Teen 2005 help youth strengthen faith, recommit themselves to Lord

Agra – Hundreds of Christian teenagers from India’s northern states converged in Agra and participated in a unique festival of faith known as Teens 2005 that was held between May 15–19.

According to the co–organizers, Jesus Youth International, Teens 2005 was aimed to bring together young people aged between 12 and 19 from different cultural and social backgrounds.

Jesus Youth, a movement that took root in Kerala in the early '80s, has outgrown India and spread globally over the years. Today Jesus Youth is active in many Asian countries and some parts of the United States, Canada and Europe.

The Santvana community and the Agra Diocesan Youth Office were the two other bodies that co–hosted the program to enable the youth to initiate a new lifestyle that is Christ centered and faith giving.

The theme of the program was ““A New Generation–A New Lifestyle.”

Calling the event “a great event of faith for the teenagers,” John Sebastian, one of the Jesus Youth leaders, said that the program helped “inspire them, guide them and impart in them a new lifestyle for this modern world.”

The festival consisted of inspiring talks, intellectual debates, soul–stirring music, attractive video and theatre presentations and sublime prayer sessions.

Most of the teenagers who had registered for the program belonged to the north Indian dioceses such as Agra, Ajmer, Delhi, etc. Some delegates from the Jesus Youth International also came down to attend the festival.