Latest / Eurasia Region Podcast / S1-E80 | Everyday Eurasia | Jeries Haddad

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S1-E80 | Everyday Eurasia | Jeries Haddad · Eurasia Region Podcast

• 0:00
  Hello and welcome to the Everyday Eurasia podcast,
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  Inspiring Faith for Every Day. Each day we are on a journey
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  with Jesus in our churches, our homes, our workplaces, and in so
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  many different places around the world.
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  Is it beautiful that no matter where we are, we can walk with
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  him every single day? Jesus is the one who connects us
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  all and stands at the very center of our lives day after
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  day. Through this podcast, you'll
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  hear voices from across the region sharing devotionals that
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  reminds us of God's presence in our everyday moments.
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  This week we're joining NYI Nesrin Youth international
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  Eurasia. Young people from across the
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  region will be sharing their stories in daily devotionals,
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  voices from Scotland to India. Today we're joined by Jarius
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  Jerius serves as the Social Media Manager for NYI Eurasia,
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  where he works closely with young people across the region
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  to tell stories of faith, leadership, and creativity.
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  Passionate about amplifying young voices in the life of the
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  Church, he believes young people are not just the future, but the
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  presence of God's mission. Through digital storytelling,
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  podcast, and short films, Jarius is committed to creating spaces
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  where youth can share their testimonies and live out their
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  calling. Hello everyone, My name is
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  Jerius and I serve as the Social Media Manager for NYU Radio.
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  Today, I would love to reflect with you on something very close
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  to my heart amplifying young voices in the life and mission
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  of the church. I'm speaking not only as someone
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  who works with youth, but as a young person myself.
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  When we talk about young people in the church, we often hear the
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  phrase the next generation. But I truly believe this is
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  incomplete. Young people are not just the
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  future of the church, they are the church now.
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  They are worship leaders, creators, servants, thinkers.
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  They are the next pastors, district superintendents,
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  missionaries, and leaders. But they are also leaders today.
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  God is already shaping the church and the world through
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  young people. Not later, not someday.
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  Now. Our role as a wider church is
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  not to wait until young people are ready.
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  Our role is to trust them, walk with them, and make space for
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  them. If we truly want to amplify
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  young voices, then we must do more than encourage them with
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  words. We must give young people real
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  responsibility, invite them into discussion making.
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  Let them try, lead for, fail, learn and grow.
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  Help them see the wider church beyond their local context.
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  This means giving young people tasks, yes, but also giving them
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  opportunities. Opportunities to serve,
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  opportunities to lead, Opportunities to be part of
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  something bigger than themselves.
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  Most important, we must give them platforms.
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  Platforms to share their testimonies, their creativity,
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  their theology, their question, and their faith in their own
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  voices. I want to share a short personal
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  story. From a young age I love two
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  things, technology and creativity.
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  I loved social media, technical work, filmmaking, and even
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  before that I loved writing poems.
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  What changed my life was not just discovering these passions
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  but having a pastor who saw them.
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  Every time there was a celebration in the church, I
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  would go to him and say I wrote a poem and he took me seriously.
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  He would say, OK, yes, I will give you 5 or 10 minutes on the
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  stage. Share it.
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  Even when there were leadership program that technically
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  required participation to be over 18, he would come to me and
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  say I see leadership on you. I want you to attend.
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  Later, when I wanted to study filmmaking, Even so, it was
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  difficult and uncertain. He told me.
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  We will support you. We will give you the resources
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  to study what you love. That trust changed everything.
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  And years later, when I start serving with NYU Eurasia, I
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  experienced that same trust again.
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  I was given a space to think creatively, to dream.
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  Together we say, let's create a podcast where young people can
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  share their stories. Let's use video and audio to
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  amplify youth voices. Then we dreamed Even Bigger, a
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  library of short films and documentaries telling the story
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  of young people and what God is doing in their lives.
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  And that door was opened. Today, when I meet young people
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  who have ideas for social media content and creative projects, I
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  see something beautiful. When youth share testimonies
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  online, when they create art videos or reflections, they
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  encourage other young people because youth listen to youth.
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  If we are honest, young voices are no longer found on radio or
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  television. They are found on Instagram,
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  TikTok, Facebook, creative digital spaces.
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  They are not distractions, they are mission fields.
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  If we don't give young people space to share the gospel
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  through the platforms they already live in, then we are not
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  truly amplifying their voices. And if we don't invite them to
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  lead at camps and projects and churches and regional spaces, we
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  are holding back something God wants to release.
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  So this is my invitation from a young person to young people and
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  to all leaders listening today. Give young people space.
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  Give them trust. Give them room to be creative.
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  Let themselves with what they love.
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  Let them lead with the gifts God has given them.
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  Because when we amplify young voices, we are not losing
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  control of the church. We are participating in God's
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  work. Let's pray.
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  God, thank you for the young people you are raising in your
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  church. Thank you for their creativity,
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  their their courage, their faith, and their questions.
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  Teach us to listen. Teach us to trust.
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  Teach us to make space. May your church be a place where
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  every young voice is heard, valued and empowered.
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  And maybe have the humility to walk alongside the leaders you
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  are already forming in Jesus name.
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  And. Thank you for listening to the
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  Everyday Eurasia podcast Inspiring Faith for Everyday.
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  For more Everyday stories, subscribe on this podcast
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  channel, follow our socials, Facebook and Instagram, or our
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  newsletter snapshots. For our newsletter and further
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  information about the Eurasia region, visit our website,
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  eurasiaregion.org.