Transferring The Gospel in Bristol, UK

An update from Ed O’Mara, Lead Pastor of Chiesa Grazia Sovrana di Torino, Italy and SGC Area Leader for Europe…

From 11-16 August, Grace Church in Bristol, UK hosted its annual G2 Youth Camp. Nearly 30 youth between the ages of 11 and 17 attended. There were youth from churches in England, Wales, and Italy who joined the week and camped out in the countryside of South Wales. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and spiritual strengthening. During the week, the youth studied the book of Ephesians through morning Bible studies. In the evenings, they gathered to worship in song and to hear preaching on the first half of Daniel. The Lord moved among these young people to give them a greater understanding of the gospel and to help them walk faithfully before the Lord, prizing Him as the greatest treasure.

The time was also filled with plenty of fun and relationship building as well. The youth did a scavenger hunt through a nearby seaside town, competed in a laser tag battle, played sports and board games, did crafts, and went to the sea. Meanwhile, everyone ate their share of sweets, spent a lot of time laughing together, and enjoyed nights around a fire (with the obligatory accompaniment of s’mores and hot chocolate!) and gazed at the stars in awe of the Lord’s creation. The week was capped off with a very entertaining talent show put on by the youth.

While this camp was a great blessing to all who attended, it was also extremely spiritually significant. In a continent where the influence of the gospel is waning, it is vital that we faithfully invest and transfer the gospel into the next generation. Our churches, in future years, will not be healthy if we do not take on this responsibility with intentionality and great care. Each step, including this G2 Youth Camp, by God’s grace, presses the gospel deeper into the hearts of the young people who will lead and serve their local churches in years to come.

Our hope is that continuing this context will deepen the discipleship of our youth and develop in them a love for the local church. We pray that they will see the importance of keeping the gospel central and will invest their own lives in faithfully following the Saviour. Please join us in praying that the Lord will bear much fruit and that He will continue to raise a generation of young people in Sovereign Grace, not only in the UK and in Europe but across the globe, who are passionate for Jesus and His gospel and eager to serve their local churches.