{{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The National Christian Youth Convention (NCYC) is a national

conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

for people aged 16–30 years held by the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Union ...

every second January. It is held in a different Australian city each time in the long summer school and

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

s. It has attracted over 3,000 delegates from around

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

plus visiting delegations from overseas countries. It is one of the biggest events for youth on the Uniting Church's calendar.

History

NCYC began in 1955 with an evangelical campaign run by Rev. Dr. Sir

Alan Walker Alan Olav Walker (born 24 August 1997) is a British-born Norwegian music producer and DJ primarily known for the critically acclaimed single " Faded" (2015), which was certified platinum in 14 countries. He has also made several songs including ...

as an activity of the Central Methodist Mission in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

held at the Royal Showgrounds, from 16 to 23 January 1955. The theme was "God Works".

Keynote A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...

speakers included Dr

A. Harold Wood Alfred Harold Wood OBE (4 May 1896 – 27 August 1989) was a 20th-century Australian Christian minister, educator, writer, hymnologist and advocate of church union. Early life A. Harold Wood was born in Geelong, Victoria, the son of Alfred Wo ...

, Alan Walker, and Dr Roy L. Smith from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

who also led the Bible studies. It was designed to reach the entire Christian community, not just that of the

Methodist Church of Australasia The Methodist Church of Australasia was a Methodist denomination based in Australia. On 1 January 1902, five Methodist denominations in Australia – the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodists, the Bible Christian Church, the United ...

(see

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

). The 50th anniversary NCYC was held in January 2005 at the

Gawler Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...

campus of

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

to the north of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. Here is a full list of every NCYC held since 1955: *1955. New South Wales, Sydney. Theme: God Works *1957. South Australia, Adelaide. *1960. Queensland, Brisbane. *1963. Victoria, Melbourne. *1966. Western Australia, Perth. *1969. New South Wales, Sydney. *1973. Queensland, Gold Coast. *1975. South Australia, Adelaide. Theme: Three Worlds - One World - For God *1977. ACT, Canberra. Theme: Turning Point *1979. Western Australia, Perth. Theme: Directions *1981. New South Wales, Sydney. Theme: Focus *1983. Queensland, Brisbane. Theme: Witness *1985. South Australia, Adelaide. Theme: Dreams and Visions *1987. Victoria, Ballarat. Theme: Being There *1989. Western Australia, Perth. Theme: Cross the Desert *1991. Queensland, Toowoomba. Theme: Breaking New Ground *1993. ACT, Canberra. Theme: Love In A Dangerous Time *1995. SA, Adelaide. Theme: Living On The Edge *1997. Tasmania. Theme: Living the Legend *1999. Victoria, Geelong. Theme: It All Depends *2001. Queensland. Theme: Now is the Time *2003. NSW, Newcastle. Theme: Shaking The Foundations *2005. SA, Gawler. Theme: Live This Life *2007. WA, Scotch College Perth

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. Theme: Agents of Change also had an inaugural Adult Convention. *2009. Victoria,

Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne ("For God and for Home") , established = , type = Independent, single-sex, day and boarding school , denomination = Uniting , slogan = "MLC girls become world-ready women"< ...

. Theme: Converge *2011. Queensland, Gold Coast. Theme: Turn It Up *2014. NSW, Sydney. Theme: Yurora *2017. NSW, Stanwell Tops. Theme: Yurora - Uniting Culture.

Organisation

The event is usually organised and hosted by a Synod by agreement with the Uniting Church's National Assembly. NCYC 2014 was an exception as it was hosted by Paramatta-Nepean Presbytery within the Synod of NSW & ACT. Leadership is by a local organising committee utilising existing networks within the responsible Synod. It is typically coordinated by a young

minister of religion In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidanc ...

. Older adults are mobilised to support and assist. Sometimes a university campus and its accommodation has been the base for the event. A range of accommodation options are offered, ranging from camping in tents to live-in accommodation and billeting.

External links

"NCYC 50th Anniversary Video""NCYC 2014 Video""NCYC 2014 Video 2""National Assembly, Uniting Church in Australia"
Uniting Church in Australia Christian conferences Youth organisations based in Australia Recurring events established in 1955 1955 establishments in Australia

History

Organisation

See also

External links