JESUS YOUTH INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY 2019 | KAIROS GLOBAL | FEBRUARY 2020

The Jesus Youth International Assembly was held from 27-29 December, 2019 at Ashirbhavan, Cochin, India with about 200 delegates from 19 countries. 

It was a wonderful opportunity for key leaders of the movement from different parts of the world to come together, pray, discuss and discern about the current happenings and the future direction of the movement. The 3 day assembly included key updates on formation and mission, various initiatives from across the globe, reconstitution of the International Council and very insightful sessions from our dear pastors. The assembly also had a beautiful time of prayer and fellowship across all the three days. The assembly was blessed by the presence of 3 Bishops and 19 priests.

 A new International Council was elected during the Assembly with Shoy Thomas as the International Coordinator and Bejesh Pereira as the Assistant International Coordinator. Antony A.J (India), Ayyaz Gulzar (Pakistan), Biju Viswanath (KSA), Deekshit Sebastian (India), Della Clare (UK), Fionne Lai (Singapore), Midhun Paul (India), Shanuka Pereira (Sri Lanka) and Simi Sahu (USA) are the rest of the members of the new council. Biju Antony (Kuwait) and Jose Mathew (UK) have been selected as the animators and Rev. Fr. Joseph Ezhumayil will be the Chaplain for the new council. Manoj Sunny as the International Formation Director, Raiju Varghese as the International Mission Director and Rev. Fr. Thomas Tharayil as the Priest in-charge for JY priests & seminarians will also be part of the new council as ex-officio members.

One of the highlights of the assembly was the various input sessions given by Bishops on the days of the Assembly. 

On the first day, Most Rev. Bishop James Anapparambil spoke on the three stages of faith in the life of a disciple – having a dialogue with God, followed by a suspension or dark night of the soul and then breaking out into a song citing the examples of Abraham and Mother Mary. 

The next day, Most Rev. Bishop Alex Vadakumthala spoke on the importance of having communion with God, fellowship and commitment to others in order to be a light to the nations. 

On the final day, Most Rev. Bishop Raphel Thattil passionately encouraged the delegates to become Christophers (bearers of Christ) with enthusiasm and joy while paying heed to the signs of the time. He also stressed on the importance of adopting a spirituality of availability, care and giving.

The other key highlights of the assembly were discussions on Formation, Mission, Youth Focus & Youth Consultation Meeting and Mission 2033. Every country presented a brief summary of their activities which helped in having an overall understanding of the activities of the movement globally. Other key initiatives of the movement were also shared. 

Overall, the Jesus Youth International Assembly was a joyful and prayerful time of listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit as the movement moves forward, and a time of collective reflection and discussion on how this could be achieved fruitfully as per the needs and specifics of each country.