Local youth attend YC

Times Contributor    

 

Over 13,000 youth from across western Canada, representing a host of denominations, filled Rexall Place in Edmonton May 24-26, for YC (Youth Conference), including a group of five junior high students from Nazareth Lutheran Church in Standard.

“This is love,” based on the verse from 1 John 3:16, was the theme for this year’s edition of YC, Canada’s largest Christian youth conference now in its 19th year. The theme was intended to help the youth consider love from three angles: God’s love for us, the love He desires from us, and the love He wants us to show others both at home and around the world.

Raeanne Pettifer, Christopher Everett, Maren Everett, Erin Lomond and Peter De Waal were kept running with a weekend packed with concerts, speakers, workshops and fun, that kept them going from 8 p.m. on the Friday night until 6 p.m. on Sunday.

“The concerts were the best part – especially Skillet,” said Pettifer, referring to the multi-platinum selling group that played the opening concert on Friday night.

Others enjoyed the speakers, such as Reggie Dabbs, who spoke about how God’s love and grace was the key to setting them free from past hurts and tragedies.

Other speakers included Matthew Barnett, founder of the Dream Center in Los Angeles, and Bob Goff, author of the New York Times best-selling book “Love Does”, both of whom encouraged the youth to put the love God has for them into action for others and not to let anyone tell them they were too young to do so.