Sharing the Bible: YCLC Youth Summit for Unity
Photos courtesy of YCLC
“This summit presents the contents of the Bible — it’s not to change the content of the Bible to cater to certain audiences,” said Minister Mika. “It’s really to reveal the truth that is in the Bible in a logical way, a rational way that even scientists and atheists on college campuses can see the reality of God.”
Min. Mika was one of two emcees to host the YCLC “Youth Summit for Unity: Reconciliation and I” on Sept. 9 at the Los Angeles Family Church. The recurring program brought together more than 50 young people of different backgrounds and beliefs.
“The direction that many young people are headed toward today is not [God’s] ideal,” Min. Mika said. “We see that they are more drawn to worldly desires and selfish wants [instead of] church and faith.”
The solution is proper faith education and guidance, YCLC leaders said. “Schools try to chase away faith and religion,” Min. Mika noted. “But we don’t have to accept that as our reality. That’s why we’re here [at this summit].”
The Young Christian Leadership Conference (YCLC) was established in December 2019 under the leadership of True Mother and has since been actively organizing summits and other faith-based programs and activities across its regional chapters. The summits are a deep dive into the Bible and Jesus’s mission, examining various passages, followed by group discussions.
The recent program closely looked at why the birth of Jesus was important and what this meant for humanity. “Jesus was the individual to remove the original sin that has been passed down for generations,” said a summit presenter. “Jesus proclaimed, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,’” she said, quoting scripture (John 14:6).
The program followed Jesus’s course and concluded with his prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane. “This was when Jesus knew plans for his arrest were taking place,” said another young presenter. “Even as his disciples were falling asleep, Jesus was praying so intensely ... The reason that Jesus felt sorrowful wasn’t that he was afraid of death ... He was worried about his responsibility to successfully achieve the destiny of history, [and] he embraced this heartbreak.”
The summit featured different faith leaders, as well as panelists including Min. Barbara Black from City of Refuge, Pastor Jason Malveaux of Progressive Community Church, and Min. Dixon from Faith and Love Community Church.
You can watch the full YCLC summit here, and donate to support its ongoing activities here.