The General Conference’s initiative of Global Youth Day (GYD) 2018 was celebrated across the length and breath of the Northeastern Conference on Sabbath, March 17. This year’s theme in focus was “Food and Water Drive”.

Here, once more, youths were commissioned to ‘Be the Sermon’ – to ‘be the hands and feet of Jesus’.

The NEC Youth Department marshalled all youths, and registered a diverse variety of over 35 projects for all participants. These projects were culturally relevant as youths showed compassion across Englis h, Spanish, and French communities.

One of the highlights of the day was the “STOP HUNGER” project, hosted at the NEC Headquarters. Youth, Pastors, and Conference Officers converged at the office from 6:30am to 9:30am. The lobby was quickly converted to a disaster-response/meal-packaging production line of energetic servants of Christ.

The vision, and exhilaration of this project even impacted passersby. “This is a high and holy day of community services” noted one Elder. “We cannot afford to stay in the walls of the church like an elite group. I was on my way to church, but when I saw all of this amazing activity, Sabbath School can wait for a few. Can I join in? Do you have an extra t-shirt?”

Accordingly, with all hands in action, the team of 50+ participants exploded in cheers, and ‘hallelujahs’ as the celebratory gong was sounded, with the accompanying announcement: “we have reached our goal! We have packed 10,123 meals!” Hallelujah! Within the allotted time-frame, they successfully realized the goal – to pack 10,000 meals that would feed 10,000 individuals in disaster-hit areas of Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Western Africa.

With Pastors as the last participants to lay hands on the final packing of the boxes, prayers have ascended to God to prepare the way for the safe delivery of these meals.

From Buffalo, to NYC, to Boston and beyond other varied projects provided food and water to the homeless; outreach ministries, prayers, worship services, gospel tract distribution, water stations, flowers, food, sandwich movement, prop-up markets, soup kitchens, and blessing/care packages, at Churches, nursery homes, shelters, police precincts, fire stations, bus-stops, train stations, laundromats, on street corners, high-ways and by-ways.

NEC eagerly anticipates Global Youth Day 2019, and in the interim, all youth are empowered, and equipped to serve in ongoing Compassion activities across the Northeastern Conference. Thus, all continue to align with the NEC Youth theme: “ARISE: Rescue, Revive, Redeem”.