By Segun Ige
The Elevation Church has commenced its 2020 Navigate Conference today, August 1, 2020.
The annual conference, which holds four days, has been particularly scheduled for Saturdays.
Because of the novel coronavirus, it will be a virtual conference, 4 p.m. every Saturday for the month of August.
Speaking on Wazobia’s Max TV’s “Gudu Morning Naija” show, one Ms Molade Adeniyi said that the conference was absolutely free, adding: “Children are not left out”.
She also stated that the conference, in part, gave room for children to showcase their skills in Bible reading and memorising.
Adeniyi noted the pitiable plight the Covid-19 lockdown had had on the children, considering the fact that they were prone to depression when they did not interact with one another for some time.
“It’s a mentorship conference like no other. It’s completely free.
“You have [a number of] vocational skills to choose from [sic] film production, creative writing, painting to social media marketing, so much more.
“But more importantly, there’s going to be mentorship; there’s going to be opportunities for games.
“There’s going to be so much fun. We have an amazing line-up of teachers for our teenagers.
“Registration is ongoing. You have to register even though it’s absolutely free – elevationng.org/navigate.
“All these goodies, you get them for free. No charge at all.
“The children, like I said, the younger ones, they are not left out – age 7 and below.
“August 5th and 6th, they are going to be having their conference as well – Bible school, games, trivial, takeaway, all of that.
“And age 8 and above are going to be on Zoom every single day, from August 5th to August 7th,” she said.
Navigate Conference is The Elevation Church’s (TEC) annual conference organised to make spiritual, emotional and mental investments in the teenage demography, teaching them life and vocational skills.
The programme is designed to address the developmental gap within the teenage community.
The conference addresses key issues like self-concept/esteem, leadership, nation building and personal & group productivity in addition to skills development sessions that give participants the opportunity to learn a new skill.
The Theme of the year’s conference is – “Stand”.
The Elevation Church says Ephesians 6:13b (TLB) – “So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy when he attacks, and when it is all over you will be standing up” – is the context of this year’s theme.
According to the church, the global pandemic has been a major disruptor for teenagers this season as with every other person; disrupting schoolwork and keeping them at home for an extended period.
Navigate 2020 is focused on helping teenagers to stand out where their peers are compromising; stand out tall to represent Jesus and not be ashamed; and to stand firm in their faith that things will get better.
Lead pastor and founder of The Elevation Church, Godman Akinlabi, said: “The failure in instilling in children the necessary values, virtues, character, life and vocational skills, whether deliberate or not, has created a detrimental impact on our society.
“The leadership and character gaps witnessed in adulthood can mostly be traced to a person’s formative years.
“As a church, we strive to contribute to a brighter future for these teenagers, and by extension our nation, by inspiring and instilling the right set of values at this critical age.”
A statement by the church explained teenagers would be taught vital life skills to thrive in the 21st century such as personal branding, time management, people skills, leadership development, goal setting, etiquette and many more.
They will also be taught career and vocational skills such as music, creative writing, photography, filmmaking, public speaking, fashion design, cooking, among others.
