Greetings to you all,

I hope that you all managed to secure some rest and relaxation over the Summer vacation period.

From the Chair, I welcome you to another edition of the Journal of Youth and Theology. Once again, Nick Shepherd and the team have done a sterling job in the production of the journal. Again, we have articles and papers of real quality that will both challenge and inspire us in our various ministries. Thank you to all who have been involved in the production of this edition.

As of the last JYT, we have changed our distribution channel from a company in South Africa to a UK-based print-distribution channel. We were aware of the many problems that Association members had in receiving their journals in good time. We hope that these problems have now been overcome by operating a new system. If you still have problems receiving the journal, do not hesitate to contact Nick.

Since the last Journal of Youth and Theology, we have continued to be very busy in developing the ministry of IASYM, focusing on three areas in particular.

First, we have been planning our first European Conference, Jofestal, Bavaria, for 26-29 March 2009. This is a very exciting opportunity to bring together both practitioners and academics from around Europe (and beyond) to explore the issue of a European ecclesiology that is relevant for youth ministry. Thanks especially to Professor Ulrich Schwab for making this happen. Our Executive will also be meeting at the Conference to consider future developments, so please hold the March event in your prayers.

Second, we have been working towards developing partnership ministry in the United States. We are immensely grateful to all those who have been involved in these ongoing conversations, both IASYM members and those representing other Youth Ministry associations. I am sure that we will have some exciting developments to report back to you in the near future.

Third, we have launched our first translation project through IASYM. We are translating JYT articles from English into Arabic, which we are sure will help the development of Christian youth ministry throughout the Middle East. We need to finance this and I would ask each and every one of you to consider donating something towards this project. It would be a very real and tangible opportunity for you to directly support the development of youth ministry in the Middle East. Any amount, large or small, would be gratefully received. Please contact me for more details.

So, thank you once again for your continued support and prayers. It has been lovely to receive e-mails of encouragement from so many of you over the last few months. Thank you – it means a great deal.

I hope that you will enjoy this latest edition of the Journal of Youth and Theology.

Best wishes,

Rev Dr Steve Griffiths
Chair, IASYM