This year’s Katoomba Youth Christian Convention, known as KYCK, totalled roughly six thousand delegates over the three weekends and saw some 900 young people either become a Christian for the first time, or recommit themselves to following Christ.

The theme of this year’s convention, which concluded last weekend, was This is Love, focusing on the book of 1 John through six talks.

One of the two speakers at the convention, St Faith’s Narrabeen youth pastor Dave Miers, says that he was overjoyed by the response from many of the youth, and hopes to see them continue to follow Christ in the months and years ahead.

“It is such a joy to see young lives changed by the gospel, to change as they’re confronted by God’s incredible love for them, shown at the cross,” he says. “And I think it’s right that people are moved, I think it’s right that their affections are stirred by the cross of Christ. My prayer for those who responded is that this would not be a 24 hour emotional response, that it would continue in a week, continue in six months, six years, and into eternity.”

Chairman of the KYCK committee and associate minister at Menai Anglican, Steve Wakeford, says that he was particularly struck by the three Saturday nights of this year’s convention.

“The Saturday is kind of the outreach talk, the evangelistic talk, and kids are called to make a response on that night,” says Mr Wakeford. “It’s really easy for that to lend itself to being a hyped up night. The guy who was doing programming and music was a fellow called Andrew McWade, who goes to Castle Hill Anglican, and he came up with the idea of doing the music and in a very acoustic and pared back way, after the talk, and that allowed for it to be not at all hyped.

“I walked down the back of the shed from coming from the tent where kids had headed to sort things out with God, and I hear the guys from City Surrender [a church band from St Paul’s Castle Hill, who lead the musical worship] playing 'Ten Thousand Reasons'. It was acoustic, so you couldn’t hear the music heaps, but you could just hear this enormous sound of 2000 kids singing. It was almost deafening.”

Mr Miers says that he saw people responding for the first time within his own youth group, but says he is also encouraged by people who have come back year after year after their first professions of faith at KYCK, as well as those who have used it as an opportunity to rededicate themselves to discipleship.

“One of the things I want to work on when I preach evangelistically is I want to slow down and take time so that people know what they’re signing up for, and know what’s actually happening,” he says. “I’m really thankful for those who become Christian for the first time, but I also really like the idea of a recommitment. There are many Christians there who have made some kind of commitment before, or who grew up in a Christian family, but I can look at my own youth community and see kids who aren’t really living for Jesus. So that’s important to me.”

This year’s convention also gave youth the opportunity to interact with representatives from Anglicare Sydney, Voice of the Martyr’s youth initiative Thirteen Three, and Compassion International, as well as serving the people of Katoomba in a practical fashion by being part of a volunteer street clean-up.

Image: KCC