Dig Deeper - BCYD NAT. Summer Camp 2012/ 2013

2012 / 2013 BCYD National Summer Camp

Almost everyone to the camp site travelled for over 7 hours from their homes to the venue and for that we blessed the Lord for granting us travelling mercies.   

You knew its going to be a life changing camp when you face challenges in preparing it.  All in all we blessed the Lord for making us to DIG DEEPER.

You can imagine, youth from all corners of South Africa gathered at the same place, with one goal. It was awesome. And indeed God was there. He spoke, He led and He changed lives. We had 7 life changing sermons.  Bishop ET Jentile delivered 4 powerful sermons,  Pst Xola Mashinini delivered 3

powerful sermons.   

Our core-business is impacting life on Saturday the 29^th of December 2012 we went to the nearby community and have time with them. Our previous experience taught us that before telling a story, you start by building a relationship.  We identified 9 families and we handed them basic groceries.  We held a service at the local community hall.  Our Minspo President, Rev B Nguxa preached in their language.  We were content coming from the village/community going back to the campsite and we said to ourselves “we will never stop impacting lives”.   

Community needs us. To God be the Glory.

(Article from: Pst Mpho “L” Chauke)

Wedding celebration of Sipho and Rachel

Dear Groundbreakers,

A few weeks ago a delegation of the BCSA and BCYD joined the joyous wedding celebration of Sipho (our BCYD secretary) and Rachel.

We are all very excited for the newly wedded couple. Praise the Lord for a wonderful time together and may he grant the happily married couple many wonderful years together!!!

Your BCYD!

 

BCYD meets GJW (news)

BCYD delegates trip to BUJU 2012 Germany

The German Youth Department invited two delegates from the BCYD as part of our partnership to their annual Youth Summer Camp which is held every second year in Krelingen. Over 1200 young people from Baptist Churches from all over Germany met between 07.-10.06.2012 to fellowship, worship, pray together, listen to different talks and participate in workshops. Furthermore did they meet daily in so called family-groups in order to discuss the Bible-talks from the main sessions in more detail and depth.

This year’s topic was “The soundtrack of your life” and God was moving in the lives of many young people during the course of the weekend. All had the opportunity to learn and reflect on how God wants to give us “power” to write a new love-song on our hearts, how he is still there for us when life is difficult and seem to be on “mute”, the importance to be “connected” to people which are part of our daily soundtrack, how great it can be to push the “shuffle” button in order to see the beauty of God’s creativity and how to “start” with God in our daily lives.  

Follow this link http://fotos.buju.de/index.php?cat=21 to see what was going on!

 

Below are some impressions concerning the trip to Germany and the BUJU 2012 from our two BCYD delegates:

 

What did you enjoy the most about your trip?

The great time I had there, the wonderful people I met, the culture I learned and not forgetting the tour and site-seeing was amazing. (Zanele)

I just enjoyed everything about it, especially our tour in Bochum and Berlin. The conference was on point. The fact that we had a number of workshops where was at liberty choose from and that you felt it would be of benefit to you. The preaching was like a cream on top, concise and straight to the point. (Nkosinathi)

What did you do during your visit?

First we went to the BUJU and it was great, then we visited the GJW office in Elstal and had a tour through Berlin. We eventually went back to Bochum for some days, visited the Baptist Church there and got to know some of the young people. (Zanele)

We as well had an opportunity to meet with the GJW Youth Director (Christian Rommert) to discuss youth issues and the partnership between the BCYD and the GJW. (Nkosinathi)

How did God challenge you during your time there?

God challenged me with the language, on how we are going to communicate with others. He took me to Jeremiah 1:8-9 and I knew I just had to listen to God and He would put words in my mouth. (Zanele)

God showed me that everyone has a soundtrack in their lives. That we all are in different stages in life, and you don’t have to compare yourself with someone else. The phase that you are in is part of the sound track of your life. I just loved the theme. (Nkosinathi)

What have you learned about other cultures?

I learned that culture will not stand in the way of a person. If we are not able to learn about other cultures, then we will not make it. Culture defines us and allows people to interact with one another. (Zanele)

Well that was an interesting one, and I think more time should be invested in looking into culture versus Christianity. But to answer the question, it’s always shock to one’s system and may take months for one to absorb and understand fully. (Nkosinathi)

What have you learned that can benefit the BCYD?

