Hallelujah. Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peace be to you.

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1 Hallelujah. Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peace be to you. Dear UK Youths, With a heart warmed with loving memories from the last few months since our last newsletter, we would like to take time out to share with you some of the things we had come across in our individual churches as well as in national events. If you thought last year s YTTC in Newcastle was radical, you hadn t seen anything yet. This year saw the three years placed in three different locations in Scotland, all running at the same time. The separation, by distance in miles, was demonstrated as irrelevant when we poured Christ-like affections from our hearts through meaningful video-animated messages into each other s hearts. These were not just filled with fun memories and moving music to accompany them, but there were a few words spoken from the heart, too. Let s give a shout of united praise and thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus for His churches in Elgin, Edinburgh and Gifford Park and their labour! And if you care to cast your mind back, it was not just the churches in Scotland, but also in England, too, that were able to give their efforts to the Lord. The numbers for the student and college youth spiritual convocations almost caused some churches to burst at the seams from the huge numbers of attendants and group leaders. We cannot hold it in but to testify without restraint the love of the group leaders, who showed such unreserved care for the students, even much after the event itself. May all the students remember the special attention, the sacrifice, the tears which were spent for your sakes; not only in hope they will see you next year, but much more that they will see you beyond the pearly gates of God s Holy Kingdom. Come, let s give another roaring, heart-felt, joyous acclamation to our Lord Jesus for His churches in Sunderland, Portsmouth and Newcastle and their labour! We thank God for the UK s General Assembly to organise and support these events throughout the year. Someone famous recently said, Leaders lead but in the end it s the people who deliver. We mustn t forget the time spent by those valuable co-workers in discussing how to prepare best by different teams not just on the national level, but much more those who served at the local level, doing the leg-work, labouring with hands-on, ox-like strength and endurance, day in and day out. Let s take a step back and observe: Look, the righteous acts of the saints of God have once more adorned His church with service and devotion! Will you not join us in offering a thanksgiving prayer to our Lord Jesus? Let us earnestly pray that He guides us through the months of Autumn in 2006, where we guard, carry and share the warm, burning torch of taught and untaught lessons of what we learnt from these events, illuminating with our lives in family, church and work/study circles, testifying in word and deed, in sincerity and fervour, of God s grace received this summer. being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Php 1.6). Until the next newsletter God bless you all Shalom Steven Shek YCC Executive

2 Elgin Church Elgin church held their annual spiritual convocation on 3 rd 5 th July. Thank God that everything went smoothly and for giving us glorious weather for the 3 days. Pr. Michael Chan and Pr. Steven Shek conducted most of the services, which were about the effects of faith. May our faith be re-charged to enable us to strive forward in our faith. During the convocation, we held two evangelical services. Although there were not many truth seekers, let us continue to pray for this matter, may God lead more truth seekers to attend in the future. On 10 th July, the church had a one-day outing for all the members. We enjoyed a visit to Loch Lomond, a bit of shopping and a visit to a theme park near Glasgow. The day was enjoyable for all who were present and we were blessed with a wonderful sunny day. During 30 th July 20 th August, Elgin church also were host to the 2 nd year students of the YTTC. We were privileged to have Pr. Steven Shek, Pr. Michael Chan, Pr. YM Yang and Bro. Vincent Yeung present to undertake the work of teaching and guiding the students. Attending were 18 students and 3 counsellors. Many topics were covered including Exodus, Joshua, Mark and other topics. The students gained much both physically and spiritually. Thank the Lord for guiding us successfully through the three weeks and for everything going well. Thank God that even though the lecturers had to travel between Elgin Church and Gifford Park Church to conduct their lessons, God granted them good health and a safe journey. Even though hosting the YTTC in Elgin seemed a mammoth task, we were encouraged to see the love of the brothers and sisters who helped to make this possible. May God bless and remember their love. Elgin church has been blessed with a new deaconess. On 12 th August, Sis. Jessica Chan was ordained as Deaconess Lydia Chan, assisted by Dn. Luke Chan. Many brothers, sisters and YTTC students witnessed this joyous occasion. On 21 st August, thank God that the holy matrimony of Bro. Daniel Wu and Sis. Katy Shek took place, after much planning and preparations. Many members were able to join in this joyous occasion. Since then, the happy couple have moved to Manchester. May God be with them wherever they go. On 27 th August, we held our RE End-of-Year Service. We had singing and drama presentations from all of the Religious Education classes, words of encouragement and prize giving. It was a fun afternoon for everyone and all the performances were entertaining. May all the youth continue to grow in the Lord. We are sad to see Bro. Nathan Ho depart Elgin church as he continues with his work elsewhere. May God guide him always. The summer had been a very busy few months for Elgin church as local and national events came thick and fast. It is truly a wonderful testimony that God has guided us in these past few months so that these works can be carried out smoothly. Please remember to pray for Elgin church, the lost sheep and brothers and sisters who are in sickness. Newcastle Church Thank God that the summer has truly been an eventful one. At the beginning of summer, a charity team was set up to look at ways of encouraging the members to care more for others, and to get people involved with doing good works. The initial event was to collect clothes from members and donate them to various charities. Thank God we ended up donating around 40 large bags full of clothes. A further charity event was planned for September where the charity team organised members to bake goods and Chinese desserts for sale and also to wash cars. All monies raised will go towards Children in Need.

