Ndukuba hosts JGIYC team, plans for 2022

Primate of the Church of Nigeria, The Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba has commended the team that planned the maiden edition of Joshua Generation International Youth Conference (JGIYC), as well as the youths that were physically and virtually present at the JGIYC’s conference, which held from April 5 to 10, 2021 at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State.

Ndukuba made the commendation, when representatives of the planning team of Advent Cable Network Nigeria (ACNNTV), General Manager, Engr. Korede Akintunde and Personal Assistant to the Primate, The Ven. Yemi Fatunsi presented to him four photo-books that chronicle the conference’s stories.

Receiving them in his office, the Primate noted with joy that the conference, which was attended by over 22,000 youths across Nigeria and other African countries, was well mobilised and organised. He appreciated all those who took the pain to plan it within a short notice and prayed God to continue to shape lives of the team members.

Ndukuba, who said over 2,000 youths had volunteered to be missionaries at the maiden edition, noted that the Church of Nigeria, Directorate of Missions and Church of Nigeria, Mission Society (CNMS) had commenced online training for them. He had in the maiden conference called on the youths to volunteer for world mission under the auspices of the Church of Nigeria.

In his words: “The Anglican Church in Nigeria has the task of mobilising the Universal Church into World-wide Mission, in order to prepare the Church for the return of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our great expectation is that God will raise small groups of believers united in the Word and Prayer, encouraging one another and bearing witness to the power of God in Christ Jesus. We earnestly desire that God will raise kingdom-focused young people who will be very willing to obey God in a very radical way, to make the difference and be the change and change agent in our time…God is going to raise many witnessing Christians in this Conference. More than 1, 000 people will go forth from this Conference into the harvest of souls in mission fields with their education, skills and knowledge across Africa and the World.

“From now on, we shall go into the nations of the world as ambassadors of Christ in our vocations. As God demands, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us’? May it be that someone in this Conference will hear God and say, ‘Here am I; Send me.’”

Ndukuba, who is also the convener of JGIYC, disclosed that plans have started in earnest for 2022 edition of the conference, which has been scheduled to hold from April 18 to 23, 2022 at MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja. Calling for prayers for the planning team and supporters of the conference, the Convener said the plan was to host 40,000 youths in the second edition.

Joshua Generation, according to him, “is the generation of young people, who like Joshua and Caleb, refuse to be discouraged or resigned to despondency; rather, they believed God and stood up to possess their possession. The Joshua Generation is Youth Mission Initiative of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). It is aimed at empowering Youths through the faithful proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, engendering pure faith, hope and love in Christ Jesus in every young person.”

Explaining further, Ndukuba said JGIYC Conference aims at engaging the youths in an intentional discipleship, and empowering them to unleash their great potential and creativity, natural talents and spiritual gifts in order to impact on their areas of God’s call upon their lives, thereby impacting on this Generation positively. He argued that if the Church would fulfil its mission and ministry and the nation will rise to its leadership role in Africa, then, young people must be mobilised unto mission and nation building, so that leadership of the Church and nation will be in their hands.