That we must always put God first and work as a team all the time. Don’t be afraid to try new things and to make ourselves available for opportunities. (Zanele)

Well, a lot. But one thing that stood out was seeing young people being proud to be associated and being part of their denomination. (Nkosinathi)

Thank you again to all who prayed and made this trip possible!

Your BCYD

Follow this link http://fotos.buju.de/index.php?cat=21 to see what was going on!

Nelson Mandela Day 2012

The BCYD supports Nelson Mandela Day – and rallies the youth to play their part

http://www.lovelife.org.za/uploaded/0413265208fe03543dc896cd8d9238c6.pdf

 

	"Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation" (Nelson Mandela).

On 18 July 2012, we celebrate the 94th birthday of former President Nelson Mandela – an icon who dedicated his life to the ideals of human rights, justice and reconciliation.

An annual event, Nelson Mandela Day – recognised and endorsed by the United Nations – is a call to action for individuals everywhere to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place – one small step at a time.

The Mandela Day principle of working together to better the lives of individuals, communities and our country as a whole is very much in line with The vision and the mission of the Baptist Convention of South Africa of IMPACTING LIVES, which encourages all young people within the BCSA  to take small steps every day to achieve bigger goal of IMPACTING LIVES, WINNING THEM TO CHRIST.

The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good. Ultimately it seeks to empower communities everywhere. Individuals and organizations are free to participate in Mandela Day as they wish. We do however urge everyone to adhere to the ethical framework of “service to one’s fellow human”.

We therefore want to urge all the young people of the BCSA  to take a step and responsibility in changing our communities, country and the world into a better place, one small step at a time.

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” Gal 6:9

BCYD- IMPACTING LIVES

Nkosinathi Mothibi

Baptist Convention of South Africa Youth Department President

It's more than just a public holiday (16th June; Youth Day)

