Giving Youths the Burden for Missions
by Peter Shankar, Secretary-General of the Malaysian Centre for Global Missions
Photos courtesy of Janet Luison
YOUTHS from Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States, Denmark, South Africa and many other nations gathered in Malaysia for thePlan11, an international youth missions conference organised by the Malaysian Centre for Global Missions (MCGM). MCGM is the national missions body for Malaysia commissioned by the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) Malaysia. MCGM is also a member of the WEA Mission Commission.
thePlan11, held at the Selesa Beach Resort, Port Dickson from 31 Aug to 3 Sept 2011, saw the burden of missions placed on youths. They had the opportunity to learn about real-life missions and missional issues, and discovered opportunities to get involved in. They had the chance to connect with serving missionaries through a Missions Fair involving 12 agencies which displayed their resources and programmes.
The youths raised pertinent questions as they explored the possibilities in missions. We hope the deliberations on these issues during the conference can be an inspiration and guide to many more youths as they think about their future and the impact they can make.
Issues on youths and missions
Can I Be A Student and Still Do Missions?
Students often wonder if they can actually do something more while they are studying. A common problem the youths raised was the issue of parents being over-concerned about their involvement in church or missions. Other common issues raised were time management, uncertainty about communicating the salvation message, fear of rejection by friends, and peer pressure. At thePlan11, participants discovered the many opportunities and potential that exists for students to make an impact in their circle of influence.
Business, Work & Missions
Christian youths often struggle with the view that serving God and pursuing their professional careers are two separate paths. Students in their final year of secondary education and young working adults talked about the challenges of integrating missions and God into their workplace. They discussed the perception that one had to give up his or her work or business in order to enter full-time ministry. Students were shown a paradigm shift, whereby a professional career or job could also be part of missions or be missional in intent. They were given practical ideas on tent-making and business as missions.
Strategic Prayer & the Unreached Peoples
The participants learnt how to engage in strategic prayer for the critical issues of our times and for Unreached People Groups. They were bound together by the common desire to seek God's guidance in confronting the challenges facing the world we live in, targeting the acute needs of humanity in focused prayer. Prayer resources were introduced. Many testimonies and stories were told about the significance of praying for the nations.
Reaching the Poor, Needy & Lost
Realising that 50% of the world's population live in non-urban areas, youths saw the need in helping the poor, homeless, orphans and widows. Youths left with a heart of compassion wanting to give to the less fortunate.
Sports & Missions
Youths were intrigued with the fact sports is a unifying factor that brings people together regardless of gender, race and religion. They came to realise the power of sports in uniting communities. Youths were captivated hearing stories from Wong Kou Fu, who played soccer for Malaysia in the 1972 Olympic Games and the 'XtraMiler', Alexander Au Yong who recently ran 100km to raise funds for charity. They used sports as a means to bring God glory and to make His name known to the nations.
Politics & Missions
Students heard stories and real life experiences of how God uses believers as agents of change in the political arena. The students learnt that they can stand by Godly principles even in a crooked world, and be noticed by the world. Students were given the opportunity to sign up for internships to serve with a political party during their campus breaks.
Social Media for Missions
Reaching the youth of this generation will require working through social media. Almost all the youths who attended thePlan11 are social media users. Students understood the power of using social media in missions and learnt the potential of using Twitter, Facebook, blogs and chats to hold a variety of missions-related conversations in cyberspace: encourage missionaries, fund-raise, mobilise missions, and advocate missions amongst students.
Persecution
Learning about the persecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith made participants realise that the challenges that Christian converts face, some to the point of being martyred for their faith, especially in many countries with restricted access.
What next for youths interested in missions?
thePlan11 will continue to keep regular contact via email and social media with conference participants about missions resources, workshops, consultations and events. Prayer guides and profiles on Unreached People Groups will be sent out regularly through email and social media.
Participants will also be connected with missions agencies for short-term and long-term involvement, as well as be given avenues for short-term or holiday internships during school or university breaks with agencies. Field exposure in Southeast Asia will also be facilitated. Several missions trips are being planned for 2012 to the Sea Gypsies in south Thailand.
The next thePlan conference will be in 2012 in East Malaysia, and the 2013 conference in West Malaysia.
If you are led to contribute towards the cause of advocating and engaging Malaysian youths for cross-cultural missions, please do send an email to mcgm.my@gmail.com. We'll be glad to accept any offerings towards thePlan Conferences which are aimed at raising Malaysian youths to be a blessing to Malaysia and the nations, and to making Him famous in schools, colleges and universities.
MCGM secretary-general Peter Shankar can be contacted at shankarpeter@gmail.com.
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