KPCA: Unity in Christ

Our church presbytery, The Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad, is celebrating its 40th anniversary and in celebration the executive team decided to host a joint youth conference for all the churches within the presbytery. From January 2nd to 4th, 8 churches across the Greater Toronto Area gathered in Muskoka Woods for a time of worship, prayer, teaching and fellowship.

I had the honour of being part of the organizing committee and I would like to share some takeaways and thoughts on this gathering:

1) We made an active decision to takeaway the frills and emotional drivers of a typical youth conference to focus on teaching and equipping. Our praise team led us in classic and contemporary hymns with rich lyrics that taught us truths about our God and faith. Our sessions and seminars were geared to address the modern concerns of the young Christian. I thoroughly enjoyed the praise as I was concerned that the response would not be positive, but I was pleased to encounter quite the opposite as the youth could tell that these songs were enriching and powerful in what they taught.

2) Our denomination is not what unites us but it is Christ alone; his life, death and resurrection. The gospel of Jesus is the only bonding variable of the church and it must be thoroughly understood and received.

3) Sin is a tremendously grievous thing. The sessions helped us to understand this depravity within us as a result of the fall. We are not just imperfect, but we are criminals against the Lord of the universe. Sin's enormous wretchedness puts into light the enormous work of Christ on the cross as he extended grace. When we understand the gravity of sin, only then can we truly understand and appreciate the extension of grace,

4) We must learn to forgive as God forgives us. Our main speaker hammered this point home with an extreme act of vulnerability as he shared immensely personal stories. His story helped to put into perspective the difficulty of forgiveness, the need to forgive others and the resulting benefits of forgiving others.

5) The church may be small locally, but it is grand globally.

6) It is truly magnificent and humbling to witness the future of the church engaging with God.

I was blessed to have been a part of this process and pray that God would bear fruit in the young lives that were participants of this small event. May all glory be to God!