3 This quarter also saw Newcastle Spiritual Convocation take place. Thank God 11 people were added to the fold. During the baptism, three brethren saw the presence of blood at the baptism site. During the Student Spiritual Convocation, 13 students and a counsellor received the Holy Spirit. Also, some local youth saw various visions. Two youths saw the crucifixion of Christ. One sister saw a vision of heaven and hell, and another sister saw a vision of hell. The most recent vision seen was also by a sister who saw herself standing at a road, with one direction being dark and the other bright, and voices were telling her to go towards them. Thank God that these visions have served well as both encouragements and a warning for the workers to strive harder, else we lose the sheep to eternal condemnation. It is also as a warning to those that have left church, plainly telling them there is the existence of the peace and joy of heaven, or the pain and suffering of hell. We all fight the same battle for God, to save souls from eternal suffering. We all hope that we can all be united and encouraged to serve God to bring back lost sheep in unity. Thank God we can take encouragement from each other through the YCC newsletter for ideas and inspiration. Let all be done for the glory of God, amen. Leicester Church Thank God that the youths in Leicester have been able to join in the many convocations, seminars and fellowships that had been going on around the UK. May we all grow in the knowledge that we have gained, so that we can become useful vessel in our churches. In a sharing session during one Youth Fellowship, it was wonderful to hear the students speak of the things they had learnt during the National Student Spiritual Convocations. They shared of their desire to pray for the Holy Spirit and how God granted a few of them this precious gift. May we all continue to pray with a simple heart. With some of the youths now having graduated from the YTTC and thus, they continue their lifelong servitude to God. In Leicester, during the month of July, Elder En-Yuan Ho conducted two spiritual cultivation seminars for the whole congregation on the topics of The Perfect Church and The Pastoral Church. He also spoke on counselling for RE teachers during a Sabbath Fellowship. On the evangelical side of things, we have held a hymnal evangelical and an outreach in Syston. In the month of August, we held a baptism and three members were added to the flock: Bro. Zeph Leacock (son of Bro. Raymond & Sis. Wendy), Bro. Joel Bachmann (son of Sis. Daphne & her husband Robert) and Sis. Lee from Peterborough Prayer House. The weather for the baptism was very windy and rainy, but this did not deter us from continuing with the baptism. Thank God that after the baptism was completed, the sun started shining, to complement the joyful occasion. We say farewell to a few brethren, who are: Sis. Joanna Ho (Sunderland) and Sis Beatrice Kao (Taiwan) who have completed their studies in Leicester and Birmingham respectively. From Leicester, we have: Wing Hong Chan and Wing Hing Chan (Leicester) who have both gone to Hong Kong in pursuit of their careers. Bro. Simon Chan will begin his studies at Southampton University this month. May God be with you all as you continue on life s journey. We welcome students from overseas to our big family in Leicester Church: Hazel Chen (Taiwan) Leicester University and Shannon Lin (Taiwan) Birmingham University. These past few months have been a time of change, especially for students who have progressed to the next stage of their education or graduated from university. In the midst of changes of circumstances and environment, Jesus remains the same, yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8) His love and guidance towards us continues as He is our faithful God. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we can grasp hold of Him and remain strong in Him. Hallelujah, amen.

