The Structure of the Report Is As Follows

Grahamstown

Introduction

To our Connexional Co-ordinator, the Connexional Executive Delegates and visitors I humbly greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Amen

The Grahamstown District thanks you for this opportunity afforded to us to table the report of the Youth Unit. The report will cover the period March 2009 to March 2010

The structure of the Report is as follows:

Spirituality

HIV/AIDS

Poverty Alleviation

Youth Unit

Objectives

Challenges

Plans

Resolutions Referred by CYC

Financial Statements

Conclusion

Spirituality

Bible Studies, Praise and Worship, Healing Services, these are some of the ways in which we make sure that each and every member is fed spiritually through the help of our Ministers.

HIV/AIDS

We do not have any up and running projects addressing this, but we have done programmes focusing on the equipment of young people to deal with the epidemic.

Poverty Alleviation

No programmes or Projects to address this have been put in place yet.

Youth Unit

The Grahamstown District operates with 3 Entities, i.e. Children’s Ministry, Wesley Guild and MethSoc and one District Executive comprises of 3 Reps from each entity. We also have the same structures at Regional and Circuit Levels.

Children’s Ministry

For the past 3 years the Children have been gathering at District level on an annual basis and the numbers are improving every year.

Practitioners also meet annually to equip each other, share skills and the ‘know how’ of Children’s Ministry.

Wesley Guild

The Youth is involved in social welfare of the community by involving themselves in the programmes like ‘Lend a Helping Hand’ which was initiated by young people in January 2010 where kids were given school uniforms.

Orphanage and elderly homes are visited and the youth take turns in cleaning and provide worship services.

Methssoc

We have 3 Institutions of higher Learning, namely Rhodes, Fort Hare and NMMU.

Methssoc has been operating separately for some time and the way it’s structured it’s not exactly the same as our Districts.

They do hold their Provincial Conference but plans are in place to work together and support each other as Entities under one Unit.

Objectives

Strong working relationships between the 3 Entities and to build our District;

we seek long term projects like the one started this year of “Lend a Helping Hand” and above all, to look after the young minds of the church(children), nurture them, equip them so that they grow to become the next leaders of our church and be able to make it in the world.

Challenges

It’s still difficult to determine the actual number of the youth including Children in our District due to non-existence of a registration System.

Funds for the Unit are also one of the major challenges we are facing, the Unit is currently functioning with zero budget.

The Audited Financial Statements will shed a light in this regard.

Children’s Ministry Curriculum should be implemented but it is still unavailable to us and we are still awaiting a copy.

Empowerment of Children’s Ministry Practitioners (Religious and Social knowledge that is relevant to Children).

Plans

Emanating from the Bishop’s call to work together for the “Healing and Growth” of the Unit, we have a decision making team which sits twice before Youth Synod and after the main Synod.

There is training in place for all our CMP’s per Regions;

Each CMP is to register annually with R10;

Each Child is to register annually with R2;

Each Circuit is to register itself with R250 towards Children’s Ministry Fund;

Each Guilder to register with R15;

For the sake of consistency we will have a 2 year cycle when it comes to main Synod Delegation i.e. we will retain few from the previous year`s delegation.