By Kristian Joy Tangso

With 2020 nearing to its end, Sandhurst Youth Ministry is thrilled to share the joy of Advent and Christmas with everyone through Stronger Tonight, which was live streamed on YouTube over the weekend.

We were so lucky to be joined by one of Sandhurst’s very own and talented youths, Brad Skidmore, who did an amazing job at hosting a great line-up of music and talks. One of the highlights of the evening was of course Christian pop-band 'The Saga' getting us singing and dancing along to some of their original hits, as well as performing beautiful renditions of songs by other artists to guide us in reflection.

A big shout out also goes to the youth band from Notre Dame College in Shepparton who played Rend Collective’s heart-warming new Christmas song, 'Emmanuel You are One of Us.'

We had the pleasure of hearing from the newest priest of Sandhurst, Fr DJ, who gave us a glimpse into his vocation story, hopes and desires in serving the people of God.

Ruth Lawlor shared an inspiring personal insight into the theme of the year, Greater Heights [Psalm 121], reminding us all that we should never let the fear of anything hold us back because God always has our backs – we just need to trust in Him!

Last, but not least, we paid tribute to the late Bishop Joe who co-founded Stronger Youth in 2008 and will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of his death later this month.

Having only recently joined the diocese, this was my first time ever to experience a Stronger Youth Rally. It has never been seen or done like this ever before; so many of you would be in the same boat as me. Although it will never compare to the real thing, it is amazing to be able to take advantage of the power social media has to reach a wide audience and offer a new and creative way for young people and those young-at-heart to have an encounter with Jesus.

We are very excited about the possibilities of live-streaming our future Stronger Rallies, which will hopefully be running again in the real world next year, so that the young people of Sandhurst who are unable to come to these gatherings for whatever reason, can still join us online.

Did you miss Stronger Tonight? No worries, we have got you covered! Simply follow this link and you can relive the experience as many times as you like.

Watch Stronger Tonight

by Kristian Joy Tangso, Sandhurst Youth Ministry, School Outreach and Event Management