CCAP Synod of Livingstonia Youth Department

You are most welcome to the Youth Department of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia. As you get on board and sail through with us we expect your full participation in issues affecting the Youth, not only in Synod of Livingstonia, but the country as a whole regardless of religious affiliations. May our good Lord keep on blessing you. AMEN

PROJECTS

1. New office project
• On 04th August 1964, youths in their time gathered and molded bricks, backed them to build with mud a small hall. Today that mud built hall remains the headquarters of Youth Ministry in the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia from Johannesburg to Mbeya.
• What will this office be 10 years from now?
• Time has come to be forward looking. We need as the youths now in our time, build a modern Youth Department office block.
• Even if we take 10 years to build, but let us build a modern state of the art structure.



We propose to develop a plan to build a modern office block that will have the following:


❑ Director’s office
❑ Finance office
❑ Programmes office
❑ CCAPSO Desk Office
❑ Boys and Girls Brigade office
❑ Kitchen
❑ Board room
❑ Library
❑ Internet café
❑ 2 counselling rooms
❑ Tuck-shop
❑ Prayer and bible study room
❑ Stores
❑ Toilets
❑ Bathroom with a shower
❑ Synod youth chair and secretary office
❑ We want the building to have green technology (solar power)

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3. A new motor vehicle project
• We have mobility challenges as an office. We fail to reach out to youths and all other operations because we have no vehicle.
• We require a strong 4x4 to reach the hard areas

YOUTH OPEN DAYS
• We will introduce congregation, presbytery and synod Youth Open Days where Youths will display talents in scripture memory verses, singing, debate, preaching, skills acquired through department’s projects, dancing, sports e.t.c.
• These will be conducted outside the church so that all other youths not in the system can join.

12. ROLL OUT OUTREACH PROGRAMMES
We envisage to do programmes that reach out to the Youths and the general populous with the message of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will do the following:
i. Open rallies in markets, bus depots etc.
ii. Do gospel whistle-stop-tours
iii. Organize campus revival crusades in our synod Secondary Schools, Colleges and University.
iv. Organize days of prayer retreat and fellowship
v. Organize mountain trips

13. ROLL OUT THE YOUTH FRIENDLY CHURCH CAMPAIGN
• Many of our churches are not Youth Friendly in mission and programming. For example, many churches do not have music equipment for the youths to use.
• Many churches don’t have vibrant Youth programmes that are session funded. Youths go to look for money for themselves and pay session levies when the session does not factor in its budget youth programmes. The Youths now comprise 60% of the church and we are ignoring the” bigger church”.

14. START NEW LITERATURE PROGRAMMES
• Since 1994-2022 there has been only one literature material called “Nkhongono za Ukirano”.
• We will as an office start to produce new literature materials for the youths that should help tackle contemporary issues like of gender, youth and technology, politics, homosexuality, marriage and to address social and age groups in the CYF.
• We will also be producing faith literature like now we have a new edition of “Rod of Faith” (Ndodo ya chipulikano) which will come out very soon.
• We will collaborate with other international partners to share their literature for youth ministry

5. INTRODUCE SYNOD YOUTH BIBLE QUIZ COMPETITION
• We propose to develop a Bible quiz programme as an output from the youth Bible study groups formed. This will enhance competition and zeal to functionalize the existence of the Bible study groups beyond discussion to a level of knowing how to answer Bible questions.
• We will work with the Voice of Livingstonia Radio (VOL) to provide air time and do the recording and airing of the quiz competitions. We will work with VOL to in that the Youth Office will develop questions and VOL will conduct, record and air the programmes.

6. INTRODUCE “BUY YOUR BIBLE CAMPAIGNS”
• There are many efforts to build and uplift spiritual life for our youths but they don’t have Bibles. This means all our efforts have no base.
• We will use the savings scheme concept to achieve this. The Buy your Bible Campaigns will entail youths registering for the campaign will buy Bibles buy making small money deposits until full amount and they get their Bibles.
• We will work closely with Synod Literature Department, Bible Society of Malawi and CLAIM Mabuku. We will pilot it in some few congregations before a Synod-wide scale –up.

7. (A) TO TRAIN CHURCH MINISTERS ON YOUTH MINISTRY
• The Youth Department will develop a training manual for Youth Ministry targeting church ministers both in training and in service. We propose that theological training colleges like Ekwendeni campus under UNILIA and Zomba Theological College must introduce Youth ministry training in their curriculum.
• We desire to partner with our partner churches to have a Youth development officer to help us on this either from PCUSA, GZB, PCC in Canada, Presbyterian women of Canada and others help.
• We will also explore working with the synod capacity development office on the same.

7. (B) DEVELOP A TRAINING MANUAL FOR OUR COUNSELLORS (ŴAKHUŴIRIZGI)
• Our Youths are in the hands of people who do not have skills about the Youth Ministry.
• We need to have well trained counsellors

3. INTRODUCE SYNOD YOUTH SERVICE WEEK
• We have in our Youth values to Responsibilities of the Youth and to nurture them have responsibilities and a spirit to serve. Young people should observe the corresponding virtues and obligations, among such as actively take part in all national development processes and rendering charitable service to the community, the elderly, the sick and church work.
• With this concept, the congregational Kirk Sessions will identify an area of need within the church and the community and ask the Youth offer their service. Prior the service week, the Youth office will write all congregations about the scripture verses that encourage us to help and serve.
• During the service week, which will be conducted during national school holidays, the churches will help the Youth with food and other need materials. They will also witness Christ in service and in word though preaching and singing.
• The synod moderator will be inaugurating Synod Youth Service week each year and the Youth Department will be working with the secretariat to send this as an item to synod.
• We want to be diaconal and missional in our approach

