EMMANUEL Youth Outreach finished its 2004 Fuel series with one of the biggest nights of the year on November 21.
More than 120 young people, including several parish groups, attended the night of praise, worship, prayer and teaching at St Patrick’s Church, Fortitude Valley.
The theme for the night was Pope John Paul’s exhortation to ‘Put out into the deep’.
Keynote speakers were NET (National Evangelisation Team) Ministries members Matthew Shakhovskoy and Monique Baird, who returned from three months of ministry in Uganda as part of a new initiative by NET.
Matthew shared with the group how living the Christian life was like a game of ‘Pac-Man’.
‘We are running through the maze, discovering new areas of life and trying to avoid the dangerous monsters,’ he said.
‘But there are also special gifts of the Spirit that we can pick up to make us strong and defeat the monsters.’
Monique shared how God called on her to go to Africa, and how her experiences of Uganda and its people impacted on her life.
The night continued with praise and worship and the Fuel band, as well as opportunities to go to reconciliation and take part in prayer ministry.
Anna Surrey from Chapel Hill said she has really enjoyed this year’s Fuel series.
‘It is so good to get together with other young Catholics each month for awesome praise and worship, and to be encouraged in my faith by the young people who share.’
Fuel will resume in February.
Emmanuel Youth Outreach co-ordinator Luke Plant said they were already planning on kicking off the year with a trip to Sonfest, a three-day Christian music festival at Boonah from January 20-22.
‘We are working with a number of youth workers across Brisbane to get a group of Catholic young people along to Sonfest,’ he said.
‘A number of youth groups have already shown interest, and we’d like to extend this invitation to other teenagers and young adults.’
Emmanuel Youth Outreach is also planning to take a group to Germany in August to attend a Youth Arise International Conference in Essen, about an hour’s drive from Cologne, before connecting with the Queensland pilgrimage for World Youth Day in Cologne.
To raise funds for the pilgrimage, Emmanuel Youth Outreach will sell the book A Guide to the Passion, which explores Jesus’ Passion in the gospels as well as in Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ.
For more information or to buy the book e-mail Luke Plant at luke@eyouth.com.au or phone (07) 3394 4333 or (0405) 820 023.
