The Summer Youth Gathering was held across Japan in various locations. The regional director was present at each of these gatherings, where everyone offered a prayer to God and, after the initial greeting by the regional director, sang original songs of World Church of Messiah and took part in various activities. Here we will report on some of these gatherings.
The Shikoku Region Summer Youth Gathering was held on July 16 at Marine Park Niihama (located in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture). Approximately one hundred people participated in the gathering. In addition to listening to the read-aloud of a book from World Church of Messiah’s children’s series “Glory and Grace and Their Forest Friends,” participants became better acquainted with each other through activities such as the watermelon splitting game, barbecue and more.
The Chubu Region Summer Youth Gathering was held on July 30 at the Jokoji Outdoor Activity Center (located in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture). Approximately 160 people participated in the gathering, including non-member friends. Everyone had fun with games like treasure hunting and cooking outdoors.
On the same day, July 30, the Hokuriku-Kansai Region Summer Youth Gathering was held at Gulliver Village (located in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture). Approximately 210 people participated in the gathering. Participants spent the whole day in contact with nature, playing in the creek and taking part in other recreational activities.
We received numerous comments from the participants expressing their realization and the deep emotions they felt, such as, “I felt God when we sang ‘Ie-ji (Goin’ Home)’” and “I was able to realize that the life of God is present even in insects and other creatures.” The summer gathering became an opportunity for the participants to turn their hearts to God and deepen their bonds with their fellow brothers and sisters of faith.
