Latest News #313 – Austria
May 5, 2005

The following news concerns Austria.

Bible Society impressed with response
at youth conference

AUSTRIA — “The young people here gave an impressive testimony that the Christian faith is alive among a new generation,” reflected Austrian Bible Society General Secretary Dr Jutta Henner after attending a gathering of young people in the central Austrian town of Liezen in March. The Bible Society's contribution to this event took the form of a pocket-sized book containing Bible quotations and a free text messaging service.

One thousand 13-to-20 year-olds from across Austria followed a packed three-day agenda at the second Teen Prayer Congress (tpc), organised by the Austrian Evangelical Fellowship and the mission organisation Liebenzeller Mission. Under the broad theme "Change the World through Prayer", they were encouraged to pray for their families and friends, for their teachers and neighbours and for the world. Workshops guided their thoughts on questions such as "How do I listen to God?" and "How do I set up a prayer group in my school?" and they were also able to listen to live music, spend time in prayer and meditation and participate in a prayer walk.

The second day of tpc began with a time of meditation at which many of the young people immediately turned to the book they had just received from the Bible Society. Monika Faes, who organised the congress, expressed her thanks for this gift. "The short quotations and words for prayer are ideal for teaching young people to meditate on the Word of God," she said. "I'm convinced that this book will accompany them in their daily lives back home." Containing a brief introduction and verses from both the Old and New Testaments under the theme "Words for Your Time", this book - which bears a front cover design based on the multimedia display in the window of the Society's new Bible centre in Vienna (see Latest News #294 and #306) - is designed to arouse young people's interest in learning more about the Bible.

A second way in which the Bible Society is seeking to place God's Word in the centre of young people's lives is through a text messaging service. Between Easter and Pentecost, each young person who wishes to participate will receive a free weekly text message containing a Bible verse.