Assemblies Church of God in Malawi President, Dr Edward Chitsonga
By John Saukira
The Assemblies Church of God in Malawi President, Dr Edward Chitsonga has urged youths in the country to be aggressive when discharging the religious duties.
Dr Chitsonga who has just been elected as World Assemblies of God Mission Commission President was speaking in Lilongwe at his Glorious Temple in area 47 Lilongwe during the commemoration of youth day.During the day, all the church activities were given to the youths.
Chitsonga said youth is a critical group of society because in Malawi or even Africa youths are the largest group.
Chitsonga said the current leaders will go and there is need to have youths who should inherit the leadership.
“There is need for continuity in church administration that is why we as a church is determined to promote our youths” He said.
Chitsonga said Malawi as a country, need more God fearing country for it to develop. He said that is why as Assemblies they are doing it possible to empower the yyyouths.
“In Assemblies church of God in Malawi we make sure that we empower the the youths at all levels,” He said.
He said Religion is one of the most important aspects of many people’s lives and that Churches serve as valuable hubs for people of all ages.
Chitsonga beamoned that one of the groups that is often left out of the conversation is the youth group.
“Therefore, today, we will be talking about youths in the church, their role and the importance of the church for the youth.” He said .
He said Traditionally, youths are considered to be a period of transition from childhood to adulthood.
He said Youth in the church can actually be and do anything they desire saying for instance, some young people choose to attend a youth ministry, where they can learn, communicate and grow in a safe and faithful environment.
“As we have mentioned before, youths can take on any role they like in the church. First and foremost, they can be the consumers. Young minds are perfect vessels for information. There is no better time to teach them about God, religion and spirituality other than in their younger years. If they are encouraged enough to participate in the life of the church when they are young, they will continue to do that in their adulthood.” He said.
Dr Chitsonga said another important role of the youth in church is providing a fresh perspective on things.
“Some older people might be too stuck on outdated ideals. The goal of the youth is to offer their own view on the situation/topic, from which everyone can benefit.
Young people often have more energy than adults, which makes them the perfect choice for various organisational jobs. Lots of teenagers are great at organising and holding various celebrations and events, as they usually have lots of amazing ideas adding that apart from being in control of things like planning, youths should also act as a helping hand. This could mean many things: young people can take on the cleaning duties; they can help the oldest members of the church; they can also help other youngsters in their search for God and spirituality.”
