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3,400+ Youth Empowered to be ‘Strong & Courageous’ in Jesus at KYCK 21

6/5/2021

In April, the KCC auditorium came to life again with powerful Bible preaching, uplifting worship music and the enthusiasm of youth in the thousands! Across three weekends, over 3,400 teenagers and youth leaders from 146 churches attended KYCK, a conference for high schoolers.

After a year of event closures due to COVID-19, it was refreshing to see the KCC auditorium come to life again with powerful Bible preaching, uplifting worship music and the enthusiasm of youth in the thousands!

Across three weekends, over 3,400 teenagers and youth leaders from 146 churches attended KYCK, a conference for high schoolers. Started in 1993, KYCK runs during the school holidays to challenge and inspire the next generation to place their trust in Jesus and to live for Him alone. For many, KYCK is a cherished “safe” space that enables them to deepen their faith in the company of other like-minded teenagers.

“Today was my last day of my last KYCK and it felt so special. Thank you for creating such an incredible, safe and God-filled environment that people from all over the place can feel safe to explore Christianity with other youths. Thank you for helping me all these years in growing and developing my faith.” - KYCK Graduate

For the first time in KCC history, KYCK was hosted as a hybrid event. Delegates could choose between an in-person conference experience in the Blue Mountains, or KYCK Online; a high-quality livestream which gave delegates a ‘front row’ seat from the comfort of living rooms and church halls.

This year, over 300 delegates from 18 churches joined KYCK Online, with many appreciating a more intimate, virtual experience.

“The weekend away was so amazing and even though I watched it livestreamed, the atmosphere was still inspiring! The talks were so good and encouraging and I can’t wait till next year.” - KYCK 21 Delegate

“I just watched the livestream with my youth group, and absolutely loved it! It was my first time “attending” KYCK, and it was one of the best experiences!” - KYCK 21 Delegate

“Congrats to Ed and Katie who did a great job of engaging the live-stream participants. There had been a possibility for me to attend KYCK this year, but the live-streaming made it a certainty.” - Debbie

KYCK MC’s Ed and Katie

This year we had 139 youth groups join in from New South Wales, and 7 from the Australian Capital Territory. The largest group of 100 teenagers came from Christ Church Gladesville in Sydney’s inner west, followed by Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, St Michael’s Anglican Wollongong, Maitland Evangelical Church and Nowra Baptist.

At KYCK 21, guest speakers Brett Hookham (Menai Baptist), Pete Tong (Barker College), and Danny Mitchell (Ann Street Presbyterian, Brisbane) opened the book of Joshua, exhorting youth to respond to the gospel of Jesus with strength and courage. Although we live in uncertain times, our speakers empowered youth to remain Strong and Courageous as God is still the ruler over all the earth.

From the feedback received so far, the music and the Bible talks were the highlight for our youth. Many believed that that the message served through word and song was both “encouraging” and “challenging” and relevant for these uncertain times:

“The talks were really encouraging, revealing more of God’s character, power and love than I was expecting to learn. It was so helpful looking at Joshua. I had started reading scattered bits last year and hadn’t thought to relate it to our everyday lives as modern-day Christians.” - KYCK 21 Delegate

“The talks were great and challenging not just for the youths but for the leaders too. These talks are probably one of my favourite ones just in terms of the way the speakers unpacked the passage, and really used the truths to both encourage and rebuke us!” - Cici

"My favourite thing was the singing. At KYCK, singing is about praising God, having fun and loving Him." - KYCK 21 Delegate

We praise God that as a response to his word being preached, 80 youth made the exciting decision to put their trust in Jesus for the first-time and over 350 youth recommitted their lives to Him.

“This KYCK is my first one, even though virtually. A couple of years ago I completely lost my faith and never told anyone, and I never decided to properly recommit either. Brett’s talk really pushed me, and I decided to recommit to Jesus. Looking at Joshua really encouraged me and my faith.” - KYCK 21 Delegate

“I recommitted to Jesus last night and it felt amazing. I’m even asking a couple friends to rebuke me so I can really know how to shine for God and grip onto him. Thank you for another amazing experience!” - KYCK 21 Delegate

“KYCK 2021 helped me recommit to being a Christian. I started falling away from God through COVID. Going into high school, so many of my friends stopped being Christian as it wasn’t classified as ‘cool’ but seeing all the other people my age at KYCK really helped me realise that I want to put all my trust and faith in God.” - Mel

While KYCK is designed to serve high schoolers, it also exists to serve leaders who get a break from running youth that weekend. In addition, they can use the weekend to deepen their relationship with youth through bonding, learning and sharing together.

“Many of the girls in my discussion group have been challenged to seriously think through their priorities in life from the talks. Would love prayer for God to keep reminding them that He is with them always!”

Do you have a story of how God worked in you or your youth at KYCK 21? Let us know using the online feedback form or by emailing kyck@kcc.org.au. We would love to hear from you!

5 ways to relive KYCK!

Do you have the post KYCK blues? Here are 5 ways to relive the experience!

