a few impressions about the convention.
The theme for the 1983 convention was “The Youthful Sojourner”, for which the main text was I Peter 3:14-17. The theme, I felt, could not have been expressed better for young Christians, as we face the world today. It is becoming more difficult for young Christians to be willing to speak, to suffer and to serve for Christ’s sake as we travel through this life. These three actions were the subject matter of the lectures given by the chosen ministers.
In the mornings. we were led in discussion groups on the subjects of Stewardship, Choosing friends, and Family Fellowship. The atmosphere of the discussion was positive, the young people were among friends of the same faith, willing to express themselves more openly. For example, in our young people’s societies, some members are not willing to speak of spiritual things. This experience can be nothing less than a foundation on which our young people can build on.
Every day, we kept busy with different activities. One day we took a bus trip to Golden Ears Park, where we spent the whole day at Alouette Lake. This was a beautiful sight to see, the lake was surrounded by mountains with huge timber trees and in the background were mountains with scattered patches of snow. Other activities we had were: volleyball tournament, roller skating, a rope pull between the East and West, softball games and running an obstacle course.
We had lots of fun together with being involved with activities during the week, but I also feel from our speeches, the discussions and seeing God’s beautiful creation. For this we as young people can be thankful to Our Lord for what He has given us. I would encourage that more of our young people start planning to attend our next convention, the Lord willing, in Michigan. It will be hosted by our First Church of Grand Rapids.
Therefore, in closing, I would like to thank, on behalf of the Federation Board, the host societies, the steering committee, its advisors, the speakers and those who were involved in making this convention a success. Above all we must give praise and be thankful to our God, Who gave us this opportunity, so that as young people we can grow spiritually and closer to Him.n