What exactly is Antioch?

Basic aspects of the Youth Movement

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  WHAT IS ANTIOCH????

Antioch is a Christian youth movement for young Christians aged about 15 to 25 years old. A distinctive feature of Antioch is its youth aspect--members of the group lead meetings, organise talks (which are also given by youth) and all the general handling of the group. It is a mean for young Christians to grow in love and faith in a community of peace and trust.

The name "Antioch" derived from that of an ancient city situated in Asia Minor, Turkey. Now Antioch is known as the City of Antakya, capital of Hatay province in Turkey. It was at the city of Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians; also that's where they began building a community among themselves. The Acts of the Apostles made sound description of the spirit living among believers in Antioch at the time, most notably their selflessness in living together as a family.

Their lifestyle was highlighted by their willingness to share and loving care for each member of the community, which gradually made them witnesses to Christ and His resurrection. People were drawn to them as their goodwill continued to spread, especially as persecution in Jerusalem persisted.

This spirit of togetherness manifested to the broad belief today in Christianity, and Antioch the youth organisation aim to re-live the lifestyle where sense of community belonging takes dominance, evolving in Jesus' name, and in turn proclaim the Good News.

THE ANTIOCH WEEKEND

At approximately six months intervals, each Antioch holds a Weekend program. It stretches for three days with two Leaders (one male and one female), and the general attitude of the Weekend resembles that of the Christians at the city of Antioch--members of the Antioch community would spend the three days together, at all times, as one big family.

Major aspects of the Antioch Weekend include:

• There are 13 talks, all written and delivered by fellow members of Antioch.
• Share groups after each talk to discuss issues raised and each person's experience.
• Community meals.
• Separate "Sleep groups" for boys and girls during the two nights.
• Two sessions of prayer meetings, where we pray together as one community, asking the Lord to fulfill the needs of the Team.
• A music ministry, consisting of talented musicians in the group, provide the Weekend with plenty of musical entertainment. "To Sing is to Pray Twice"---as St Augustine puts it.

The main objective of the Weekend is to take a retreat from the busy schedule in each person's life, in order to discover more about ourselves and Jesus in an atmosphere of community love. This is done because the Antioch community head for this very goal.

SYMBOLS OF THE ANTIOCH WEEKEND

There are two symbols of the Antioch Weekend:

* The ROCK--Solid, hard, very difficult to be penetrated through. It stays the same through the time. Should we stay like the rock through the Weekend, we would just stay the way we are when we arrive on Friday night. We may feel safe, but certainly wouldn't be able to grow spiritually which is what we aim for in an Antioch Weekend.

* The ROSE--A little rose bud would gradually blossom and become a rose at its brightest. It takes in water, and opens to anything it faces. To get the full goodness of the Antioch Weekend, we try to make ourselves open to each other and to the family-like feeling of Antioch, as well as encouraging members of the community to do so.

RECRUITS

There would be a number of new recruits enter the community of Antioch on each Weekend, and it often is a challenge for the group to evangelise the recruits, and to retain them after the Weekend is over.

Inevitably, recruits would find the first few hours of the Weekend be a bewildering and worrying (I mean worrying!) experience, so the opening talk of the Weekend---delivered by the Leaders---place a heavy emphasis on the importance of becoming a Rose, rather than staying like a Rock during the Weekend.

FOLLOW-UP AFTER THE ANTIOCH WEEKEND

The Antioch experience does not stop after the three-day Weekend is over. Most Antioch communities hold prayer meetings every Sunday night, usually at locations near their Parish church. It is a vital bond in holding the relationship between members of Antioch together.

Besides praying together, there are various activities during prayer meetings. Normally there are talks given by members of Antioch; but occasionally there are guest visits, and motivational "Team Building" activities. Also there are closing ceremonies of other Antioch communities to attend, as well as the annual "Antioch Anniversary Mass" in Australia, at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney.

Group functions are aplenty, especially during holiday seasons. Although they are not strictly regular, it is a common practise for members to get together for a group gathering, in the form of a lunch, watching a video, or a birthday celebration.

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