A BREED BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL | KAIROS GLOBAL | AUGUST 2021

Author: Ashlin K Benny

Intro: To beat the pandemic blues, Ashlin K Benny undertook an online journey through several gatherings across the length of Kerala and a few beyond, to meet this JY breed.

COVID cases were at their peak, and like everyone else, I was wrestling with what to do next? So I decided to explore the faith lives of teens and youngsters in Kerala¹. 

I planned to virtually visit all the regions starting from the north of the state to the south. I opened the Zoom app, entered the meeting ID and password – youngsters these days can be found quicker online. I first landed at Kasaragod² in a Teens Meeting. It was there I saw many youngsters between the ages of 12 and 18, their video profiles huddled up, full of excitement and joy. They were all singing songs, playing games, and praising God, and that too on a virtual platform. I got lost for a moment in their excitement. A few minutes later a thought popped up, ‘How can these kids be so ecstatic, that too in the midst of all this negativity?’ I was curious to know more and privately messaged one of the teens and asked, ‘What is happening here?’ He said, ‘Our full-timer, Ashwin Joseph is here to visit us and he planned all this for us.’ Full-timer? Who is a full-timer, I wondered and continued to message another teen, ‘Who is this full-timer?’ He responded, ‘He is like our older brother but from afar. He journeys with us and helps us grow in faith.’ It was with a pinch of pride that I left that meeting. It was definitely very good but couldn’t anyone organise similar meetings online, I wondered. And continued with my journey to the next region and the next meeting. 

Anyone can influence teens and elders but it’s not that easy to share faith on campuses. It’s a whole different area filled with many challenges, and a mere full-timer on his own couldn’t be able to do much. This was my feeling as I joined a Campus Meeting in Mananthavady³. To my surprise, I saw campus students celebrating Christmas online, that too with freshers who hadn’t been to the campuses yet due to online classes. Their seniors prepared videos for them and organised a Christmas celebration. This was such a creative idea; surely this couldn’t be the work of another full-timer or could it? I decided to message a student anyway, ‘Whose idea was this celebration?’ Even the campus student confirmed, ‘It was our full-timer Abi Joseph who gave us this idea.’ That’s when I realised that these full-timers were not only able to influence teens and elders but also campus students to walk closer with Christ.

Soon I was in Kottayam⁴, the land of achayans⁵. There I saw an exhibition taking place and I thought to myself, ‘So great are the possibilities of online platforms.’ It was a pro-life exhibition which focused on topics such as suicide, pornography, and abortion, all being communicated through posters and videos. I decided to contact a person to know more about the exhibition. The elder brother said, ‘We have a full-timer for Kerala Pro-life ministry, he is the one who initiated all this, Melvin George.’ Another full-timer, that too working with pro-life ministry? I thought full-timers mainly focussed on teens and youngsters. The exhibition was an attractive initiative, ‘Must be the full-timer magic that is circulating these days,’ I thought and slowly left the meeting.

As I began to learn more, I realised that full-timers are a small group of people specially chosen by God. ‘One month training, one year formation for a lifelong commitment’ is their motto as they run around to share God’s love with others. I too longed to be part of their chosen gang. Moreover, I had thought this was something that took place in Kerala and India only but then I was contacted by a friend and learnt that even in Ireland there is a full-timer who works for the teens there. Jesvin Jimmy journeys with them as an elder brother to help them experience the living presence of God. 

I began to admire these full-timers. Even during this pandemic, they are so brave and creative in sharing the Good News with others. To know more about the situation outside Kerala, I visited a group in Tamil Nadu⁶. There too the online gathering was filled with excitement and music as the youngsters prayed and interacted. As expected the presence of a full-timer was also there and to my surprise, this full-timer was not from Kerala or Tamil Nadu. Dedicated youngsters like D. Hrivine Elizabeth from Northeast India were also taking up this commitment to work for the Lord during this difficult period. At a time when most people have locked themselves inside their homes and are frustrated thinking of what to do next, a group of people called full-timers began to come together, to pray, to learn and share the love of God they experienced to all age groups. Seeing this I’m also stirred up to become a full-timer.

Jesus Youth Full-timership

Jesus Youth Full-timership is a year-long formation programme for graduates. The selected candidates will undergo a holistic training that lasts for approximately one month and are then commissioned for a one-year formation through a missionary placement. 

It started in 1991 when a Jesus Youth got an inner call to commit his life completely for one year as a missionary in the Jesus Youth movement. He left behind his academics and career for the service of the Lord. After consulting with the leaders and elders of the movement he launched himself into this new journey, visiting places, touching the lives of people, and challenging young minds in campuses and parishes across the Indian state of Kerala. Today full-timers from different parts of the world are being trained, formed, and nurtured to share the flames of mission in the new age. 

Ashlin K Benny is a BTech graduate. She lives in Malappuram, India with her parents and siblings.