November
2011 - Vol. 54
.What
Happened at Adelante
by Betty Banks
This August, men and women from Kairos
groups in 22 countries headed to Spain. Their destination was not the beach,
but a military base in the Basque region where a long-awaited conference
– Adelante – was being held. It started with Prep10, ten
days of practical service and training to equip over 100 people for responsibilities
both at Adelante and in their home outreaches.
Adelante itself was five awe-inspiring
days in which 400 students and young adults came together to share what
it means to be part of a growing international network of young people
who share a common vision of Christ-centred, ecumenical, missional community.
I was one of them.
We slept in barracks and ate military
food. We played capture the flag and still have the scratches to prove
it. We connected with friends from all over the world and built new relationships.
We worshipped and praised the Lord together, and met him. We received teaching
on the stories of Daniel, Joshua and Esther and attended a range of workshops
– mission, bio-ethics, the single life, Christian courtship, goal setting
and writing worship songs were just some of them.
“Adelante!” is Spanish for “go forward!”
and the theme of the conference was doing just that – with boldness and
courage. As individuals and as a people we were equipped, envisioned and
emboldened to take steps for Christ in our lives and our worlds.
After Adelante, 250 people headed
to Madrid for World Youth Day and to serve young Christians from
all over the world at the Kairos Soul Food Cafe.
[Betty Banks is a Masters
student in Russian Literature and member of Koinonia,
the Kairos-affiliated university outreach in London, England.] |
Special
Kairos Report on Adelante Conference –
August 2011
prayer
meeting at the Soul Food Cafe
World Youth Day and
the Soul Food Cafe
by
Marie-Claire Flynn
.
The
Soul Food Cafe was a series of events hosted by Kairos in a large outdoor
tent during the World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid. WYD is a worldwide gathering
of over a million young Catholics which takes place in a different country
every three years. The week-long fiesta led by the Pope offered pilgrims
the chance to grow closer to Christ whilst celebrating their faith with
many other young Christians. Over 250 Adelante participants, representing
a number of different Christian traditions, helped make Kairos’ input at
WYD a success.
And
so, for two days Kairos welcomed individuals and groups of young people
to join a program of music, discussion sessions, testimonies, art displays,
a charismatic prayer meeting, line dancing... and selling some much-needed
cold drinks. Split into different teams, everyone had a chance to serve
one of these aspects of the Soul Food Cafe. This, I felt, was unique as
it was the first time that I had experienced my brothers and sisters from
many different Kairos outreaches serving as one team. This resulted in
a fantastic showcase of Kairos talent: people singing and playing the guitar,
people speaking a different language every few minutes as they welcomed
guests, as well as people that organised the logistics of keeping hundreds
of coke cans ice-cold in the +40 C heat.
| ...An
amazing worship time in a tent full of people that we had invited where
we sange in English, Polish, Arabic, and Spanish ...that signified to our
guests Kairos' unique international scope. |
The
Soul Food Cafe culminated with the prayer meeting on the Tuesday evening.
Despite the fact that many of us were tired, we had an amazing worship
time in a tent full of people that we had invited where we sang in English,
Polish, Arabic and Spanish. And our huge flag pole carrying over ten different
national flags, signified to our guests Kairos’s unique international scope
amongst many other groups there in Madrid. We also prayed over people for
the gifts of the Spirit and for some, physical healing.
The
Soul Food Cafe was a chance for us to witness to others about the Lord
and Kairos’ work for him.
[Marie-Claire
Flynn is a member of UCO, the Kairos-affiliated university outreach in
Glasgow, Scotland.] |
