A GROUP of young adults renewed their passion for God and the Gospel when they attended two weekend retreats hosted by Emmanuel Youth Outreach.
The first retreat, called ‘Releasing the Power of the Gospel’ on July 30 – August 1, was co-sponsored by Holy Spirit Seminary and Evangelise Now ministry.
Keynote speakers Jan Heath from Petrie parish, and Shayne and Shanelle Bennett from NET Ministries (National Evangelisation Teams), spoke about the need for the world to hear the Gospel today and the importance of every person to proclaim the Gospel to others.
Fifty people attended the weekend from across Brisbane, including nine seminarians from Holy Spirit Seminary and five priests involved in the seminary and vocations.
Bray Park parishioner Kate Anderson said she felt ‘so on fire and full of passion to do God’s work’ after attending the weekend.
‘So many things were made new again to me and put into a new light,’ she said.
The second weekend, ‘Come and See’, from August 13-15, drew another 30 young adults.
The focus for the weekend was discovering God’s promise of life to the full and experiencing a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Sessions were presented by young adult members of Emmanuel Youth Outreach.
Jay Drenkhahn from Fig Tree Pocket said he enjoyed the small groups structure of the weekend.
‘It was great to be able to share about my life and faith with other Christian young people,’ he said.
‘I’ve also found that my prayer is more fruitful since the weekend.’
One of the highlights for Joe Davies from Mansfield was on the last night. ‘The presence of the Holy Spirit was very strong, and I really felt it personally touching my heart,’ he said.
Emmanuel Youth Outreach’s next monthly Fuel night will be on September 19 at St Patrick’s Church, Fortitude Valley.
For more details visit www.eyouth.com.au or e-mail luke@eyouth.com.au or phone (07) 3394 4333.
