In local Adventist churches, sometimes it is forgotten there is a bigger community of God's people. For this reason, Area 7 Youth Vespers has begun bringing together churches throughout the Central California Conference. This is especially true for young people, who are in need of connecting with the larger Adventist community in the conference.
“It's nice for them to see that there's actually other young people seeking after God as well,” explained Ricardo Camacho, who oversaw the Area 7 Youth Vespers at Hope Madera Church in Madera on Jan 10. This was their first time hosting the vespers, which fit well with their church made up of mostly youth.
The Hope Madera Church was founded with one idea in mind: to reach the youth. They felt there was not enough of an Adventist presence for the youth in their area. Several local leaders met and founded the church on seven central values. From when it was started, young people have continued to fill the church. Currently, there are about 50-60 young people coming to church each week.
The Area 7 Youth Vespers took place Friday evening at Hope Madera and included a meal, fellowship, and worship. One of the young people involved spoke, then this was followed up with a question and answer session. “I think one of the highlights is that all of the Area 7 pastors came on stage and did a question and answer session. Everyone was so engaged because they were asking relevant questions and the pastors were more free to answer than in a normal church congregation,” said Camacho.
This question and answer session was led by Pastor Daniel Govela from Fresno Central Church. Some of the questions included how to navigate devotional life, what to do with social media, how to stand out as Christians in addition to questions on sexuality, relationships, career, life calling, and more.
The response to this event was positive, including many youth requesting it be done more often. “They were very blessed to hear real answers and just to get together with other young Adventists,” said Camacho. “They were able to share faith, and get to know other people from our area whom they wouldn’t normally get to know. People really like that about the whole program.”
Written by Brennan Hallock
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