Reflections on Jesus Youth (BJRE***)

A Journey I Never Planned — Kairos Personal Essay · Kairos A Journey I Never Planned Mixing Memories and Inspirations for a Focused Mission "As I pray, I see a pen. The Lord anoints you to write." — Spoken at the Jesus Youth Leaders' Retreat, 1986 Read Jesus Youth Movement A personal reflection from a founding leader · Published in Kairos Global The Beginning My Entry into the World of Writing Though I was already a professor — engaged in learning, teaching, and some writing — I never thought of connecting that work with my mission or with Jesus Youth. That word spoken in 1986 didn't feel urgent then. Yet it lodged somewhere de...

Are you a keystone, one who holds everything together? (By Dr. Edward Edezhath - Published in Kairos Global Magazine in 2026) We were discussing how to strengthen one of the Jesus Youth regions. A few months ago, all the leaders gathered, formed clusters to work more effectively, and began meeting enthusiastically. But after a couple of meetings, most people lost interest. Anu concluded her sharing, saying, "Now we are almost back to square one. Where do we go from here?" I thought to myself, but is this a new problem? Isn't this what every group, every ministry faces? I also thought of a question that often comes up in interactive sessions with youth: You have been in this active work for so many decades. What is the secret of this continuity? What prevents groups from crumbling? I recall the endings of many earlier student leaders' gatherings. From June 1986 onward, Jesus Youth began a focused effort to build college groups and activities. To that end, we held all s...