4. INTRODUCE SPORTS EVANGELISM PROGRAMME
• We will introduce the Sports Evangelism Concept to our youths. Sports is a vehicle through which we can reach out to masses in evangelizing Christ but also inviting other youthful masses to join the church youth.
• We will also explore other creative means of evangelizing Christ. The sports evangelism concept will involve both in-door and out-door games/sports.
• We will require an initial purchase of few sports equipment such as balls, nets, chess, Bawo and draft boards, whistles and uniforms. Congregations will be required to buy the materials for themselves. We will train the presbytery sports evangelism coordinators from youth groups in the congregations.
• We seek linkages with international sports or football clubs to be sending us sports equipment like whistles, balls, uniforms,

Send a message to learn more

YOUTH DEPARTMENT’S RESPONSE
• The youth department proposes to do new programmes to respond to the challenges as follows:

A. PROGRAMMING

• The Youth Department will introduce new programmes as follows:
1.DEVELOPING AND PILOTING YOUTH CAMP CONCEPT
• We will develop and pilot the youth camp concept in 2023 in 6 presbyteries 3 in rural areas and the other 3 in urban areas.
• The operationalization of the Youth Camp concept will enhance youth participation, fellowship and exposure to new environment away from their respective congregations where there will have time for lessons, games, fun and Bible study.
• The Youth office will provide facilitators to the camps to facilitate the lessons and activities. It is envisaged that after its smooth piloting plan, it will provide a lot of learning experiences and congregations under presbytery guidance will be organizing such Youth camps on their own.

2. DEVELOPMENT OF A BIBLE STUDY GUIDE BOOK
• Our Youths meet weekly for a Bible study but they don’t have a Bible study guide book. Unlike other guilds of Umanyano and Madodana (Men’s and Women’s guild) respectively, they produce a Bible study guide book for each given year. They sell to their members and the money realized is used to produce for the next year. This goes on and on.
• We need the initial start-up amount and we will be able to run it out of the realized sales to produce for the subsequent years respectively. This will help our Youth to have a well-defined theologically sound content for Bible study with guiding questions.
• We want the guide book to sell at less amount about MWK500.00 so that many of our youths can buy. We want to produce it in English, Nkhonde, Tonga, Tumbuka and Chichewa languages.
• The new bible study guide will use the new Bible study 4 question approach.

Mission
• To create a community of the Youth who understand their values as God’s creation, who follow Christ in their care for others and actively participate in developing their own lives and families, church, communities and nation inspired by the Holy Spirit.

• We have a forward looking expectation to develop Youth ministry very relevant and contextual in a contemporary world. It is a well-known fact that we are living in a contemporary world with a lot of emerging issues. We cannot live to deny this truth. We need to be proactive and responsive to the issues the youths are facing now.
• Paramount to our existential goals is the call to witness Christ to the youths. We will present Christ in a creative way and nurture the youths to grow their faith in Christ Jesus. We will create an enabling environment for all young people to develop their full potential in order to contribute significantly to personal and national development.
• Our programming will focus on this strategic choice on youth Ministry. We will in course of our programming allow the local church (congregations) also learn to take responsibility in some activities. We will forever learn from the youth how they view the church and move with them together to new heights in faith and service.

CHALLENGES
• The trajectory of our Youth Ministry has for the years past coursed in between the margins. When the interests and aspirations of the youths inclined towards change, our church systems remained static. This has brought several challenges:

1. Many of our youths have left our Church for Pentecostal and charismatic churches and ministries.
2. Many other youths have developed a synchronic tendency to worship with us the first service on a Sunday and then they go to patronize other youth ministries in other churches.

CHURCH OF CENTRAL AFRICA PRESBYTERIAN

SYNOD OF LIVINGSTONIA

THE

YOUTH DEPARTMENT


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CONCEPT NOTE TO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN CANADA (PCC)

Contact: ​The Youth Director (Rev. Joshua Nyangulu)
+265 (0) 888519145
Email:[email protected]
[email protected]


© JANUARY 2022

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
• The CCAP Synod of Livingstonia had in the year 1950 started to teach the youths as a church youth arm but then they were called the Boys Scout, Boys Briget and the Girls Guide. In 1969, the church in Northern Ireland sent Fridah Aigie to teach the girls in Girls Guide.
• The synod then established the youth arm as a fully-fledged department based in Ekwendeni.

MEMBERSHIP AND STRUCTURE
• We are currently making a statistical count to establish the latest figures but we are about 1 million youths with about 60% being girls.
• The youths form the third guild of the synod that is after Men’s and Women’s guild respectively. The youth guild is called Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF). They have a director who is an ordained church minister who is based at the youth department office. At the office there are finance and programmes officer.
• The youths have a team of leaders in a committee of ten at synod level then at presbytery, congregation down to vestry.
• The synod now has 29 presbyteries including one in Zimbabwe and one in South Africa.

2023-2027- FORCAST OF PRGRAMMES
• The CCAP Synod Youth Department submits an initial programme overview for 2023-2027 with several areas to be focused. All activities fall within the given framework of youth core existential programming based on our vision and mission.
Vision
• The Youth department exists to guide and coordinate all Youth activities in the Synod of Livingstonia, encouraging and empowering the Youths in Congregations to start and sustain programmes that holistically address the needs of the Youth both in their Church and their Communities.
Mission
• To create a community of