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Post-Soviet Baptist youth to hold forum in Ukrainian city

The First International Congress of Christian Youth of the CIS and Baltic Countries will be held on 26-30 August 2008 in southern Ukrainian Odesa. RISU’s Ukrainian-language site posted the news on 22 August 2008, reports RISU.

The organizing of the congress in Ukraine was supported by Ukrainian Premier Yulia Tymoshenko; Minister on Matters of Youth, Family and Sport Yurii Pavlenko; Parliament’s Committee on Matters of Culture and Spirituality; and the State Committee of Ukraine on Matters of Nationalities and Religions. According to the НХМ Portal, the congress is aimed at discussing topical problems of modern youth and the search of ways to change the present situation for the better.

The participants will deal, in particular, with such problems as drug addiction, teenage alcoholism, the spread of AIDS, divorce, abortion, and child homelessness.

The coordinator of the congress is a Ukrainian national deputy who is also head of the Youth Movement of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Ukraine, Pavlo Unhurian. The deputy stressed the need for the event, noting that, according to statistics, Ukraine ranks first in the world as far as teenage alcoholism is concerned; the spread of AIDS is increasing drastically: in 2007, there were 17,669 HIV infected persons registered and over 160,000 drug addicts. The number of divorces, abortions, suicides and homeless children is also growing.

“Ukraine enjoys a great number of freedoms, particularly in matters of religion. This is a good opportunity to bring up the younger generation on the basis of Christian spiritual values. For it is the lack thereof in young people’s consciences that usually causes the problems so desperately combated by us, but we, most often, fight not the causes but the consequences,” Unhurian added.

The organizers are convinced that Christian youth have things to offer the younger generation. The head of the Christian youth movement of Russia, Yevhen Bakhmutskyi, noted: “We can fill the present vacuum with Christian morals, spirituality and creative energy. This will help not just the individual person but society in general.”

The head of the Christian Youth Movement of Belarus, Mykhailo Korniev, added that “there is a big army of Christians in the post-soviet space, over 100,000 enthusiasts in many fields… Young Christians have experience in overcoming immorality in their life and have the right and the power to influence their peers.”

Approximately 3000 participants are expected to come for the forum. According to the congress’ official web site, more than 1000 participants from Ukraine and over 400 from Belarus have been registered to date. Participants from Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are being registered. All the travel, accommodation, and food expenses are being covered by the participants themselves.

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[08/29/2008]

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