The Church ⇒ Youth Work

 

THE YOUTH MINISTRIES DIVISION

The Youth Ministries Division (YMD) is one of the five divisions under the Board of Education and Youth (BEY) mandated by the Church to oversee youth work in the Methodist Church Ghana. According to the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the Church, (S.O.239) YMD is responsible for the implementation of youth policies and programmes within the Methodist Church Ghana. It also plans projects as well as co-ordinates the works of the various youth organizations in the church including leadership development.

THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE DIVISION

  • To bring every young person in the Church to a full realization as an avowed disciple of Christ called to active ministry of the Church (Joel 2:28)
  • To train every young person for active membership and leadership in the Church and for the lager society.
  • To help every young person to attain fullness of life in body, mind and spirit
  • To make certain that the affairs of the youth are ever kept before the whole Church and that young people are constantly brought in closest contact with the church in partnership with adults and children.

THE YOUTH

The term YOUTH or YOUNG PEOPLE refers to all persons in the Methodist Church Ghana aged 12years to 35 years irrespective of the organization they belong to.

For the purposes of good and effective programming and teaching learning process, the following sections are used for effective training.

12 – 17 years --- Teenagers
18 – 24 years --- Mid Youth
25 – 35 years --- Young Adults

Youth Ministries Division has an oversight responsibility over the following Youth Organizations;

  • THE METHODIST YOUTH FELLOWSHIP (MYF)
  • THE METHODIST GIRLS’ FELLOWSHIP  (MGF)
  • THE GHANA METHODIST STUDENTS UNION (GHAMSU)
  • THE ASSOCIATION OF METHODIST BRIGADES (AMB)  

THE ADMINISTRATION

 The work of the Division is administered through Youth Councils which see to the day-to- day running or implementation of programmes at all levels of the Church. The Director heads the Connexional council while the Diocesan Youth Organizers DYOs, Circuit Youth Organizers (CYOs), and Society Youth Organizers (SYOs) take care of the Diocesan, Circuit and Society councils respectively.

The Director of the Division is The Rev’d. Isaac Nana Abekah

Mr. Isaac Kofi Addison is the Ghana Methodist Students Union (GHAMSU) Connexional coordinator at the office of the Director YMD.

The following are Connexional Youth council members

Vice Chairman;   Brother Emmanuel E. Addo
Secretary;            Sister   Patricia Kukua Binney
Treasurer;            Sister Cynthia Oforiwaa Boadi

FULL- TIME DYOs:

There are nine full-time DYOs at post

Cape Coast            The Rev’d. Stephen Johnston-Polly
Accra                     The Rev’d. Andrew Gyima Boadi
Kumasi                  The Rev’d. Kwame Amoah-Mensah
Winneba                The Rev’d. John Kweku Ackom
Sunyani                  The Rev’d. Jonathan Aduse-Poku
Kofordua                The Rev’d. Godson Akushie
Oda                        The Rev’d. James Ampiaw
Effiduase                The Rev’d. Felix Tawiah Danquah
Tema                      The Rev’d. John Ansong

The following serve as heads of the organizations

Bro. Ebenezer Kobina Aidoo    Chairman MYF Connexional
Sis.  Irene Afoakwa Boadi         President MGF             “
Bro. Isaac Kwame Enninful      Coordinator AMB        “
Bro. Eric Gyan                           President GHAMSU    “

The Youth Ministries Division of the Methodist Church Ghana made some modest strives since 2005 when a new Director and a Coordinator for Ghamsu were appointed. To start with, the Division has come out with a revised Youth policy and by-laws for the guidance of youth work in the church. They have gone ahead to published a hand book for all youth workers for the promotion of good leadership skills.
TRADITIONAL PROGRAMMES

Youth Ministries run the following activities with the view of helping the youth to attain fullness of Christ.

1. Young Peoples Week:

It is the churches week of reflection (normally in the third week of July every year) on what her ministry to and with the youth has been over the past year and make plans for the future.

