Following the success of last year’s Youth Convention in Johannesburg, we hosted another two regional 2011 Youth Workshops in December 2011.

The first Youth Workshop was held at Sweetdale in Margate (Durban) on 3 and 4 December and the second was at Inzintaba Holiday Resort in Mookgophong (Limpopo) on 10 and 11 December.

The message for both workshops was underpinned by the 2011 American movie The Adjustment Bureau and a speech by the late Steven Jobs, founder of Apple.  

The Adjustment Bureau, which stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, addresses pivotal issues about life - destiny, choices, abilities and the unseen forces that surround us.  It centres on “… the conflict between free will and predestination, and right there, you have the whole dilemma of life, don't you? Either it makes a difference what you choose to or the book had already been written, and all you can do is turn the pages." (Roger Ebert, widely read film critic).

Jobs’ speech, delivered at Stanford University in 2005 focussed on three themes: love, loss, and death. "You can only connect the dots looking backwards,” he said “…so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." He stressed the fact that seemingly meaningless events can recur in the future and in doing so, make sense. He ended his speech with the words, "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

The Archbishop used the movie and speech to steer his message, juxtaposing them with the Bible and our church’s values. He used the text from Jeremiah 29:11 ("For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord) to point out that God has a master plan for each and every one of us. He also stressed the role of His angels in our lives.

"The plan of God can be altered if you seek the author," he said. Changing this plan requires a certain quality of relationship and seeking God is heavily dependent on the guardian, which is your angel or Holy Spirit. At the KZN Youth Workshop, he added that one of the main ways to connect with angels or God is by listening to good music, especially gospel.

According to the Archbishop, we need to stay connected to our angels because they give us a sense of direction and the purpose to pursue the master plan God has for us. "Angels are operational agents in our lives and they will never go out of God's plan," he said.

He also appealed to the youth to always fight for God’s purpose in life, and concluded with the closing remarks from Jobs’ speech, "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

The 2011 Youth Workshops were a rejuvenating retreat and an intrinsic experience into the dynamics of our relationship with God and His angels. The youth also thoroughly enjoyed the soccer, volleyball and trampoline on offer.

The following comments were posted on our Facebook Youth Group, Congreez.

"We have got this one right, the workshop was amazing. We went, we saw, we experienced, we connected, we shared, we laughed, we cried, we conquered and we witnessed God at play." - Lindiwe Mdletshe.

"The wealth of knowledge that was shared was heart warming and we all benefited from sharing our opinions and views." - Senamile Mhlongo.

"God has a master plan for each one of us, the workshop was so great." - Mpho Mudau.

"I came home with a flame that will never be extinguished!" - Samke Mkhize.

"I have attended many workshops in my life but this one, 2011 Margate left a mark on my soul, heart and mind. Thanks for words of encouragement from our honourable Archbishop." - Qinisani Mashabane.

"A great event that changed my life, the 2011 Margate Youth Workshop." - Bridgette Hlatshwayo.

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