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Simon McLellan represented New Zealand as an observer at the 2015 Asia-Pacific assembly of Christian Life Communities (CLC) that has just ended in Taipei.
CLC is one of the oldest lay organisations in the Church.
It is present in more than 55 countries, and was established in Wellington in 1997.
Held over four days, the meeting aimed to embrace youth in the world with the theme, with a slogan “Asian youth! Arise, shine!”.
Forty-five delegates from 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region shared ideas and experiences towards the assembly theme: “Youth and Formation for mission in our Region today.”
“It was amazing to watch the way countries from the region came together for a common theme,” said Simon.
“Everyone was deeply respectful of others attending, yet there was a sense of mission and purpose towards youth that we needed to bring out in a new context.”
“Overall, CLC in New Zealand is in good heart,” comments Simon, “although we are still very new here.”
“Many countries are wanting to support us to grow, especially Australia, and bring us into a wider world assembly.”
“It was very gratifying to hear that, although there is long way to go.”
“Some CLC communities have many young people as part of their programs, while others had much older participants and struggle to attract young people,” says Simon.
“New Zealand probably sits in the middle somewhere, with an equal mix of young and old members.”
Simon added, “I will take so much away from my time in Taipei.”
“If I had to come up with one thing that stood out for me, that is, that CLC is part of a strong global community that is ready with support for others.”
Source
- CLC Media Release
- Image: CLC
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