4 London Church After much preparation, we thank God that the holy matrimony of Bro. Jack Loo and Sis. Hazel Lim took place smoothly, with two choir presentations from Central and South London. May God bless their marriage and guide their new journey together. We are pleased to announce that London Church has made an offer for a permanent place of worship in South London. The appeal for fund-raising has now been launched; we pray that the spiritual body will be ready to meet with the challenges of building a new point of worship. This summer, a number of the London junior youths were able to attend the National Student Spiritual Convocation. Thank the Lord that many students received the Holy Spirit, two of whom are from London. We are delighted that Sis. Lisa and Bro. Samuel Wong have a new baby boy, Reon Wong, who was born on 4 th August. May God guide the child and both parents to raise him in the way of the Lord. On the 27 th August RE day, the students were taken on a fun outing to Regent s Park. This was followed by the RE End-of-Year Service, which took place on 2 nd September, and a joyous occasion which celebrated the growth of our students. For the first time, the students of both central and south London came together and each presented a play. We pray that the children will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, and that the teachers will be sufficiently able to impart God s teachings and be good role models for their students. On 3 rd September, London church hosted the RE Teachers Regional Training Day, in which RE teachers from Leicester, London and Portsmouth were imparted with teachings from Elder Ho of Taiwan. Thank God we were enlightened and gained further insight into the roles and aims of an RE teacher. The Junior Youth Fellowship (JYF) will be taking off again in the new term, and we hope it will continue to serve as a platform for the spiritual growth and bonding of our junior youths. The Fellowship for London Youths (FLY) looks forward to welcoming the new youths from abroad and around the country. The past year, since the launch of FLY, the youths have experienced the blessing of God through group prayers and fellowships. In this new academic year, there will, as usual, be a number of new youths joining us. We pray that God will continue to bless us so that the new youths will be successfully integrated into the fellowship. We also hope and pray that, not only will we remain bonded as a group, but that God can use us in His work of evangelism and in bringing back the lost sheep. This year we welcome the following new university students to London church from around the country: Bro. Daniel Lai, Sis. Selina Liew (Portsmouth Church), Sis. Jessica Chan, Sis. Kerry Ho (Newcastle Church), Sis. Roxanne Chan and Sis. Tara Liu (Sunderland Church). We hope they will participate in our fellowships and grow to enjoy London church and the city as much as we do. Edinburgh Church The summer months have been a whirlwind of a blessing as national and local events came one after another, allowing us youths the opportunity to strive for Him, His words and to fellowship with one another. In the months of April and June, Edinburgh Church was blessed with the presence and pastoral care of Elder Juei Che Chang (Taiwan). Elder Chang meticulously and lovingly worked his way through all the sessions planned for him and the members. Not only were there countless seminars held for old and young, there were also family Bible fellowships arranged in various members homes, thereby creating

5 ample opportunity for us to be exhorted by and be in fellowship with the Elder. When the time came to say goodbye to the Elder, Edinburgh church realized that we had developed an affectionate bond to this dear Elder. Tears flowed from many members (including the brothers!) and big bear hugs were showered abundantly to the Elder! On 12 th 13 th June, Edinburgh Church and Gifford Park Church united in their efforts to hold a joint Spiritual Convocation with the theme Take My Hand and Walk with Me. Over the two days, Elder Chang and Pr. Michael Chan imparted their wisdom, shared encouragement and nourished our souls. We learnt how we ought to walk this heavenly journey with our spouse, our children, our parents and with our heavenly Father. The convocation ended with a joyous occasion of hymnal sharing and performances. Not only were the choirs involved in this work, but the congregation, church board, visitors and guests also had to put in their share of praising God! From 30 th July 20 th August, the first year YTTC students gathered in Edinburgh Church, ready to embark on the three-week training course. Whilst the students were able to comfortably settle into their environment, many of the lecturers had to travel about between Gifford Park Church and Elgin Church to deliver their lessons. Thank the Lord, He granted good health and well being to both workers and students throughout the three weeks so that the course came to an end on a high and joyous note. A farewell and graduation ceremony was held in the church for the first and third year students (who had been based in Gifford Park Church). Though that day marked an end to YTTC 2006, the fellowship of the youths continued as many stayed on in Edinburgh, anticipating the National Music Workshop and enjoying the Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows. On 28 th -29 th August, the National Music Workshop commenced. Opened to all youths and RE teachers, it was a very productive and valuable gathering. Participants came from all over the UK to learn about how to teach various choirs using basic conducting techniques, engage in vocal training sessions, piano training, music composition and hymnal fellowships. It was encouraging to witness so many youths gathering to equip themselves further and utilise the musical talents that they have been blessed with to serve God. The end of August was marked by the annual RE End-of-Year Service where students, teachers and parents were able to listen to words of encouragement, enjoy a few short plays and witness one another growing up in the house of God. This was then followed by the annual RE sports day the following week. Due to the weather, sports day was held in the church canteen where we all gathered cosily but still managed to enjoy the various games organized by the Youth Fellowship. Special Announcements and Prayer Requests: On a bright summer Sabbath day, a baptism was held and two little yins were added to the flock. We welcome Sis. Alicia Shek and Bro. Sean Dickson! We praise God for the safe birth of baby Chris, son of Bro. Gavin Shek and his wife, Shirley. The summer months have come and gone and the momentum that is usually characterised by the Student Spiritual Convocations and the YTTC calms down and draws to a close. It is very often recognised that one tends to be on a spiritual high immediately after the YTTC or some other seminar/convocation. However, we are also always reminded that the end of such event is only the beginning, where the real test begins. May we remember that whilst we walk this heavenly journey, we are never alone. His hand is always there for us, yearning for us to reach and walk with Him. Hallelujah, amen.