It has been 36years since the youth of South Africa marched in all parts of the country on a lonely journey for a better education, a transformed South Africa. Many of those who bravely took that journey did not live to see a free South Africa, but died as young as they were on their freedom march. Many others were imprisoned because of their efforts. On this day, we as the BCSA youth salute them, the children of 1976, who gave their lives so that we and future generations of South Africans could free ourselves from the yoke of apartheid, establish a new democratic order and live together in peace and harmony. The fruits of their journey is our democracy. For the youth of our country, together with the workers, the women, the religious leaders in all the various organizations of our people, played their part in our national liberation struggle. But democracy is only the beginning of a new journey that the South African youth, the South African people must take towards a common destiny. The critical question, however, is what are the challenges that our youth face today. Do we all have a common understanding and vision of the struggles into which the energies of the youth need to be channelled? Today, the struggle continues, but the enemy has changed. The enemy now is homelessness, hunger, poverty, in the many forms that they manifest themselves. It is this struggle that should now challenge the youth, in all their formations, to wake up in the morning and begin every single day with more determination than ever before to make a mark in this new struggle. Indeed, this is the historic challenge that faces us today. It is a challenge that we dare not fail in meeting. It is a site of struggle wherein the youth should take their rightful place. None dare challenge the youth when they dig trenches, as indeed they should, in the frontline of this crusade against hunger and poverty! For it is this battle that will take us to the destination of sustained development and prosperity for our people. In practical ways, the youth of our country must seek to develop themselves so as to work in more effective and efficient ways towards a new reality. This can be achieved through youth empowerment, through programmes such as the contact, information and career counselling programme of the NYDA Fund which is aimed at providing information and support regarding careers; The skills development of youth continues to be a priority and part of the battle that needs to be fought for the full attainment of our freedom We call upon our BCSA youth in all their formations across the country to conscientise themselves about these developments and to play a catalytic role in ensuring that they access these programmes for their communities. When we call on our BCSA youth to be fully part of lMPACTING LIVES vision and to lend a hand and volunteer their services for collective developments, we are saying that they themselves are among the most important agents of change. Our BCSA youth must be conscious participants in community programmes, in caring for the aged and disabled, for those who are suffering from HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Community youth service is also important because it is through these selfless deeds, that our youth attain technical expertise and life skills, while at the same time, they are developing their communities. Our BCSA youth must be among those who offer their services to government departments to perform volunteer work. This is a call to battle! A call to join forces as the BCSA youth in a new struggle towards attaining our developmental goals and arriving at a common destination. Clearly, this destination must mean an end to homelessness, an end to poverty, an end to disease, to unemployment, to hardship and suffering. The endpoint of our journey must be the economic recovery of our country and our continent, successful social reconstruction, effective moral regeneration and a flowering of our languages and our culture. Out of these processes must unfold a new identity of what it means to be Baptist, what it means to be a South African youth in the context of the world. It is to reach this common destination that we are waging this war against poverty and lending a hand in IMPACTING LIVES. We do this so that the youth, the women, the families of our country may benefit by having housing, clean water, electricity, food to eat, a bed in which to sleep, to contribute to the greater, collective good of all our people, both young and old. We are transforming this country into something better, providing the necessary policies for change, implementing action plans so that the youth of our country will be able not only to dream at night about a better future but also use knowledge, skills, infrastructure and resources to make that dream of a better life a real and living reality. The BCSA youth ought to be at the vanguard of the popular movement towards South Africa's renewal and demonstrate their commitment in education, in health, in addressing unemployment and in skills development. When we call on our youth to study hard at school, we are saying to them that as we strive to make our country a better place for all who live in it, so too must you prepare now in all your efforts to take over the leadership from us some day and do even more than we are doing now to modernize our economy, to build our society, to make us equal competitors in the global information age. As we honour our youth who braved the streets in 1976, we think also of all those who died at the prime of their lives at the hands of apartheid killers because of their determination and participation in the struggle. On the night before his murder by the apartheid hangman, a young and brave Solomon Mahlangu comforted his mother and the nation with the words; "Do not cry for me, for my blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of our freedom". For Solomon Mahlangu, for Hector Petersen, for Steve Biko, for Dulcie September, for all our departed heroes and heroines, the BCSA youth and the youth of our country at large must answer the call to take forward the gains of our democracy and to help us to attain our vision of IMPACTING LIVES. For the sake of our communities, our country and our continent, this call must spread far and wide from here in CBYD and SGBYD, to ECYD, to NCYD, to MYD and to NWYD. Let us together lend a hand to broaden access to IMPACT LIVES. Forward to the new struggle of the youth! Nkosinathi Mothibi Baptist Convention of South Africa Youth Department President

Dig Deeper - BCYD Summit 2012

Dear Groundbreakers,

Last weekend (11-13 May 2012) seventy local, regional and national youth leaders from seven different regions (Capricorn, Central, South Gauteng, North West, Great North, Mpumalanga) met to reflect, discuss, plan and decided on several youth ministry issues concerning the BCYD.

Together we laughed, cried, prayed, sang, worshipped, learned, listened, and talked through the nights. Special guests among us this year were the BCSA General Secretary Chris Dikana together with the Missions Director of the BCSA, Dan Pratt from the BCC, and our international guests Kristina Hasenpusch and Maike Telkamp.

Fist and foremost we want to thank God for giving us the freedom and opportunity to join him in building his Kindgdom on earth as it is in heaven. We as well want to thank those who helped to make the event a success, participated at the summit, or prayed for the meetings on our behalf.

 

Faithfully your BCYD 

 

 

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 Here two quick notes:

Very significant was the adoption of our new BCYD constitution. In the words of our current BCYD President Nathi Mothibi: After so many years of work initiated by the likes of Barnabas Masekwameng and Mohau Molefe back 2001 has now finally paid off. Its gives me great pleasure to announce that during our 2012 summit the BCYD Constitution was adopted by the summit. Would like to thank the Legal team for the job well done on the document and the contributions of our great and decisive leader. #Dig Deeper#

As well as a "word of thanks" from our current BCYD General Secretary Sipho Mngomezulu: Thanks to everyone who participated in the BCYD Leadership Summit. We believe that important ideas and some practical actions were discussed and hatched. It was great to see everyone who turned out; there were so many leaders in the house. Special thanks to our international guests from Germany, the BCSA GS and Missions Director, the legal board and the YAF Consultant. Not forgetting our former President His Excellency Elias Makuwa. We are very proud and honoured to work with you all.

