Abstract

AZIZ, Garth. Youth ministry: Offering hope in a COVID-19 South Africa through community. Herv. teol. stud. [online]. 2021, vol.77, n.3, pp.1-6. ISSN 2072-8050.  https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i3.6677.

The president of the Republic of South Africa has addressed the nation many times during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions and lockdown of 2020, and has spoken very strongly about and against the violence toward the vulnerable in our society. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many societies, it has mainly revealed the brokenness in our society and the violence against the vulnerable on multiple levels. Arguably, a place where we can discover God is in the midst of our challenges and struggles, a place where God reveals plans and hopes for our lives. It, therefore, is in a place of hopelessness that wholeness can be discovered. This process, whilst painful, can also be transformative and even healing. This pandemic has created a context that has revealed brokenness in lives, systems and economics. CONTRIBUTION: This article will look at how the church through its youth ministry can offer hope, specifically for the youth, as a vulnerable group, so that they may experience the transforming power of God amidst a global crisis through the creation of an alternative community.

Keywords : vulnerable; youth; youth ministry; hope; crisis; COVID-19; church.

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