2. Youth and Students Assembly:

This is a biennial programme which seeks to bring Methodist young people both in the schools and those in the societies to gather for fellowship and also review youth work in the Church. It is a four day gathering beginning from Thursday to Sunday at all levels of the Church.

3. Synod Youth Rally

It is a gathering of the youth to herald Synod and also to create awareness of Synod that issues of the youth are to be given serious consideration at the floor of Synod to ensure proper integration of the youth in the Church.

4. Teens and Twenties Camp:

This is a holiday camp for lad and lasses aimed at creating opportunities for these young people to experience life in Christ with peers. It is also to enable them to discover the beauty, mystery and enjoyment of God’s creation.

  • Youth in Mission with the Church:

This programme brings together young people who are skilled and unskilled artisans to build chapels for the poor and deprived communities of the church especially in the Northern Ghana Diocese.

 NEW DEVELOPMENTS

To empower the youth to rise up to their task as young Christians the Division has instituted “Grant-Koomson Memorial Lectures for Youth Empowerment”. This is in honour and memory of the Rev’d.s Dr. Francis Chapman Ferguson Grant and Thomas Wallace Koomson the first and second Presidents of the autonomous Ghana Methodist Church for the youth to learn from their achievement beginning from their youthful ages.

  “Quarterly Watch” for DYOs; a period where all DYOs and the Director and Youth Council Members meet for prayer and self-examination has enhanced or deepened the traditional leadership schools and workshops. We have also introduced a programme called “Celebrating Our Heritage” to educate the youth on the role played by the young people in the planting and nurturing of the Methodist faith in Gold Coast/Ghana. This aims at equipping the youth to take up personal evangelism seriously. For this to come true, a book, “Household Evangelism: A caring way to share your faith” has been developed and printed by the Division through the DYO of Kumasi to serve as a tool to aid youth in witnessing to their faith in Christ.

VISION 2010

Vision 2010 is a project designed to help the youth cultivate a life of integrity within a three-year period. Commencing 2008 to 2010 the Division is working with a theme, “Raising Young Leaders of Integrity for sustainable Development of Church and Society”.
There is a book titled “Integrity: a key to lasting success” has been published by the Division for the realization of the project in its estimated time.

On 3rd June 2007, the Division introduced into the life of the church for the first time an Advisory Board to help develop effective and efficient ways of accomplishing its mandate. The board members were inaugurated at the Rev. Ernest Bruce Memorial Chapel, Adabraka, Accra.

The other innovation that the Division has instituted is the raising of the Methodist flag along side the traditional known colours of the Association of Methodist brigades.

 Inter-organizational relationship amongst youth groups within the Division is now very cordial. We have the organizations participating fully and offering lively contributions in each others conferences and other activities. The hitherto acrimonious and unhealthy rivalry has been taken over by brotherly affection. GHAMSU is very much alive in the activities of the Division.

THE METHODIST YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING CENTRE- ABURI

The Aburi Youth Centre is back to life due to massive rehabilitation work done in partnership with friends from First United Methodist Church, Evanston Illinois, USA and funds raised by the Division between 2006-2007, to give the centre a face lift and make it habitable for training and hosting of other programmes.

The centre is open to all who need a short time accommodation, holding of receptions, retreats, conferences etc at very moderate prices.

PRESIDING BISHOPS TEACHING SESSIONS WITH THE YOUTH

The Presiding Bishop has dedicated the last two years of his tenure to the youth in collaboration with the Division, and has held teaching sessions for the youth on the working of the Holy Spirit. So far the session has taken place in the Winneba, Kumasi, Effiduase, Akyem Oda and Somanya Dioceses.
Tema will host the session from 18th to 21st September while Koforidua takes her turn on 16th -19th October to end the year. The other Dioceses will receive the Presiding Bishop and his team this year, 2009.

 
© Methodist Church Ghana 2010