Over the weekend, from 17 to 19 May, the national congress of Adventist youth was held in Monopoli (Bari). There were around 80 young people present, including staff and participants, coming from many churches in Italy.
An "awakening" that starts from young people
The spiritual guest was Samuele Barletta, pastor of the Adventist Church of Naples and other communities of the area. During his passionate interventions, he spoke about "awakening" in different historical periods and meanings. Samuel started from the biblical period of the Judges, defined in Scripture as the time in which the people of Israel "did what seemed best in their own eyes" (Judges 17:6) and, therefore, had a strong need for revival. Hence, the past. Barletta made an application to all participants in the current historical period. With a brief overview of the first Italian Adventist communities, he presented the theme with today's need: the need for a new awakening. A looming need for everybody, today, in its different forms and with its unprecedented challenges. The new generations are called to face this challenge. This is the appeal participants heard in these three days of meetings.
The activities
On Sabbath morning, participants spent some intense moments at the historic Adventist community of Gravina, in Puglia. Brigida Laterza told the story of the local church’s founding which made it, in many respects, one of the first centers of propulsion of the Italian reality inherent to our denomination. The community gave participants the typical southern welcome: Apulian focaccias, taralli, desserts, etc.
For lunch, the whole group moved to the church of Bari, where they experienced the great hospitality of the members, enlivened by a huge table of delicious dishes.
The congress ended with a recreational evening, spent between songs and board games, during which all had the opportunity to get to know each other better.
All participants heartily thanked the organizers of this unforgettable meeting. In the acknowledgments, the excellent musical band was not forgotten. Their music created an atmosphere of great spirituality, guiding all participants in praise with passion and talent.
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