|PIC1|HONG KONG- The first ever Hong Kong Baptist Youth Conference took place last weekend, with more than 1,400 youth Baptists in Hong Kong revealing their passion to serve the Lord.

Co-organised by the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong and the Chaplain of Hong Kong Baptist University, this first-ever Baptist Youth Conference convened with the aim to help the youth congregation reaffirm their identity as Baptists, and to encourage them to respond to the calling to serve the Church.

The conference was targeted at teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 35.

In light of the aging congregations in most Baptist churches in Hong Kong, the Baptist leadership said it was inspired by the impact of the Baptist Youth World Conference held in Hong Kong in 2004. That event drew more than 5,000 young Baptists from all over the world.

The Church said it now believes it is time to revive the young generation, so they can be set up as new leaders for the future.

The one-day conference on July 7 kicked off with worship and praise at the University Hall of the Hong Kong Baptist University.

All participants united in chanting the conference slogan "We are Youth, We are Baptist!".

Rev Fung Ka Keung from Shatin Baptist Church delivered the keynote message, in which he challenged youth to stand upright on The Truth and become ambassadors for the Lord.


[Editor's note: Christian Today Correspondent Claudia Cheng in San Francisco contributed to this article.]