asfACTS Volume 53 Issue 1

asfacts THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF ANGLICAN STUDENTS’ FEDERATION December 2013 Volume 53 Issue 1 In The Beginning In this issue In the Beginning 1 Editor’s Note 2 ASF Arbour Day 4 In and Around ASF 6 ASF Online 7 Adieu Fr. J Nongalaza 16 Creative Writing 17 Provincial Executive Committee 18 Ever wondered how and why ASF was formed? I have, not satisfied with watered down version on the ASF website. I dug a little deeper to find khanya.wordpress.com. The blog of an Orthodox Christian, Steve Hayes. The post is titled “Youth Ministry”, I retitled it because I can… I hope you find it as interesting as I have found it. Also, is an extract from another post in the same blog titled “Tales from Dystopia VI: 1960 was a very bad year” “Youth Ministry” could mean two very different things Ministry to the youth — youth are the objects of ministry Ministry by the youth — youth are the subjects and agents of ministry The parish priest and I met a few of the young people who did come to church, and told them about the two kinds of youth ministry. We said that up till now it had been “the church doing something for the youth”. That would end. There would be no more youth worker, no one arranging programmes for the youth. But if anyone was interested in the other kind of youth group, not the “church doing something for the youth”, but “the youth of the church doing something”, we would be willing to help and support them in it. It was not something that would be done by someone else, that they could “come to” if they felt like it. They were it. If something was to happen, they would have to make it happen. Rather reluctantly, a few decided to give it a go. We gave them the model of the Anglican Young Peoples Association (AYPA), an international Anglican youth organisation. It was based on parish branches that had a committee, which planned the programme, and was responsible for liaison with the clergy, parish council and other parish bodies. The committee was elected by the members, and the members were admitted publicly at a service after a Continues on page 3 Page 1