6 Portsmouth Church We thank our Lord for the past few months, and the great blessings and opportunities that we have had to serve Him. The busy summer started off with Portsmouth Church hosting the fourth National Youth Fellowship, during 25 th 28 th June, as we welcomed almost fifty participants from up and down the country. It was truly a joyous and blessed occasion as we fellowshipped together for four days. With the theme of A Higher Ground, we were encouraged by Pr. Steven Shek to aim for a higher purpose in our lives, especially in our journeys of faith. Activities ranged from recording hymns for our African brethren; an outing to a country park, where we could go cycling, hiking or play football; a tour of Portsmouth and games of many sorts in church. We also listened to the wonderful experiences of a recent volunteer to Africa and shared a truly edifying testimony session during one of our evenings together. We thank God for the joy and love we shared during this time. A month later on 23 rd 29 th July, the College Youth Spiritual Convocation was held in Portsmouth. Over 40 college youths came together to learn and study the Words of God with Pr. FF Chong and Pr. TK Chin; and despite the overly hot conditions caused by the humid weather, there was great joy and love experienced by all. We thank the Lord for all those who assisted with the smooth running of this event. Straight after the end of the College Youth Spiritual Convocation, Portsmouth Church held our first proper hymnal outreach event at a community centre. Thank God that around twenty friends came to listen to the message of salvation and the hymns we presented to them. We thank God that we also had the assistance of the college youths from Edinburgh Church and Gifford Park Church to help us sing, as most of the Portsmouth youths had departed for the YTTC that day. We thank the Lord for His guidance, and let us continue to pray for courage and wisdom so we can spread His gospel throughout the UK and rest of the world. From 6 th 20 th August, Elder En-Yuan Ho and his wife from Taiwan were with us in Portsmouth Church. We were greatly encouraged during his time here with us as we studied the Book of Ephesians together and listened to Elder Ho s sermons on Christian living and the application of our faith in our daily lives. During the weeks that Elder Ho and his wife were with us, we were able to spend many evenings each week fellowshipping and sharing many meals together. We ask the Lord to continue to bless and guide Elder Ho and his family as he continues his work for God. On 29 th August, Portsmouth Church had our annual church outing at Itchen Valley Country Park. We thank God for the wonderful weather that day, and the fun and laughter shared by all as we laughed and played like young children again! As September arrives, we say more farewells to students who will be studying away. This year we have an additional two, Bro. Daniel Lai and Sis. Selina Liew, joining Bro. Lim Ho and Bro. Him Ho, who are already studying in London. Bro. Benjamin Fan and Bro. Joseph Liew will be returning to Liverpool and Leicester respectively to continue their studies. We also gladly welcome back Sis. Sally Ho, Bro. Daniel Liew and Sis. Lisa Kwok this year, and we extend a warm welcome to Bro. Simon Chan from Leicester, who will be embarking on his studies in nearby Southampton University. May God guide and protect all the youths studying away from home this year. The past few months have indeed been a busy time for us in Portsmouth, but it has also been a time of great joy and wonderful opportunities for us as a church to work and cooperate with one another. At the beginning of the year, as we surveyed the work ahead of us, there were maybe some elements of being overwhelmed by what lay ahead of us, as we considered the manpower that we had available. But we knew that it was only through our prayers and reliance on God, would we be able to find the strength and great joy in serving Him without the feelings of being discouraged or overwhelmed. Although our number in Portsmouth Church may be few, but the power and strength that God can bestow on us is truly great.

