What are the Orthodox youth of Africa concerned with? What do they want from the Orthodox Church?

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African Orthodox youth concerns

         

The Orthodox youth of our Holy Metropolis have the very same concerns and questions as every young person in the rest of the world:
What will be their future? What will they invest their lives in? Where will they channel their dynamism and skills? Where will they work? How will they survive? Will they prefer to live in a village or a town? What does marriage, family mean? What do difficulties in life mean?
In a place completely lacking in terms and conditions favorable to their educational and professional advancement, this questioning turns into a nightmare for the young people who were only able to graduate from primary or middle school. And now what? And now where? Since there is no possibility of financial support from the family, emancipation on the part of the young man or woman is necessary and imperative.



Especially for the Orthodox youth, there are questions related to their Christian identity and intention to consciously and responsibly live according to it.

• How can I be adequately trained in topics of true faith and life with completeness and clarity in my own language?
• How can I live a consistent Christian life and who will be the right companion to follow me on this path?
• How can I be an active member of my Church, when I lack experience and do not meet the educational requirements?
• Where will I look for a spiritual guide experienced in the life in Christ, when almost all my spiritual fathers and brothers are neophytes?

Besides the typical questions described ή raised above, there may be other concerns as well. In any case, our youth contemplates, observes, reflects and expects our Church to guide them with sincerity and authenticity.
Thus, we are greatly responsible for responding to these concerns of theirs. Because above and beyond material deprivation, the natives of Africa ask the Orthodox Church to give meaning to their life and existence. To genuinely reveal to them the person of Jesus Christ, their Creator and Savior. To interpret for them the mystery of life and death. To convey the message of hope and resurrection to them. To get them drunk with the heady wine of the eternal Kingdom. To drive them crazy with the madness of Christ’s sacrificial love for them. This is the “what” of the Church and our faith in Him.
It is our vision that more and more people discover in the face of the God-man “the Way, the Truth and the Life” of their lives; that His Kingdom spreads and gains ground inside our hearts, so that someday all people on Earth will become one living entity in the Christ, will be bathed and shine in His light and love.

From the Holy Metropolis of Mwanza

http://orthodoxmission.org.gr/2014/05/african-orthodox-youth-concerns/