Follow the KYCK 21 Spotify playlist and make it your playlist of choice!
Represent KYCK 21 by adding a KYCK hoodie and t-shirt to your weekend wardrobe! Purchase KYCK merch here.
Download the KCC One mobile app to relisten to the KYCK 20 talks which will be uploaded on Friday 28 May.
Dive deeper into Joshua and the theme of strength and courage with one of our recommended books.
Tell all your friends why you loved KYCK and encourage them to register for KYCK #4 in September or to join you next year at KYCK 22!

Join us at KYCK 22!

We look forward to having you join us at KYCK 22 as we explore the topic of JOY! Registration tickets and accommodation will go on sale Tuesday 9 November at 9.30am (AEDT) so make sure to tell all your friends and mark this date in your calendar!

For more information about KYCK 22, visit our website: https://www.kyck.org.au/kyck-2022/

KYCK 2022 Promo from kcc on Vimeo.

Stay up to date with KYCK!

Parenting and Disability: On Recognising My Limits this Mother’s Day

5/5/2021

Ahead of Mother’s Day, we'll be sharing stories of every day Christian mothers, and how knowing God and the gospel has shaped their perspectives on children and parenting. In this reflection, Louise Gosbell shares how God has been at work in her family living with disabilities and chronic health issues.

"My self-worth is determined by God, so whether I have a good parenting day or a bad parenting day, I know that my self-worth is determined by God and not my own wins or failures. "

1. What does being a Christian mother mean for you?

Being a mother is a great blessing, but I also feel it carries a lot of responsibility. There are days when that responsibility really weighs on me as I reflect on how I am raising my girls and the kind of women I want them to grow into. There is this tension in wanting to raise them as strong and confident but also humble and willing to learn from others. I want them to speak up for those who are voiceless but also be quick to listen to others experiences and stories, especially when they are different to their own.

In some respect, being a Christian mother adds extra spiritual dimensions to the responsibility of mothering, but, more importantly, it is also a huge relief. I can see that while God has given me a task and a role to play in mothering my girls, they are ultimately His children, and He loves them even more than I can. He seeks their best even more than I do. His plans and purposes for them are better than I could anticipate. So, I find that a huge comfort and relief. It is a reminder to trust God for all things in my role as mother.

2. What do you believe to be the ultimate purpose of motherhood?

I believe that God created families as support networks to help us care for one another. The role of a mother then is to nurture and care for her children. Part of my role is to be a model for godly behaviour and teach my children God’s word, how to love one another, and be good stewards of His world.

However, I also recognise that in a broken world, families don’t always work as they should. So sometimes we can be ‘mothers’ to those who aren’t our birth children. And others can be ‘mothers’ to us when our own mothers are no longer around. That is the incredible way God created us as people created to be in relationship, to have inbuilt support networks in our families, but even if/when those families don’t work as they ought, that we have the church family to provide the love, nurture, and care to us and we can provide that to others also.

3. How has the Gospel shaped the way you parent your children?

The gospel very much shapes the way I parent. My self-worth is determined by God and whether I have a good parenting day (yes, my children remembered to be polite the visitors, I am an awesome mother) or a bad parenting day (oops, I forgot to pay for the excursion on time!), I know that my self-worth is determined by God and not my own wins or failures.

The message of the gospel is one that is centred on Jesus as the one who laid down his life for all people. At the heart of this is God’s love for humanity. In being a model, I want to model that sacrificial demonstration of love and what it means to put others before myself. My purpose in parenting then is not to receive praise from the world or to parent in a way that ‘looks good’ on social media, but to parent in a way that pleases God, demonstrates the gospel and the fruits of the spirit.

My prayer is that my children don’t just hear the gospel taught but see it enacted in all we do and say as a family. I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t always get that right, but I hope I can be willing to be honest about my failings for my girls to learn from that also.

4. What has God been teaching you in motherhood? How have you changed as a person?

One of the greatest things I have learnt as a mother is the need for community. My mother died unexpectedly when I was only 18 and I really became the primary carer to my two younger siblings. At that time, I was staunchly independent. I wanted to appear like I had everything under control and I didn’t want or need the help of others. Through coming to faith and then becoming a parent to my own children, I’ve really learnt the value of the family of God and of community helping and supporting one another. I love Paul’s image of the Body of Christ as a community of different members with different gifts and abilities all serving one another and being served by one another.

When I gave birth to my youngest daughter, I sustained what is called public symphysis diastasis. In essence, the joint at the front of my pelvis separated. Even after 13 years and years of physio and other treatments, I live in chronic pain. This experience as a mother has been difficult as I have had to recognise my own limitations. There are things I see other mothers doing that I simply cannot do. There is grief in that but there is also the reminder again that my value as a person and as a mother is not rooted in the things I do or in the number of holidays or camping or theme parks I take my children to.

Learning to accept and embrace the help of others which has been hugely humbling. There have been many times I could not have been able to get through difficult circumstances without the help of friends and church family. People have picked up my children from school, cleaned my house, folded my laundry, taken my children to dance concerts while I was in hospital. I simply could not do the important job of mothering without the help and support of others. Being a good mother isn’t about proudly trying to do everything myself, but in recognising my limitations, accepting help when I need it, being grateful and joyful in all circumstances, and thanking God for His incredible provision in all these things.

