ABY

As school winds down, and summer plans are gearing up consider spending a week at Pathfinder Lodge. You may even see some ABY Cabinet faces past and present on Staff!

Campfires, hikes, sailing, swimming, boating, worship, games and more...Camping ministry is the best way to get the kids outside, learning, and growing this summer. Still plenty of spots open. Register your camper today! https://www.vpccministries.org/summer-camp/

Meet the 2024 ABY Cabinet!

TikTok · ABY_of_NYS Check out ABY_of_NYS’s video.

Calling all American Baptists under the age of 35! We are looking for an event theme or slogan (1 to 5 words) to describe the guiding theme for the Biennial Mission Summit hosted in Omaha on July 4-6, 2025.

For highschoolers and undergrads: The application for student scholarships opened this Mon, Jan 15, 2024. Providing up to $1,500 per year for American Baptists pursuing undergraduate degrees, these scholarships may be limited so act now! Application deadline: April 15, 2024.

ABHMS scholarships for students — American Baptist Home Mission Societies The 2024-2025 ABHMS scholarship application window is now open. To access the online application form, please follow this link. You must submit your completed application by no later than April 15, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.

ABY is a ministry of American Baptist Churches of New York State. Without your financial support, we would not be able to hold this great Youth event each year.

Will you help our work by donating to meet our Giving Tuesday goal?

Three ways to make a Giving Tuesday donation to ABCNYS:

1) Online - Go to: https://www.abc-nys.org/giving-to-the-region.html
Designate your gift "Giving Tuesday."

2) Postal mail a check (payable to ABCNYS, "Giving Tuesday" in memo) to: ABCNYS, 3218 James Street, Syracuse, NY 13206. One hundred percent (100%) of your contributions support ABCNYS!

3) To give via FB, https://www.facebook.com/donate/254792647565790/?fundraiser_source=external_url

$11,768.50

That is the number of dollars raised by the 2023 ABY Convention. This is the largest amount of money raised by ABY. The money will go to The Center in Utica which supports refugees by providing "More Than Enough" to those needing resources. Over 65% of this year's youth came from Karen congregations in Utica, Buffalo and Syracuse.

This year's winning congregation was Tabernacle Baptist Church of Utica raising another record breaking amount over $7,000. They got to take home the Keith H. Griffin Memorial Bear.

Second Place: Village Baptist Church, Fort Edward
Third Place: First Baptist Church, Manchester

Undefeated : you had us up and praising God with your unique talents. Thank you for for bringing energetic and thoughtful moments of worship throughout the weekend.

We are so grateful for the way you joined in everything from small groups to playing a fabulous murder victim during late night activities.

We can't wait to watch you continue to grow in talent and faith! Praying over your next tour.

Thank you Lauren for sharing your story of struggle, doubt and anger this morning. Your gift of dance speaks volumes.

A reminder for those driving to the new facility:

TODAY IS THE DAY! 😁🙌🥳
We are praying for you in your last-minute packing, your safe travels, and that you may feel the blessings of God from the minute you join us at the Crowne Plaza today! Get ready for God to do something BIG! 🙏👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 🫂

JOIN US IN A TEN DAY PRAYER COUNTDOWN!
As you prepare to come to convention, we have every confidence that God has a purpose and a plan for your presence this weekend. As you go, remember all of those people who surround you at home - the people who you will temporarily be away from for just a few days. Pray for those who have made it possible for you to go on this awesome journey this weekend. Pray also for the people in your home and community who might be encouraged by God through YOU when you come home because of the way God will work in and through your life. In all of this, may you find love, may you find hope... and may you find that there is MORE THAN ENOUGH! 🙏👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 🫂

JOIN US IN A TEN DAY PRAYER COUNTDOWN!
Today, we are praying for YOU! We are praying for junior high, senior high, and young adult participants at convention - that both first timers and returners would be blessed in a fresh, new way by God's presence this upcoming weekend. We also lift up prayers for adult leaders who are committed to being present with and invested in their students' lives both over the course of this weekend and beyond. Travel safely, get ready to go deeper with your group, and be prepared to get plenty of sleep (adults, ask us where to find coffee if you need it!) 🙏🎉💕

JOIN US IN A TEN DAY PRAYER COUNTDOWN!
What an incredible honor it is for us to support as our mission project this year! Pray for the work that is being done in welcoming and resettling refugees, the families who will take refuge and find resources at The Center, and for us at ABY - that we would not just meet, but EXCEED our $9,000 collective fundraising goal! 🙏🌎🏡

JOIN US IN A TEN DAY PRAYER COUNTDOWN!
Convention is an awesome opportunity to gather with young people your age to connect in the faith, but this opportunity would not be possible if we didn't have people of ALL ages in our local churches who poured out their prayers, time, and resources to make this happen. Pray for your local church, asking that God would bless them, increase their portion, and fill them with the life and love of the Holy Spirit. (...the cool thing about this? They're praying for you too!) 🙏💒🛐

👇Tag your church and/or pastor in the comments below! Show them love & appreciation! ❤️

Village Baptist Church bid farewell this morning to the Keith H. Griffin Memorial Bear this morning. Who will take home the prize this year? We find out in 1 week!

JOIN US IN A TEN DAY PRAYER COUNTDOWN!
Imagine going to the hotel ready for an incredible convention weekend... and nothing was planned; you were instead told to "fend for yourself!" Thankfully, our leadership team has made sure that this will NOT be the case! We are grateful to have an amazing team of students on ABY Cabinet that have put so much time, thought, and planning into making this weekend the best it can be. Pray that this team would be empowered to carry out the plans that they have made in God's guidance, and pray for the adult advisory team as they make sure everything goes smoothly too! 🙏👥🫶

JOIN US IN A TEN DAY PRAYER COUNTDOWN!
We are thankful that the Crowne Plaza in Syracuse is willing to host us for the first time! We ask for prayers over this space and those who care for it - that it would be safe, comforting, and sacred over the course of our days together. We lift up those who will be working behind the scenes to make sure that everything is just right for the weekend. Don't forget to thank and encourage the staff when you're there! 🙏🏨🛌 ❤️

Thank you, ABCNYS Adirondack Association, for your $1,000 gift to ABY. Your annual gift helps strengthen the faith of our youth across the region.

Want to be the next person or group to help ABY? Your donations to the ABCNYS Region Offering and United Mission helps fund our annual convention. You can also direct a donation to ABY to provide for the mission project, scholarships, facility costs, or sponsor a meal. Send us a message for more information on donating.

JOIN US IN A TEN DAY PRAYER COUNTDOWN!
Lift up your hearts in thanks for what will be an INCREDIBLE time of worship with none other than ! We pray for safe travels, functional instruments, a discernment of how God is calling them to lead our worship time, and plenty of rest + energy alike! 🙏🎸🎶

JOIN US IN A TEN DAY PRAYER COUNTDOWN!
One of the incredible opportunities we have at convention is to join together for workshops to out our discipleship into practice. We have several awesome workshops for attendees to choose from! Pray for workshop presenters in their preparation, for attendees in their learning and participation, and for the fruit of the awesome discussions and practices that carry on after convention! 🙏🤝✍️

JOIN US IN A TEN DAY PRAYER COUNTDOWN!
Today, we ask for prayers for our keynote speaker, Lauren Parliament. Pray that her travels to Syracuse are safe, that God would continue to inspire her and empower her to speak hope into the lives of young people, and that she herself would be encouraged in her calling and being! 🙏🗣🎤