Life is like a mist, a wind, a dream, there one second and gone the next. The wisest person that ever lived called life futile, fragile, and vain. To what, to whom do we and will we devote our time, passions, and desires? What makes your heart beat? Is it for the One that breathed life, passion, and feelings into us? Have we set out to truly "Love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart and with all [our] soul and with all [our] strength and with all [our] mind'; and, 'Love [our] neighbor as [ourselves]" (Lk. 10.27.)
Months and months of planning finally came to fruition on Friday April 27th and Saturday April 28th. We had an incredible amount of teens in attendance, 411 to be exact, and close to 100 leaders. Churches in attendance included: Grace Family Church, First Slavic, Second Slavic, Third Slavic, Bryte Church, West Sacramento, Bethel, Living Stones, Spring of Life, and a several smaller churches (including individuals teenagers as far as Los Angeles). We had amazing word by our passionate speaker, Vlad Burlaka, a Slavic American Pastor from a local Sacramento region church called City Bible Church. Praise Christ for His goodness and guiding hand to make this event happen!
This year we focused our attention on Devoting Our Passions onto Christ. As in this day in age many of our teenagers focus on things that are temporal, chasing after the wind with their lustful desires. Our aim was to refocus their attentions onto Christ and emphasize the importance of dedicating one’s youth unto Christ in ministry and thereby our entire lives. Our speaker Vlad Burlaka preached from the book of Ecclesiastes where Solomon too chases after the futilities of life and comes to the culmination of his pursuits as: (1) Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment (Ecc. 11:9 ESV) and (2) Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil (Ecc. 12:13-14 NIV).
May all praise be to Christ for the 2018 Teen Conference as without His guidance none of this would have been possible – as He is the passion that burns inside our hearts. Also, I would personally like to thank the following individuals that are part of the core group, all very passionate, dedicated, and sacrificial leaders; truly lovers of Christ: Eugene Zedorezov, Vika Zuev, Artem Tokarev, Alex Prizhilbov, Vlad Prizhilbilov, Ella Prizhilbilov, Olga Prizhilbilov, Oles Androchyuk and wife, Emma Borushko, Lyuba Davidova, Diana Kraynov, Dennis Velkhovoy, Monica Gol, Inna Rozvodovskaya, Vitalik Serduke, Pavel Belev, Vitalik Lozov, Sveta Lopuga, Suzanna Logvinenko, Lily Guslistova, Alex Kiosa, and Vlad Burlaka. A huge thank you to Grace Family Church for hosting this year’s event!
Our aim with the Teenage Ministry for the PCSBA is:
- to preach Christ Crucified, that Christ died to re-establish our relationship with the Father - and the importance of repentance.
- to train up teens in the way they should go, drawing their attention on Christ in Christian daily living
- to encourage teenagers to get involved in church ministry and continue growing in the Word.