Generation of Youth for Christ
Encyclopedia
Generation of Youth for Christ, formerly the General Youth Conference, is an annual conference and expression of Adventist
theology which organizes and cordinates Bible studies, online sermons, regional youth conferences, mission trips, global networking opportunities for young people, week of prayers and youth camp meetings. It began with a small group of Korean students studying their Bibles together all night. It developed through middle-of-the-night text-messaging between two university students, one in Massachusetts, the other in California. They decided to call people together for a small conference in the woods of California. At this first conference, held in 2002, 200 people were invited, 400 attended. Since then, the popularity of the conventions has grown. The 2010 convention registered 5100 participants. At the main worship service on Saturday morning, 7600 people attended.
What eventually became the "Generation of Youth for Christ" began with a small group of young Korean friends in the Boston area, all from different secular colleges. One night at one of their social gatherings, the conversation changed to a Bible question. They ended up studying the Bible until 7:00 in the morning. They enjoyed the discussion and fellowship so much that they enthusiastically started a ministry of young people. They travelled from church to church urging people to get back to the Bible. They preached and shared what they knew about God with everyone. They found that there were a lot of other young people with the same backgrounds and same experiences as theirs. They formed a group and called it SPARC—Students Preparing Adventists for the Return of Christ.
CAMPUS Invitation to the University of Michigan
After they organized they became acquainted with other Adventist student groups in the area. One was led by Kim's friend, Israel Ramos, involved in the Adventist University of Michigan campus ministry program led by Samuel Pipim, known as CAMPUS. Pipim invited them to come to the University of Michigan to showcase what they were doing in ministry.
An Epiphany at 3:00 in the Morning
Ramos and Kim kept in touch. One morning about 2:00 or 3:00, Ramos instant-messaged Kim from California. Kim was preparing for a midterm exam. In that early morning encounter, they realized that there must be other groups like theirs scattered across the country. They planned a small retreat where they could encourage everyone to attend and connect with each other.
2002, Fellowship, Bible Study, and Diversity
Apart from fellowship and Bible study, Kim and Ramos wanted to emphasize diversity. Ramos was Hispanic, Kim was Asian. They personally invited over 200 people. One was African-American Andrea Oliver, who joined the other two in leading out in the promotion of the conferences. They chose Pine Springs Ranch in southern California. The people invited were told, “Let’s just have a time when we can hang out together; we’ll invite some committed speakers we know who can teach us the Bible.” This was the first GYC—in 2002. About 400 people attended the retreat. Most of them came from secular university backgrounds. Those attending found the gathering refreshing. It provided a framework for them to understand and get enthusiastic about the Adventism many of them had grown up in.
2003, University of Michigan, the GYC Movement
The group of leaders at that first conference decided they needed an experience like that every year. They held the 2003 conference at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Nearly 800 people registered and at their main worship service more than 1,000 people attended. That’s when they realized this event had turned into something so much bigger than any of them. It was not just a young people’s get-together. It was turning into a movement with momentum.
Those early months had some growing pains. Some criticized the funding from ASI. Others were uncomfortable with the obvious "conservative" slant to the Adventist faith. There was tension between GYC and the North American Division and the General Conference. The headquarters trademark lawyers insisted that they change their name from General Youth Conference to Generation of Youth for Christ. Sam Pipim served as a moderating force urging the young leaders to be more charitable toward their leaders.
Following one particular tense episode, GYC and the GC/NAD youth ministry folks hammered out an agreement on how they could best work together.
The General Youth Conference had developed into the Generation of Youth for Christ. It raised funds through its registration process, through donations from members of Adventist-laymen’s Services & Industries (ASI) and funding and coordination provided by employees of the Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
.
, an independent Adventist magazine, wrote, "What I am saying is that emotional, anti-intellectual, conservative movements like GYC don’t accomplish much in the long run in spite of all the hoopla. They are ineffective in achieving their own long-term goals and can be spiritually harmful to the young innocents who blame themselves for delaying the Second Advent." Ervin Taylor, writing for Adventist Today, criticized the movement, challenging claims that GYC is a grass-roots organization and pointing to tax documents showing GYC is well funded. He also suggested that GYC has a conservative ideology.
, 2009 GYC convention included various leaders of the Adventist church: The North American Division ministerial secretary; the director of the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism; presidents of two divisions of the world field; the Adventist Review editor, and four General Conference vice presidents. Saturday's attendance was estimated at 4,600. The 2010 GYC further demonstrated acceptance by the official Seventh-day Adventist leadership. Ted N. C. Wilson
, newly elected President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, spoke for the Saturday morning service, January 1, 2011.
At first they called themselves the General Youth Conference, but this was too much like the Adventist "General Conference". They changed their name, keeping the GYC acronym, to Generation of Youth for Christ. They have their own governing board and are a registered Michigan-based charity with the United States government.
