Area 7 Youth Vespers

For some years now, it has been a tradition for the Area 7 pastors to hold a quarterly Area-wide Youth Vespers. This time, our host church was the Central Valley SDA Church under the leadership of Pr. Alvin Maragh. Our vespers provide meaningful opportunities for fellowship, worship, and study. Although they are geared toward the young people (youth and young adults), adults also find them meaningful and enjoyable. We, the pastors, believe this is a great opportunity to reach out to our young people, make friends with them, and answer their questions.

The event took place on September 26^th. The doors of the church opened at 5:30 pm, and we were welcomed by a friendly team of local members who were waiting for us with delicious Filipino food. We had fairly decent attendance from churches in our area, including Oakhurst and Sanger, which are outside the Fresno-Clovis area. One young adult from the Sanger Bilingual SDA Church, Elias, who was visiting for the first time, along with another friend from church, shared how blessed they felt by the people's hospitality and camaraderie. They were received so well that this was just what they needed after a long Sabbath day full of duties. After this, they joined the vespers program, which was followed by amazing music from the young people at the Central Valley SDA Church. It was amazing to see all the young people singing and worshiping God with enthusiasm.

But for Elias and his friend, the best part was the message. Our keynote speaker was Pr. Kris De Bruin, our new pastor for the Clovis SDA Church. In his powerful message, Kris reminded us that our true identity is in Christ and that we should not let our brokenness, failures, or traumas define who we are. We are Christ’s image, and that dignity still remains through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ by forgiving and giving us a new life. After the message, they thanked me for having invited them and expressed how much they had been blessed by the whole program.

As usual, our event closed with a Q&A session where all the pastors present had the opportunity to answer questions from the young people. Over the years, we have built a strong connection with our young people through this part of the program, which has become one of our favorites. The attendees have the freedom to remain anonymous as they submitted their questions to a private number. The questions we received vary from theological subjects to more practical issues. One question that is usually asked is: “How do I have a stronger faith and relationship?” Another common question about relationships and how to find the right partner. These questions show that our young people are sincerely looking for answers from God; they want to have a strong faith and do God’s will, and we are glad we were able to provide Bible answers to their questions. As I look back, I am encouraged to continue doing this. This is the purpose of these vespers, and we hope we can continue providing spiritual mentorship and hope to our young people.

Written by Pastor Daniel Miranda