Young people ages 13 to 25 came together for the Ontario Division’s first-ever Youth Creative Conference in February. Youth Creative is a divisional initiative that began three years ago with the goal of bringing together creative expressions of ministry. The one-day conference, which took place at Northridge Community Church in Aurora, Ont., offered workshops and sessions for every art form and creative skill set.

“It was a day to empower, equip and inspire young people to use their gifts and to seek out new skills they can use to worship, serve the kingdom and build the church,” says Katie Fuentes, divisional Youth Creative program co-ordinator.

The theme of the conference was storytelling, and the theme Scripture came from Psalm 145:4-7. The conference featured guest speakers from various creative fields, including videographers, rap and spoken word artists, worship leaders, sound engineers, visual artists and more. “We want young people to see that they can use their gifts to share the gospel, to tell a story—their own story or God’s story. You can tell a story through writing a song, through rapping, through production, lights and sound, through photography and videography,” says Fuentes.

“A lot of people who attend our churches see a brass band and choir, but they might not see other creative areas they can fit into. We want to show them that they belong in the church. No matter what their gifts are, there is a place for them,” continues Fuentes.

Main session guests included Brooke Nicholls, a Juno Award-winning worship singer, songwriter and artist; Raymond To, a rapper and spoken word artist; stuntman and Guinness World Recordholder Scott Hammell; Pat Chown, who taught audio essentials; Matthew Osmond, media ministry consultant with Canada Bermuda Youth, who taught video production; and Leone McComas, who explored visual art and drawing. Each guest offered their own masterclass, while Captain Jason Dockeray, territorial secretary for children and youth, offered a storytelling session.

“God is the best creative that there is. He created the earth. He created us,” says Fuentes. “Creativity can play a huge part in our faith and ministry. The Youth Creative Conference was a great reminder of that as we worshipped our creator and learned to tell his story and our story through the gifts he’s given us.”

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