Hello Friends!
God bless you all on this Holy Good Friday. As we consider today the unspeakable joy, the fullness of life everlasting, and the fellowship with our Father God that our Lord Jesus won for us on His cross some two thousand years ago, we can’t help but also remember the many thousands of young people in our region who have somehow never even heard the name of Jesus in their lifetime. It breaks Audrey’s and my heart beyond words to know that so many people young and old alike in our country today have never even heard the gospel of their salvation. And so, we turn to prayer, and ask you even now, Lord, that this year you would open a new door in our region for everyone who would be open to your Word, and especially the youth, to hear your Word and believe it, that they might pass from death to your life never ending. As you said in John 5:24, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Send your Word forth Father, and may Jesus be in the hearts and on the lips of every young person in New York State and beyond. That is our prayer friends, and what we are praying, trusting and working towards. I pray that God would give us all the grace to live it out to the end.
That being said, let me briefly update you as to some of the opportunities for young people to receive God’s Word in the coming months. First off next weekend, April 13-15, we will be holding the Spring Confirmation Retreat. This will be the perfect time for all those youth hoping to be confirmed this season to come and work through any doubts, questions, anxieties, etc. that still stand between them and this very significant step of surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ not only as savior, but as Lord as well. On May 11-13 we will be holding our annual Youth Healing Retreat. This retreat is a fantastic opportunity for any young people who are suffering either physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually to come and by God’s grace receive a healing touch. Fr. Nigel Mumford and I lead this retreat together, and were awed and humbled by the incredible way Jesus has moved in the youth’s lives who attended this retreat last year. It is not to be missed. And finally, camp sign up is now in full swing, and we highly recommend signing your youth up as soon as possible while space is still available! Registration for all of these retreats and camps are available online…
Which leads me to our final announcement for this update which is this: We are very happy to say that our new diocesan websites are now up and available for your use online. The new diocesan web address is: www.youthministryedoa.com and the new Beaver Cross Camp web address is: www.beavercrosscamp.com. Please feel free to visit them for all your registration needs and for any other inquiries you may have about youth ministry in the diocese. We hope you enjoy them!
God bless you all, brothers and sisters in Christ, and may your Easter be one of true joy and freedom in the life that our God has won for us in our risen Lord Jesus Christ!
Thanks for reading and may Christ be with you!
Father Tyler Slade (Youth and Overnight Beaver Cross Director) and Audrey Slade (Youth Coordinator)