Young Adults Gather at the Cathedral

On Sunday night the Lady Chapel at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul was filled to standing-room only, with over 110 young adults from across our diocese packed into the space.

The aim of the gathering was simple but powerful: to bring together young adults from the many communities and ministries around the lower North Island for a night of fun, worship, and prayer.

The evening carried the enormous privilege of hearing from Ants Watts, leader of Joyya, a freedom business based in Kolkata, India, which provides employment pathways for women to leave sex slavery. Ants was joined by Priyanka, one of Joyya’s production managers. While Priyanka herself has not been in slavery, she spoke with deep conviction about her heart for women and children in the neighbourhoods around Joyya, and the hope she sees when people are given a chance to flourish.

Together, Ants and Priyanka spoke of the God who disrupts us so that He can dispatch us to those with no hope, both globally and right here in our local contexts. Their words reminded us that the call to follow Jesus is always a call to move outward, carrying His love and justice into the places that need it most.

Afterwards, Anglican clergy had the chance to pray with many young people who expressed a renewed passion to give their lives away more wholeheartedly for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. It was a night that left the chapel buzzing, filled with joy, challenge, and the quiet stirrings of God’s Spirit at work.

- Ven. Scottie Reeve