On August 24, the Hong Kong Church Of Christ youth ministry held their very first “Youth Graduation Concert.” With more than 600 in the audience, including parents, youth workers and friends, the performance involved more than 70 youth Christians as well as non-Christian Kingdom Kids.
After a year of planning, the two-hour show combined singing, dancing and drama, through which the teens expressed not only their gratitude for their parents and the youth workers, but they also explored their opinions on God and on dreams. The teens were involved in every aspect of the event, including the performance, and backstage matters such as props and lighting. Entertainment aside, the teens proved to their parents and themselves that they are more than emos or rebels as seen by the society and have became much more confident in themselves. The event not only honoured the hard work of the youth ministry but also unified the Christians as well as Kingdom Kids, building a strong sense of belonging in the church. It was also great to see Kingdom Kids who were no longer committed to the church inspired by the performance and coming back to Sunday Services. Parents were especially touched and impressed, and the event was also aimed to strengthen their faith in the youth ministry.
The preparation of the show was not easy. With so many people involved, much communication among workers and performers were needed and it was also difficult to gather everyone during the busy summer. But in the end, all the hard work paid off especially when we saw teens and parents hugging and crying backstage after the show, touched and inspired by the performance. The unity and bonding between the teens themselves as well as with their parents was like in Judges 20:8, “Then all the people arose as one man, saying ‘Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house,’” (NASB). May God be the glory!