Among charities that do similar work to GYC, the organization ranks sixth out of thirty in total income. The top organization had a total income of about 2.5 million dollars. GYC locates between the fifth organization at $840,000 and the seventh at $826,000. GYC's total income in 2008 is listed as $831,000. In 2008, ninety-three percent of GYC's income came from membership dues and assessments. One hundred percent of their expenses were allocated program services. The average for other organizations performing similar work was eighty-two percent.
Their website describes two levels of government, an Executive Committee and a Board of Directors. The Executive Committee is composed of volunteers who oversee the operation of GYC. They include young professionals, university students, pastors, and Bible workers. The Board of Directors is made up of older individuals. The stated purpose of GYC is to balance the youthful energy of the Executive Committee with those who have more years of experience. The current Board of Directors includes three doctors, three conference officials, three pastors, two university professors, a financial analyst, and a law student.
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
theology which organizes and cordinates Bible studies, online sermons, regional youth conferences, mission trips, global networking opportunities for young people, week of prayers and youth camp meetings. It began with a small group of Korean students studying their Bibles together all night. It developed through middle-of-the-night text-messaging between two university students, one in Massachusetts, the other in California. They decided to call people together for a small conference in the woods of California. At this first conference, held in 2002, 200 people were invited, 400 attended. Since then, the popularity of the conventions has grown. The 2010 convention registered 5100 participants. At the main worship service on Saturday morning, 7600 people attended.
Early History, 2001-2003
Some Korean Friends in BostonWhat eventually became the "Generation of Youth for Christ" began with a small group of young Korean friends in the Boston area, all from different secular colleges. One night at one of their social gatherings, the conversation changed to a Bible question. They ended up studying the Bible until 7:00 in the morning. They enjoyed the discussion and fellowship so much that they enthusiastically started a ministry of young people. They travelled from church to church urging people to get back to the Bible. They preached and shared what they knew about God with everyone. They found that there were a lot of other young people with the same backgrounds and same experiences as theirs. They formed a group and called it SPARC—Students Preparing Adventists for the Return of Christ.
CAMPUS Invitation to the University of Michigan
After they organized they became acquainted with other Adventist student groups in the area. One was led by Kim's friend, Israel Ramos, involved in the Adventist University of Michigan campus ministry program led by Samuel Pipim, known as CAMPUS. Pipim invited them to come to the University of Michigan to showcase what they were doing in ministry.
An Epiphany at 3:00 in the Morning
Ramos and Kim kept in touch. One morning about 2:00 or 3:00, Ramos instant-messaged Kim from California. Kim was preparing for a midterm exam. In that early morning encounter, they realized that there must be other groups like theirs scattered across the country. They planned a small retreat where they could encourage everyone to attend and connect with each other.
2002, Fellowship, Bible Study, and Diversity
Apart from fellowship and Bible study, Kim and Ramos wanted to emphasize diversity. Ramos was Hispanic, Kim was Asian. They personally invited over 200 people. One was African-American Andrea Oliver, who joined the other two in leading out in the promotion of the conferences. They chose Pine Springs Ranch in southern California. The people invited were told, “Let’s just have a time when we can hang out together; we’ll invite some committed speakers we know who can teach us the Bible.” This was the first GYC—in 2002. About 400 people attended the retreat. Most of them came from secular university backgrounds. Those attending found the gathering refreshing. It provided a framework for them to understand and get enthusiastic about the Adventism many of them had grown up in.
2003, University of Michigan, the GYC Movement
The group of leaders at that first conference decided they needed an experience like that every year. They held the 2003 conference at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Nearly 800 people registered and at their main worship service more than 1,000 people attended. That’s when they realized this event had turned into something so much bigger than any of them. It was not just a young people’s get-together. It was turning into a movement with momentum.
Those early months had some growing pains. Some criticized the funding from ASI. Others were uncomfortable with the obvious "conservative" slant to the Adventist faith. There was tension between GYC and the North American Division and the General Conference. The headquarters trademark lawyers insisted that they change their name from General Youth Conference to Generation of Youth for Christ. Sam Pipim served as a moderating force urging the young leaders to be more charitable toward their leaders.
Following one particular tense episode, GYC and the GC/NAD youth ministry folks hammered out an agreement on how they could best work together.
The General Youth Conference had developed into the Generation of Youth for Christ. It raised funds through its registration process, through donations from members of Adventist-laymen’s Services & Industries (ASI) and funding and coordination provided by employees of the Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
The Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the organizational body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the State of Michigan in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Lansing, Michigan. It is organized as a part of the Lake Union Conference, one of eight such unions within...
.
Conferences
- 2002, Pine Springs Ranch, Southeastern California - Theme: “Pentecost: He Will Do It Again”
- 2003, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Theme: “Higher than the Highest.”
- Speakers: Louis Torres, Jay Gallimore, Samuel Pipim, David Asscherick, Randy Skeete, Janice Watson, John Chung, John Kent, David Williams.
