When asked if he enjoyed PY Encourage, Hany Abraham didn’t hold back. “It was lovely. I wish it was on three times a year!”
Hany looks after the youth group at Merrylands East Presbyterian, a church that runs both an English and Arabic service on Sundays, and a youth group on Friday nights. Hany has been attending MEPC for 35 years now, and has been involved in leadership for the past eight or nine, taking on responsibility for the youth program a couple of years ago.
Earlier this year, Hany spoke at PY Encourage on a panel about multicultural youth groups. PY Encourage is a training event run by PYNSW to gather those leading in youth ministry around Sydney in NSW for networking and training that isn’t normally accessible through a local church. It makes for a day of connecting, sharing and learning from others working in youth ministry facing similar and different challenges and opportunities.
For Hany, the panel on multicultural ministry to youth was also a huge encouragement. “It felt amazing to hear other people’s perspectives and to see that this is normal. We’re all very much in the same boat. From a Korean background, from a Chinese background, we’re going through similar struggles.”
Like many multicultural churches, the youth group of MEPC is often where a lot of cultural and generational differences reach a friction point. One particular challenge that faces many of Hany’s youth is the heavy emphasis placed on respect for elders in their culture. They are learning to balance their desire to honour and please their families, with the need to find and understand faith for themselves that is based on a personal knowledge of Jesus, not just family traditions.
Issues like attending the cinema on a Sunday, leading worship in shorts or the right age to start dating can spark debates about what is the right and respectful thing to do when older and younger generations disagree. Hany has found that these teenagers value their youth group as a place to talk through these issues, laugh a bit about the funny side of it all, and find a way forward that honours God and keeps the peace. “We try early on to teach kids how to decipher between what is biblical and what is cultural,” Hany says.
Friday nights at MEPC start with the leaders arriving and setting up, and also praying together before the youth start rolling in between 7.30pm and 8pm. Sometimes the kids play handball or table tennis, but often they just want to chill, hang out and catch up with friends, before heading upstairs around 8pm for the program to start.
This more structured section begins with an opening prayer and some songs, and then someone will share for a few minutes about a book they have read or a mission trip or ministry project they have been a part of recently. Then there is a short sermon, usually delivered by Hany or one of the leaders he has trained. The leaders and kids then break into groups, usually one group for older boys, one for younger boys, and the girls all in together. At the end of the night, everyone gets together and has a meal. Hany has found offering a solid, delicious meal really encourages the kids to hang around and talk further.
Hany also runs a yearly inter-church sports competition that engages many different denominations and backgrounds, with the one common thing being faith and love for sport.
Hany believes what keeps bringing kids back to youth group is the fellowship. “You can learn about Jesus on YouTube,” he says, “but if you come to church, you get fellowship, and you build relationships you can turn to when you’re in trouble, or when you’re having conflict with your parents.”
“A lot of the ministry is to the parents of youth as well,” Hany explains. Pressure to do well in their studies is a common issue that stops kids from prioritising church. Often, Hany is working to help their parents understand that while school is important, their relationship with God and their faith must always be the biggest thing in their lives. This can be hard in a culture that highly values academic achievement and worldly excellence.
The make up of the youth group, which is usually between 30 and 50 kids attending on a Friday night, is about 85% kids whose parents attend the church, and about 15% kids being brought by friends. These kids are often from other backgrounds and cultures where parents would disapprove of them attending a Sunday service, but a Friday night youth group is seen as a lot more acceptable.
With these different challenges and needs, the opportunity for Hany and his fellow leaders to access training and meet others in a similar role through PY Encourage was too good to pass up. And it proved to be a wonderful time of fellowship and connection as well.
“It was a great time. Lots of laughing and silly jokes,” Hany remembers of the panel discussion in particular. Hearing experiences from those who grew up in very anglo-centric churches also helped Hany appreciate all the colour, vibrancy and joy that the multicultural church brings, as well as the complexities.
“One guy shared how in his church growing up, he would just go to church, have a biscuit and a tea and leave. But in his church now, he loves the cultural food and that people hang around for three or four hours just eating and talking. He loves it. It was refreshing to see the other side of the coin, and appreciate some of the big benefits.”
PY Encourage will be running again in Sydney in 2027, with various regional hubs also running training events. Whether your youth group is small, large or just you starting out, PY Encourage can help you learn practical skills for ministry and connect you to others also seeking to reach young people in NSW with the good news of Jesus.