5. What are the joys and challenges of being a parent to a child with a disability and chronic health issues?

When our youngest daughter was only 4 months old, she contracted a rare strain of bacterial meningitis and almost didn’t survive. I will never forget the doctor at the hospital saying, “We honestly did not think you would be taking a baby home from the hospital.” He said, “I don’t use the word miracle very often, but it is a miracle that your daughter survived.”

At 13, our daughter has a range of health issues such as sensory processing disorder, anxiety and a poor immune system among other things. She also has Ectodermal Dysplasia which means she is unable to moderate her own body temperature and is prone to overheating. The combination of all these things mean she likes routine and predictability, as unexpected change can be very difficult for her.

She also has an incredible directness and honesty which can be challenging and refreshing. Her sisters know that she is the best person to ask for advice because she is brutally honest (“Nope, do not wear those shoes with those pants. They look terrible!”). This can be very entertaining but also challenging in trying to find the balance between speaking truthfully and speaking words that can be hurtful.

There is a poem called “Welcome to Holland” by Emily Perl Kingsley, which draws a parallel between preparing for the birth of a child and planning for an overseas holiday to Italy. The lead up to birth is like the planning for the trip. However, rather than arriving in Italy, you instead find yourself in Holland. Holland is not what you were expecting and not what had planned for. But after a period of readjustment, you realise that Holland has a lot to offer.

Kingsley suggests that having a child with disability or chronic health needs is a similar experience of recalibrating your expectations of parenthood to adjust to this new reality. There is an honesty in the poem in expressing the grief over never being able to make it to Italy, but the author finishes by saying “But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to go to Italy, you will never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.” So, while there are certainly challenges with parenting a child with disabilities and chronic health issues, there are also great joys of being ‘in Holland’ and experiencing all that has to offer as well.

"Human frailty or weakness or limitation is no impairment to God’s ability to work in and through us."

6. How does the gospel speak into your role and work as a parent to a child with a disability and chronic health issues?

Through the combined experience of my health issues and my daughter’s, I have learnt a lot about God’s sovereignty: God is “over all and through all” (Eph. 4:1). Even on difficult days, I have a deep sense of God being at work through it all to bring about His plans and purposes. I might not understand every part of that plan, but I can trust that He is at work.

This encourages me in two ways. Firstly, it is a reminder that human frailty or weakness or limitation is no impairment to God’s ability to work in and through us. Whatever our disabilities or health issues, whatever our intellectual or physical abilities or inabilities, God is at work and uses us in His service. And secondly, it gives me a great sense of hope and longing for the time when all humanity and all of creation will be renewed with the return of Jesus. I look forward with great anticipation to a time without physical pain or tears when all will be made right and brought to its completion.

"For all families living with disability, God’s message is, and will continue to be, to take heart and to trust that God will uphold and sustain us through all life’s challenges."

7. If you could encourage other families living with disability, what would you say?

Kate Hurley edited a beautiful book called “Take Heart: For Families Living with Disability.” Kate’s title is drawn from the words of the Psalmist, for example, in Psalm 27:13-14. Here the Psalmist says:

I remain confident of this:
     I will see the goodness of the Lord
     in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
     be strong and take heart
     and wait for the Lord.

Here the Psalmist exudes confidence that whatever life throws at him, God will keep the strength and courage to face it. Kate’s book is a beautiful reminder for families living with disability that God charges us to “be strong and take heart” not in our own strength and abilities but in His. We can trust Him irrespective of what we might be dealing with in the complexities of our families.

For all families living with disability in some way or another, God’s message is, and will continue to be, to take heart and to trust that God will uphold and sustain us through all life’s challenges.

About Louise

Louise is the Dean of Students and Lecturer in New Testament at Mary Andrews College in Sydney. Louise has a keen interest in the issue of disability has completed a PhD which looked at disability in the gospels. She has recently completed a disability handbook which aims to help churches to become more inclusive of people with disabilities and their families. Louise is married to Mark who is a Principal at a special school, and they have 3 teenage daughters.

Enjoyed this read? Read the rest of the series!

Mother, Not Maker: On Relinquishing Control this Mother’s Day

"As a first-time mother, I hope to model a power perfected in weakness, and a strength empowered by faith."

In this reflection, Writer, Heidi Tai, shares what God has been teaching her in both the joys and challenges of pregnancy. Read it here.

Single-Not-Single-Mum: Parenting in Community

“Gods’ community gives me strength when I am weak, so I can be what my children need.”

In this reflection, Author and Blogger, Ruth Baker shares what God has been teaching her in both the joys and challenges of parenting two boys as a single mother in Christian community. Read it here.

‘Motherhood Is Ministry and Ministry Is Like Motherhood’: An Encouragement to Ministry Mums

"The experience of nursing newborns has ‘sleep trained’ my husband and I to express similar tender affections for the church and to serve generously at any moment."

Jo shares how God’s word has transformed her perspective and goals for motherhood and offers a word of encouragement to other mums in ministry. Read it here.

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