- 2004, Sacramento, California
- Theme: “Carry the Light”
- Speakers:
- Morning Devotionals, David Asscherick
- Evening Devotionals, Samuel Pipim, Mark Finley, Shawn Boonstra, Louis Torres
- Plenary Sessions, Jan Paulsen, Alden Ho, Wolfgang Stefani, Doug Batchelor
- Seminar Sessions, those above plus Elaine Kennedy, Ekkehardt Mueller, Phil Mills, Chester Clark III, Peter Gregory, Janice Watson, Justin and Denzil McNelius, David Grams, Nathan Renner, Eugene Prewitt, John Chung
- Seminar Sessions Topics:
- Evangelism, Challenges Facing Youth, Practical Christianity, Christian Leadership, Contending for the Faith, Health Evangelism, Church Worship and Music
- 2005, Chattanooga, Tennessee - Theme: “Now is the Time”
- 2006, Baltimore, Maryland - Theme: “By Every Word”
- 2007, Minneapolis, Minnesota - Theme: “Be”
- 2008, San Jose, California - Theme: "For This Purpose"
- 2009, Louisville, Kentucky - Theme: - Unashamed
- 2010, Baltimore, Maryland - Theme: - "No Turning Back"
- At the 2010 conference 5100 people registered from 43 countries. At the main worship service on Saturday an estimated 6700 attended. Attendees crowded onto approximately 70 buses on Sabbath afternoon for door-to-door evangelism in and around the city of Baltimore. Many church leaders, including General Conference president Ted Wilson and well-known evangelist Mark Finley, joined the youth for that venture.
Impact
The SDA church journal for the Southwestern Union Conference concluded, that as a result of these conferences "the youth now want to do public evangelism in their own church."Concerns within the church
The GYC annual gatherings have generated controversy within the Adventist community. One of the authors for SpectrumSpectrum (magazine)
Spectrum is the official publication of Adventist Forums, published four times a year. It was established "to encourage Seventh-day Adventist participation in the discussion of contemporary issues from a Christian viewpoint, to look without prejudice at all sides of a subject, to evaluate the...
, an independent Adventist magazine, wrote, "What I am saying is that emotional, anti-intellectual, conservative movements like GYC don’t accomplish much in the long run in spite of all the hoopla. They are ineffective in achieving their own long-term goals and can be spiritually harmful to the young innocents who blame themselves for delaying the Second Advent." Ervin Taylor, writing for Adventist Today, criticized the movement, challenging claims that GYC is a grass-roots organization and pointing to tax documents showing GYC is well funded. He also suggested that GYC has a conservative ideology.
Improvement in relations with the church
After some early painful interactions between the youthful organizers and General Conference officials, both groups have developed a positive relationship with the other. Presenters at the Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, 2009 GYC convention included various leaders of the Adventist church: The North American Division ministerial secretary; the director of the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism; presidents of two divisions of the world field; the Adventist Review editor, and four General Conference vice presidents. Saturday's attendance was estimated at 4,600. The 2010 GYC further demonstrated acceptance by the official Seventh-day Adventist leadership. Ted N. C. Wilson
Ted N. C. Wilson
Ted N. C. Wilson, is the current President of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as of his naming to that position in June, 2010...
, newly elected President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, spoke for the Saturday morning service, January 1, 2011.
2009 conference
The SDA church's official journal, the Adventist Review, reported on the 2009 convention's event. On Friday afternoon, New Year's Eve, 2000 young people in 38 buses went to downtown Louisville. They handed out religious literature and asked people if they wanted to sign up for Bible study lessons. Nearly 1000 signed up.Structure and Finances
The GYC is a member of the Adventist Laymen's Services and Industries (ASI). As the ASI website explains, "Adventist-laymen’s Services & Industries is a cooperative network of lay individuals, professionals and ministries who share a common commitment to support the global mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church."At first they called themselves the General Youth Conference, but this was too much like the Adventist "General Conference". They changed their name, keeping the GYC acronym, to Generation of Youth for Christ. They have their own governing board and are a registered Michigan-based charity with the United States government.
Among charities that do similar work to GYC, the organization ranks sixth out of thirty in total income. The top organization had a total income of about 2.5 million dollars. GYC locates between the fifth organization at $840,000 and the seventh at $826,000. GYC's total income in 2008 is listed as $831,000. In 2008, ninety-three percent of GYC's income came from membership dues and assessments. One hundred percent of their expenses were allocated program services. The average for other organizations performing similar work was eighty-two percent.
Their website describes two levels of government, an Executive Committee and a Board of Directors. The Executive Committee is composed of volunteers who oversee the operation of GYC. They include young professionals, university students, pastors, and Bible workers. The Board of Directors is made up of older individuals. The stated purpose of GYC is to balance the youthful energy of the Executive Committee with those who have more years of experience. The current Board of Directors includes three doctors, three conference officials, three pastors, two university professors, a financial analyst, and a law student.