Greetings to all youth in the name of our Savior and LORD, Jesus Christ!
As many of you may already know, I have taken on the responsibility of ICFG Chairman for 2018, respectively. As of January 15th 2018, Bro. Judah Weinhardt handed over the reigns to myself, in which I will need a lot of prayer and support. Judah has been used by GOD for many years, and has brought great wisdom, insight, and spiritual maturity to the youth of our denomination. Praise the LORD for that.
Over the past several years, we as the Apostolic Christian Church have seen much growth with the ICFG. Not that it is a separate entity, comprised of separate members or ideas, but rather knowing it is the ACC youth. It is all of us! Each and every localized youth group of the ACC, whether that is the young or the young in heart, all play a role in allowing the ICFG to function as an entity that it is.
Acknowledging that in order for a church to function and flourish, all generations must work together, respecting one another and fellowshipping together (Titus 2). For this to take place, two factors are of importance: 1. The Love of GOD through Jesus Christ and 2. PEOPLE! The brothers of the ACC back in the late 1940’s saw the need and necessity for the youth to grow, who will inevitably become the future of the church. With this, the International Christian Fellowship Group was formed. For those of you brought up in the ACC, ask your parents or even grandparents what role the ICFG helped to foster peer-to-peer discussion, fellowship and spiritual maturity. Not because it was some exclusive club, but rather because it was the collective working of all peers within that generation. This must not stop, but must continue abundantly!
The youth today (under 18) are known as Generation “Z”, while some may still be of the “Millennial” generation. Understanding cultural shifts and generational needs, we see a push to a postmodern worldview of relativism and individualism. Concluding that this is quite contrary to the Word of GOD that we live by, we must strive to pursue a life focused solely on Christ and living that out to the potential GOD gave us. We must give attention to relationships, and a time of getting together, sharing our struggles and pain, but also joy being in Christ. We must continue to build each other up as Hebrews 10 states knowing the blessings of standing together in unity. God willing, we will one day be where our fathers and grandfathers stand now.
How can this be done? The ICFG wants to continue to exercise the four (4) objectives that have been in place since the inception:
1) To encourage personal spiritual growth in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
2) To promote Christian fellowship among all members and friends of the ACC in North America.
3) To unite local church youth into an international organization for the purpose of facilitating concerted action.
4) To assist in the exchange of information and ideas to improve the youth programs of local churches.
Knowing that there are many miles (or kilometers) that separate us and hinders getting together collectively more often, the ICFG would like to pursue helping grow the local CFG’s more this year. Big events are great, but what happens when we get back home? There is no reason that spiritual growth, fellowship or peer-to-peer interaction needs to stop. This will include ACC published topics, a youth prayer group, other ideas for fun activities, and the like. The ICFG would like to utilize social media and the internet to help keep us connected. We will be updating the website and other social feeds to provide somewhat of a “live” or “right now” experience. May we remember, this takes all of our effort, every one of us. The theme for this year is “Of GOD” based on 1 John 4. Who is of GOD? How do we become of GOD? Is Jesus truly of GOD (v 2 and 3)? If we follow after Him and have Him in our soul, how do we then live “of GOD” and not of the world (v 4 and 5)? Furthermore, how do we live with others of GOD (v 7)? This topic will also be tied into the theme of Eastern Camp this year.
I am quite excited to see where the ICFG is headed. The ACC youth has a ton of potential in many different avenues, a lot of which is already being practiced at our local congregations now. Let us keep each other informed, accountable, and most importantly of GOD. Share your experiences, pray for one another, for we know with GOD, all things are possible. I look forward to hearing from all of you, and if there are any other thoughts, interests, or ideas, do not hesitate to let us know! We are the CFG.