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Below you can find some more pictures:

Easter 2012!!! The reason why we live...

Dear Groundbreakers! 

It is this time of the year again, were millions and millions of Christians gather around as a global family to celebrate the most significant sacrifice in the histrory of the world. 

The reason why we live, are able to celebrate freedom of sin, absolute peace with God and eternal life!

On the coming weekend we remind ourselves and the communities we life in about Christ's suffering, death and most importantly His resurrection as He overcame death!

May you have a wonderful Easter Celebration!

Your BCYD

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Below you can read an inspiring Easter-message from BWA:

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Bowed down: Lifted up!

The Cross of Jesus stands on the hill of Golgotha. What a study in paradox!

It is a picture of utter powerlessness. The man who hangs on the cross has fed the hungry, healed the sick, raised the dead. Now, he is on a cross, dying in shame, condemned by the authorities who exact the maximum punishment for crimes against the state. What a sad story! What a pitiful sight!

Yet, the picture of the man hanging on Golgotha's hill is also a study in victory. The gruesome death of that man at Calvary is preceded by a terrible travesty of justice. The suffering of the innocent man is not the result of any sin he has committed, but of our sins - yours and mine! And on the cross, the Father exalted him so that, victorious, he may draw all human beings to the Godhead.

Oh the majestic power of powerlessness! The Son of God, battered, bruised and broken, stands with outstretched arms to embrace every single person who is captive to sin! The sin of the whole world is in his hands! And he reaches out to offer us a word of forgiveness and to show us how to experience victory in the midst of our powerlessness.

It should surprise no one that the cruel death by crucifixion of the Anointed One was followed by the miracle of the resurrection. What once appeared as an unquestionable sign of failure is indeed a clear pointer to the triumph of obedient faith. It is through powerlessness that divine power shines brightly. Divine victory often appears robed in the rags of powerlessness. If we wait to understand it, we soon see its beauty, its worth, its majesty and its greatness.

May we spend ourselves in the service of Christ, valuing self-denial, daily taking up our cross, and following Christ. Joy will mark our times of hardship and, in the end, we enter into unspeakable peace!

Neville Callam

General Secretary

Baptist World Alliance  

Language translations of this message can be downloaded at http://www.bwanet.org   

BCYD NEC Meeting March 2012 (news)

On the 10th of March National and Regional Youth Leaders met to discuss, plan and reflect on matters concerning our Youth Department. Some things on the agenda were our National Summit, the BCYD constitution, AABYF Conference, collecting stats, updates regarding Youth Ministry in the regions and so on.

We had a great time of fellowship, discussion and glorifying God together. Please continue to support our department with your participation, active involvement and especially in prayer!

!Impacting Lives!

Your BCYD


Below you find some pictures of our meeting:

When a picture starts to move... (video link)

...it comes alive and the experience is more real!


Therefore we put some BCYD Blog Video’s of the regional camps on youtube, so that you can relive some special moments:

Here are the links:



BCYD Regional Youth Camps 2011/12 (1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRCTpv21Qlc

BCYD Regional Youth Camps 2011/12 (2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pY4NR8HI2w

BCYD Regional Youth Camps 2011/12 (3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys4gYrti4fs

BCYD Regional Youth Camps 2011/12 (4)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbi8SM3-H3s

BCYD Regional Camps 2011/12 and Happy New Year!!!

Dear Groundbreakers,

2012 is already a week old and we all thank God for the good start we all had together and we look forward of what the Lord has planned for us as BCYD!

We had the priviledge to see many of you at the different regional camps, below are some random facts of our presidential tour:

- All together we drove over 1400KM
- We sat around 16 hours squeezed together in a car
- Visiting 4 camps from 5 regions in 6 day's
- spending time with around 260 young people
- celebrating the last day's of 2011 and the first of 2012 together
- Slept for a night on the floor
- Helped pulling a car out of a ditch

We want to send to all of you a big "THANK YOU" for all the hard work you do and the great time we had together with many of you.

Keep up the good work!
Your BCYD

Verse for 2012:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2. Corinthians 12:9