7 As we serve God as youths, we need to see our opportunities to work for Him as great blessing given to us. Although many of us may have so much going on in our lives, with our studies, work or family responsibilities, we have to prevent ourselves from seeing church work as being another burden in our lives; but rather, we should try to see our work in church as something that is honourable, as we are serving the Lord our God. He will never give us more than we can bear and He is ever ready to help us in all circumstances. Let us serve Him together with gladness (Psalm 100:2). Gifford Park Church Many youths participated in the Great Scottish walk on the 18 th June to help raise money for Sis. Julie Chan; the African Ministry and for the church library. Even though it was a long trek and the weather was not exactly favourable, we managed to complete it! We can actually mirror this in our faith journey. Though our journey ahead may be long and faced with things going against us, we need to keep walking and finish the race. On Monday 26 th June, Gifford Park Church held the blessed matrimony of Sis. Elaine Shek and Bro. Juhn Jett Hoo. All the best to the happy couple and their new life together in Hong Kong! Thank God that many students from Gifford Park Church who attended the Student Spiritual Convocation received the Holy Spirit. It was truly touching to see their positive changes when they returned back home. We hope that they will continue to seek God in early life and to remain steadfast in the Lord. Gifford Park Church had the opportunity this year to hold the YTTC for the third year students. Thank God that everything went smoothly. We hope that the graduates of this year may continue to equip themselves with the words of God and fight the good fight. The RE End-of -Year Service was held at the end of August, which was filled with laughter and wonderful hymns of praise. May the students and teachers continue to labour for the Lord. We would like to give a warm welcome to Sis. Michelle Ho (Elgin) who will be studying in Edinburgh this year. For new students, continuing students and those who have recently graduated, continue to work hard for God and remember to put Him in the centre of all that you do. We also say a sad farewell to Bro. Kenny and Sis. Susan Liu from Gifford Park Church, who are looking forward to moving to their new home of Newcastle. We hope that you will both continually keep serving the Lord with all your heart and be good examples to all wherever you are. May God bless and guide you both for all the works you have done in Gifford Park and in your future together. Remember to visit us soon! We miss you! Sunderland Church This summer s events of the National Student Spiritual Convocations and the YTTC was a time for many of the youths who attended to receive many blessings. Some younger youths were told about the falling of special drops of rain, and have shared this with others in their RE class. All have experienced the love of fellow students, counsellors, preachers and of the host church. Many of the youths took the opportunity to be counsellors, although some being just a few years older than the students, they were able to show their maturity and responsibility by serving those younger than themselves. All the students here returned home with renewed hearts and an uplifted spirit. As an encouragement to all, let us remember the thoughts and feelings; the power of prayer; the experience of joy and love over the duration of the convocations, and to carry it in your heart as a beacon to continue to serve God. Glory be to God that during the Sunderland Spiritual Convocation, many of the youths came to hear the teachings and stayed to help serve and tidy up the church. We also welcomed two youths from

8 Edinburgh Church Bro. Vincent and Sis Tracy, who also joined in the work during the three days of service. May God continue to guide the youths and for the church to support them in prayer. During the start of our new RE End-of-Year Service, we received an encouragement from a trainee teacher, who said, That God gives us all the opportunity to serve and although we may feel talentless we should not refuse to do his bidding. He gives us the chance and He guides our every step; all we need to do is to trust in Him. So no matter how young or lacking in experience we feel, we have a vital role in God s salvation plan. To all the Sunderland Church youths, let us take up opportunities to gather together for fellowship - it can be a lot of fun! All new events are posted on the notice board alongside the Fellowship and EPG timetables. Those who attended the music workshop in Edinburgh Church returned home singing on the train, all expressing the good time they all had. We are here for each other to support one another; to lean on each other and to grow together in service to God. Let us pray for one another to build up our foundations. At the end of May on the spring bank holiday, a trip was organised to Keswick. Two cars full of happy trippers set off to the countryside to see the full beauty of all God s wonderful creation. We arrived about midday and after a lengthy walk, found the perfect picnic spots by the lakeside with the hill as our backdrop. Our lunch was also enjoyed by the many sheep, which roamed free among us (that s why it took so long to find a clear spot). With the crusts we didn t eat we fed to the ducks and the geese, which was a bit of frenzy. One goose in particular was a firm favourite of one of the brothers who tried to teach it to do tricks for bread, which