It is not only at Jago….

Many people, especially those who are not familiar with the Jesus Youth movement, are often amazed by large gatherings like Jago, where 17,000 young people came together in 2023 and nearly 10,000 in 2025. But what they usually don’t realize is that the real wonder does not happen only on those big stages. It happens quietly, repeatedly, and faithfully in small rooms, in ordinary campuses, in countless grassroots gatherings across the world.

Today I had the grace to conduct a half-day session for the Jesus Youth campus leaders of Pala. There were only 15+ participants, with a similar number of young volunteers who were also leaders in their own way. The organisers had contacted me just three days ago. Perhaps someone else could not come, or perhaps they were hoping for someone more “important.” I did not ask. In the Kingdom of God, such details hardly matter. What matters is that it is usually ordinary students, young in age and experience, who carry this extraordinary mission forward.

I was asked to speak on the Christian call, our response to it, and on Christian leadership as distinct from secular leadership—more through activities and shared experiences than through preaching. What touched me most was not the session itself, but the hearts of these young people. Their honesty, their openness, their courage to speak about their fears, doubts, confusions, and failures were deeply moving. In their fragility, I saw a quiet strength. In their uncertainty, I saw a burning hope.

At this moment, they may appear small and vulnerable, but I am certain that God is shaping them into future leaders of the Church and the Jesus Youth movement. My heartfelt gratitude to Albin Kottaram, the Zonal coordinator, and to hundreds of such young leaders around the world who pour their time, energy, and tears into building God’s Kingdom. Your efforts may not always be visible, but they are eternally significant. May God bless you abundantly.

Dr Chackochan Njavallil