By Selina Venier
THEY couldn’t contain their excitement.
Members of the national NET (National Evangelisation Teams) group were “so pumped” to be at Emmanuel Community’s Ignite youth conference from September 27-30 at Rothwell, north of Brisbane, their feet hardly hit the ground.
“We’re stoked to be here,” national team member Adam Burns, who is serving for the fourth time as a NETTER, said.
He’d been to Ignite before “but not the whole thing”.
The national team was on hand to run the Year 8-10 “Blaze” stream, to promote the peer-to-peer ministry of NET and “generally help out”, Adam said.
A highlight for him had been witnessing the faith of other young people.
“Whether they are in small groups or in prayer, it’s just great to see how ‘on fire’ young people are in their faith,” Adam said.
“At Ignite young people are really seeking the Lord.
“Their faith gets me ignited and encourages me to keep going.”
There were 24 NETTERs helping at Ignite with the local teams in Emerald and Sydney bringing delegates.
The Mazenod College Team from Melbourne helped facilitate Ignite Kids.
Ignite Kids had a range of activities organised for them to participate in – prayer time, craft and ball games to name a few.
The NET national team travels around Australia and works with young people, families, schools and parishes.
It offers “Encounter Days” where the “basic message is … that Jesus Christ is Lord, He desires to free us from sin and He provides abundant life for us”.
NET uses “creative and relational activities” as well as discussion, drama, testimony, music, prayer and the sacraments “to bring the young people to the realisation that in order to live lives in true freedom they must choose to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ”.
In 2012 NET has a number of local (parish-based) teams and a university ministry.
At Ignite, Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane applauded the more than 20-year outreach to young people and the Church.
For more details about NET go to www.netministries.com.au
