Berekum (B/A), Sept. 9, GNA- The Reverend Eric Somuah, Sunyani Area Youth Leader of the Church of Pentecost, on Thursday said a church or a nation without policies for youth development is headed for catastrophe.

Delivering the welcoming address at the opening of a three-day spirit empowerment conference of the church for the youth in the Sunyani Area, he stressed the importance of the youth in church and nation building and called for the right youth development policies.

The conference was under the theme, “Empowering the youth in this contemporary society”, and attended by about 1000 youths from various districts of the church in the Area.

Rev. Somuah said the current generation and the youth were confronted by the complex and diverse issues and realities hence the needs of the youth needed to be addressed with lasting, biblical, creative and cutting-edge tools and policies.

It is in this regard that the conference is organized to empower the youth to live for Christ everywhere in line with the vision statement of the church’s National Youth Ministry, he added.

The youth leader urged the youths at the conference to aim for divine encounter that would transform them and their Christian lifestyles.

Rev. Charles Boamah Asante, Sunyani central district pastor of the church, noted that the world as a global village had exposed the youth to different cultures, lifestyles, distorted views and belief systems that were alien to Ghanaian culture.

“The sophisticated nature of the communication technology, which seeks to make life easier, has at the same time corrupted our values thus throwing morality to the dogs”, he said.

He said noted that the mass media had also through films, adverts “and even the manner through which news is broadcast” had exposed the youth to so many vices.

The Pastor mentioned rape, sexual assault, armed robbery, gangsterism, drug abuse, vandalism (foot soldiers syndrome), internet fraud, Satanism and occultism, as some of the social vices on the ascendancy.

Rev Asante reiterated the need to empower the youth to be able to counteract the challenges of their time and build a formidable and a hopeful future.

“The youth can be empowered through the word of God, skills training both academic and domestic and the Holy Spirit.

The participants were taken through topics like ‘My God, my relationship’, ‘the youth and prudent financial management’, ‘understanding the Times and Seasons’, ‘empowered for excellent impact and reproductive health issues’.