THE METHODIST YOUTH FELLOWSHIP
The Methodist Youth Fellowship was born out of a need to address the unmet requirements of educated young individuals within the Methodist Church of Ghana. Prior to its establishment, existing organizations like the Methodist Guild primarily served people of all ages, lacking a specific focus on the intellectual and spiritual needs of educated youth. Recognizing this gap, the church initiated a reexamination of its youth work in the mid-1940s. A subcommittee was formed to study and make recommendations. It was decided that the church should provide opportunities for educated youth to engage in discussions about faith, life’s meaning, and societal challenges while fostering active service within the church. This initiative aimed to allow young men and women to work out their faith journey themselves. Following these recommendations, the Methodist Youth Fellowships were directed to be established in various churches. The first Fellowship was formed in Cape Coast in 1946. As these fellowships began fulfilling their intended purposes, more branches were established, resulting in a substantial presence by August 2001, with 515 branches and a membership of 21,355.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE FELLOWSHIPS LIES IN THEIR MULTIFACETED IMPACT:
1. Support for Young People: Adolescence is a period of intense change and decision-making. These fellowships provide a platform for young individuals to meet and share experiences, aided by understanding adults. Such an environment encourages their independence while offering guidance.
2. Facilitating Spiritual Growth: Apart from physical and emotional development, adolescents undergo spiritual exploration. The fellowship’s focus on faith and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ helps many youths find purpose and meaning in their lives.
3. Supporting the Church: Engaging young minds invigorates the church, fostering enthusiasm, and cultivating future Christian leaders. The energy and inquiries of young members contribute to the church’s vitality and growth.
4. Contributing to Society: By guiding young people towards responsible citizenship and moral values, these fellowships play a role in shaping the nation’s future. They aim to steer youth in the right direction, benefiting society as a whole.
In essence, the Methodist Youth Fellowship emerged as a response to the needs of educated youth within the church, offering them a platform for discussion, spiritual growth, and active engagement while serving the church’s growth and societal well-being.
THE METHODIST YOUTH FELLOWSHIP — IT’S AIMS
We could summaries the main aims of the Methodist Youth Fellowship as:
1. To provide a means of fellowship within the Methodist Church Ghana suited to the needs of the young people.
2. To help young people to come to a personal faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and providing opportunities to study, discuss and pray about their growing faith in Him
3. To deepen members understanding of the Christian faith and its application to personal, social, and economic life.
4. To encourage members to render practical services for and on behalf of the Methodist Church-Ghana
5. To help young people to appreciate the unity of the Church in its diversity and to promote the sense of belonging to a World Christian Church.
These are summarized in the motto: “WE WORK, WE WITNESS, WE WORSHIP”
THE YOUTH CHORUS / ANTHEM.
The following shall be the Anthem of the Fellowship and shall be sung on all occasions of the Fellowship.
1. We are the backbone of the Church of Christ;
We are his soldiers in the fight for life:
Come let us follow on where He doth lead:
Fellow, follow, Jesus Lads and lasses of M.Y. F
Loud let victory songs resound
We are the backbone of the Church of Christ:
Fellow, follow, Jesus.
2. We’ll light the flaring torch to show the path:
And help the cripple ones to find the way:
Then all the inly blind will see the road
See the road to Jesus
Every foe will bow to our Lord”
While we Worship, Witness, Work:
We are the Backbone of the Church of Christ
Fellow, follow Jesus
Motto and Salutation/Slogan
1. The motto of the Fellowship is : “WE WORK, WE WITNESS, WE WORSHIP”
2. The salutation/slogan shall is : “WE-ONE”
: to indicate our oneness in Jesus Christ irrespective of social, economic, and academic differences in fulfillment of our Lord’s desire and prayer “that they shall be one’.
Our Badge.
1. The Fellowship’s badge signifying the following shall be worn at all meetings and occasions:
a. THE ROUND SHAPE– The world as a Supreme Union of God and all Christian Youth.
b. THE BLUE COLOUR– The Methodist Color and the bright sky.
c. THE YELLOW COLOUR– The rich golden (Gold Coast) Ghana and also heavenly treasure we are craving for.
d. THE SHELL – God the Father protecting all of us as the oyster is protected by its shell.
e. THE SHELL – The Trinity (God the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit).
f. THE LINE UNDER THE SHELL – A chain of brotherhood that links all members of the fellowship to Christian young people all over the world.