Jesus Youth, a cradle for grooming leadership and talents (BJRE031)
Jesus Youth, a cradle for grooming leadership and talents
(By Dr. Edward Edezhath - Published in Kairos Magazine in 2020)
‘I am from a fisherman family and grew up facing all kinds of deprivations. But none of that stopped me from dreaming.” Sabin enthusiastically narrated his personal journey. Three things he should pray for when he visited a new Church his father had told him. He would pray faithfully for a high-quality camera, that he would be the best cinematographer, and that he would do some great media work. They would have laughed if anyone had heard about these big dreams of a poor boy from a seaside village. So, he never told anyone about it. “The great turn in my life happened with joining an active Jesus Youth group. Now I am only 23 and, can you imagine, talent-wise, professionally, and by way of having opportunities to handle expensive equipment, I have done marvelously. All this happened through the unimaginable opportunities and contacts I got in this movement.”
I met Sabin in the context of Covid 19. To give you a little background, many months back, Kerala Jesus Youth leadership wanted to develop clear plans for different talent groups. JY Music, Dramatics, Art, and Media leaders started meeting regularly. I never missed any of those extremely interesting Emmaus Gatherings. They planned a big Talents Meet in April. Then came the bolt from the blue, the Corona Virus. All were confused about the future of these plans. But then, discussions were shifted to online platforms, and once again, everyone became busy and enthusiastic. Leaders, once again, began meeting together, and trainings for specific skill areas were organized separately, all online. This young man, Sabin, is a front-runner in the media section, and after one such meeting, he shared with me his background and the importance of grooming talents in the Jesus Youth style.
Like a nursery for young plants
I remember one of our first trainings was in January 1982, and we proposed preparatory work for the participants. They were coming from 16 zones, and each group was to come prepared with some creative presentation. We from Ernakulam prepared a musical drama entitled ‘The Call.’ Youth from each zone came with different presentations. These were very small steps, but one thing was clear: when many other renewal groups focused solely on prayer and preaching, Jesus Youth groups reserved a special place for talents. What was the vision behind it? Discovering various God-given talents and creating platforms to develop them was as important as growing in prayer and holiness.
‘Jesus Youth ‘85’ was an unforgettable event for almost everyone, not only because of the very interesting preparation that led to the program but also because of its unexpected color, sounds, and mirth. The whole crowd came alive with an awareness and display of talents. From that time onwards, every Jesus Youth program has allowed many talent-specific groups to gather, dream, practice, and present something beautiful.
When young people come into Jesus Youth, every one of them sees something fascinating: musicians see many excellent music bands, starting with the Rex Band, art enthusiasts witness different kinds of exhibitions and beautiful stage arrangements that youth do, those who like dramatics and dance notice highly creative skits and dances, those who want to try their hands on writing see how attractive brochures and magazines like Kairos are born through youth effort, and when they go to online platforms there too are innumerable signs of Jesus Youth creativity.
In brief, many youth who come to Jesus Youth groups see plenty of avenues to develop their talents, and that too with a clear focus and mission. The result is that over the years, so many talented experts, attractive initiatives, and men and women of high leadership have emerged out of the movement. Something here helps build people in personal excellence, launching them on a path of continuing growth. But what are some of these talent promotional elements in the movement?
• For a person, walk with the movement starts with someone introducing Jesus and spirituality in a creative and interesting way
• When they come to groups, they receive much support for inner maturity and overcome personal conflicts, this in turn unleashes one’s creative energy
• While in most other places, one’s talent or usefulness is focused, here, the attention is on the person and his or her wholesome growth
• Programs and conferences become easy canvases for using talents, with rich variety and abundant freedom
• There are a lot of opportunities in the movement, even freshers, to move closely with experts of different professions in a warm and friendly setting
• As there is almost zero material remuneration or reward, even professionals don’t receive any payment for the work or take credit for the excellence of output
Before he put down the phone, Sabin told me, “Eddy chetta, today’s youth spend unbelievable sums of money to study their dream courses and then run around for a mentor or an opportunity to try their skills. I couldn’t afford all that. But in Jesus Youth groups, you have unimaginable opportunities. Conferences became the best forums of skill training for me.” While out there in society, youth must impress everyone to get an opening; in Jesus Youth, there are not only rich avenues, but here, all are so helpful and accepting. Some experts will tell you, ‘Try your hand and don’t be afraid to commit mistakes!’. One thing more, many highly talented youth end up in bad habits and addictions, ruining their career. But in Jesus Youth, you are provided with a safe shield of faith and healthy mind, heart, and body habits. Finally, he said, “Chetta, this is why I try so hard to bring my talented friends to Jesus Youth. And I want them to stick on here.”
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