was very entertaining to watch. We took a boat trip to rest and recuperate after our activities. The trip ended with a feast a banquet of fish, vegetables, pork and duck! Yummy. Our second youth fellowship outing was very adventurous as we took to the seas. Two brethren took eight very excited youths out on a fishing trip. We were blessed with blue skies and a calm sea, even though we only managed to catch three fish and one crab. Fishing isn t as easy as it looks! It made us all think about how our grandparents fished for a living and the lives of the disciples. Jesus said to them Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men. This applies us today and indeed a very hard task to do and requires a lot of patience and humility. Special Events and Farewells: There was a time of celebration as we welcomed Sis. Wendy Ho (Newcastle), who joined in Holy Matrimony to Bro. Eddy Shek on 12 th September. May their marriage be filled with love and joy. During our Spiritual Convocation, we held a baptism and we welcome Sis. Amanda, Sis. Cathy, Sis. Felicity, Bro. Edison and Bro. Micah (Manchester) to the fold. The Lord God has truly guided their paths and we ask Him to continue to bless and watch over them. We bid farewell Sis. Roxanne Chan and Sis. Tara Liu, who will be studying in London. You will both be missed but continue to serve God in London Church, and remember us all in your prayers as we will remember you both. We wait with jobs for you both on your return during holidays. A Reflection of the National Youth Fellowship 2006: A Higher Ground Portsmouth Church was truly blessed to have been able to host the National Youth Fellowship this year. It was quite fitting that the theme was A Higher Ground since Portsmouth had to really step up, powered by God s grace and love, to make it possible. It was a somewhat labour-intensive to ready the church for the event, but thank God the members were willing to undertake the task Jesus had handed them. And to good effect, since I would not be the only one to deem the event a success! Thank God for Portsmouth s efforts! May God remember her love and bless her even more abundantly so that she can work even harder for our Lord Jesus!

9 The youths came to the National Youth Fellowship with this year s theme firmly fixed in their minds. We came to get directions towards the higher ground and to be reminded of the importance of moving onto higher ground. Our prayers and our pleas were for the Lord to uproot us and bring us to walk on that higher ground I m pressing on the upward way, new heights I m gaining every day; Still praying as I onward bound, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. We learned that we needed to have that willing heart to make the transition to that higher ground otherwise it would be very difficult for Jesus to carry us there, let alone guide us there. Though some people would be content just staying at a certain level of faith content with just attending one service a week; content with reading the Bible infrequently; content with only praying during services...once we rediscovered what God s will is for us, we knew we could no longer remain where we were. We had to aim for higher ground So we decided to go up onto some higher ground locally (Portsdown Hill, yes - but it is one big hill) and a lovely day out to the Moors Valley Country Park for some walking, cycling, tree-top trails and of course, football! (Let s not forget the eating!) We also toured around Portsmouth and thank God the sun was shining down on us throughout. My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay; tho some may dwell where these abound, my prayer, my aim is higher ground. We learnt about Satan s unrelenting attacks. We learnt about how he searches for weaknesses in our faith and in our relationships with the opposite sex. Using our lusts and desires, he tries to tempt us to take steps back down the mountain away from Jesus intended destination for us. But we resolved to fight to stay above all these sinful things that can drive us further from God to keep our souls untainted because Jesus sacrificed His life just to make our souls complete again. I want to live above the world tho Satan s darts at me are hurled; for faith has caught the joyful sound, the song of saints on higher ground. There was truly a joyful sound during the NYF when the youths came together to sing God s praises with happy smiles we poured out our hearts in song the song of saints making their move towards higher ground! In an unspoken, united movement the youths progressed onwards and upwards together. Hopefully all the youths and the entire church can progress in this manner, towards higher ground I want to scale the utmost height, and catch a glimpse of glory bright; but still I ll pray till heaven I ve found, Lord, lead me on to higher ground. And so our fellowship came to an end with a touching testimony session, a special sticker-giving ceremony and a very late night involving games, food and chatting before our temporary departure from each other. Jesus knows what is best for us and that is to make that move onto higher ground. His kind and gentle hands reaches down to carry us carefully to a higher plane, on the mountain that is our faith. May our hearts be willing, knowing that His will and His pleasure is in seeing us grow up spiritually. Dear Brothers and Sisters, do not forget this year s theme: Higher Ground! Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith, on heaven s tableland, a higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.