"I have set you as a light ... that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth." Acts 13:47
Sacramento, California was the home of GYC 2004, which attracted
1200 registered attendees and swelled to 1600 attendees on Sabbath!
Young people came from as far away as Canada, Mexico, Iceland, Norway,
Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Africa, Austria, and the United
Kingdom. Their focus was all the same - to learn how they can carry the
light of truth into every place where the darkness of sin and error
resides.
This year's conference had a special empahsis on evangelism. On
Sabbath afternoon Amazing Facts led us in a city-wide outreach where
GYC youth knocked on the doors of more than 5,000 homes, prayed with
nearly 300 people, and enrolled 800 in Bible studies! The last morning
of the conference, David Asscherick, made a specific appeal for youth
willing to carry the gospel message to the over 5,000 unreached people
groups in the world by giving six to eight years of their life as a
career missionary. Over 200 youth responded.
GYC 2004 Attendees in the Spotlight
Charity Adams, age 24, is a student at Columbia
Union College. After experiencing her first General Youth Conference,
she said, “I have a stirring inside of me now to tell people about the
End Times and God’s message of salvation.” In one of the workshops she
attended, she learned how to give a Bible study about the book of
Daniel and overcame her fears of witnessing to others. “I don’t feel as
hesitant about doing what God wants me to do now,” Adams said. “All
excuses are gone.” GYC left her with an assurance that no matter what
she does in life she will always “carry that flame.”
Her
message to other Adventist youth? “Come to GYC, because you will be
blessed. You will learn how to share Jesus with others and your faith
will be expanded because of it. [GYC] lets you know that you’re not
alone in the world.”
Glen Shepherd,
Idaho, represents a growing trend at the General Youth Conference:
older attendees. He first heard about GYC from 3ABN and a friend. The
seminar that stood out in his mind was the one on church music, which
taught him how music affects the mind and helped him decipher what
God’s proper music is.
Shepherd seems perfectly fine with
handing over the responsibility of evangelism to the youth of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church. “I have no reserves that the young people
are here to work for the Lord,” he says. “I believe this is the work of
the Holy Spirit to lead young people to the work. I have no doubt about
it.” He came to GYC because he wanted to support the young people who
attended. He sees that GYC gives people a place to fellowship, gain
ideas about how to witness, and a chance to encourage each other.
Miguel Serrano, 20, a student at Southwestern
Adventist University, attended his second General Youth Conference.
“Every time I come to GYC my fire gets rekindled,” he says. “We have
never been so close to the Second Coming,” Serrano said. “The Bible
prophesies that young people will dream dreams and see visions,
according to Joel 2:28. GYC is helping us to see the vision and
fulfill the dream.”
Serrano said his favorite training seminar
was Christian Apologetics, a seminar that trains attendees to witness
to others without compromising their Adventist faith.
According to Serrano, GYC is “a very solid program that prepares young
people to strengthen their faith. If I were to describe GYC in terms of
food,” he added, “I would call it whole wheat bread with crunchy peanut
butter and soymilk. I urge you to come to GYC next year and get ready
for the soon coming of Jesus.”
Bill Krick, Central California Conference
Publishing Director, “What a wonderful event GYC is! And what a fool I
was not to have attended the last two conferences!”
Eddie Vargas, 1st time attendee, Central
California Conference pastor, “At GYC there’s a unique spiritual
intensity. Everyone here is intrinsically motivated about evangelism.
Most youth here are already motivated about it.”
Ellen Rattu,
1st time attendee, “The reason why I’m attending GYC is to learn more
about a closer walk with God and to learn how to evangelize and the
skills involved, and just to see other young people who have the same
desire to finish the work of God. It’s amazing what I’m seeing. You see
young people in action. Definitely this is the end of time so we have a
work to do!”
Alan Hush, North England
Conference Youth Director, “I’m very impressed and excited to see so
many young Seventh-day Adventists ‘on fire’, spiritual, mature, and
focused. It’s impressive to see youth organizing and leading in GYC.
It’s inspired me to reflect this experience in my own field. GYC has
been very inspirational.” —Alan Hush, North England Conference Youth
Director
Melanie Kohler, 2nd time attendee,
La Sierra University, “I was a nominal Seventh-day Adventist. My friend
Steve told me I had to go to GYC 2003. When I went to the last GYC, it
was the first vision I had of Bible-believing Christians in my entire
life. By the influence of other Bible workers I got the desire to be a
Bible worker to share the Bible with others. Quickly, reformation took
place in my life in the areas of music, jewelry, diet and dress. I
honestly heard God’s voice speaking to me through speakers like David
Asscherick and Louis Torres. After being at GYC 2003, I attended and
held Bible studies at my university and we studied the sanctuary. I
continued to follow God’s will and went to the Mission College of
Evangelism in September. After training, coming to GYC 2004 has showed
me that God’s hand has been present in my life and He will continue to
lead me.”