Every year, Global Youth Day is an opportunity for the youth to shine for Jesus. The theme for this year, “ACT: A Community Transformed,” encouraged youth to go out and impact their local communities with the love of Jesus. On Saturday, March 15, Glendale Spanish church participated in this global initiative with a full day of community service.
Starting at 5 a.m., a group of youth and parents prepared breakfast burritos to share with the day laborers at Home Depot at 7:15 that morning. They prayed as a group before heading out; in fact, prayer was the focus throughout the day.
“We prepared Centinela magazines, and we attached our church designed bookmarks and some helpful immigration brochures,” Josue Brito, Glendale Spanish church youth leader, said. “It was such a great experience for the youth to be able to share some food and literature with the community.”
After breakfast, they returned to church where the youth led Sabbath School at 9:15 a.m. From the song service to the skit of the story of Gideon (who transformed his community with the help of God), the youth’s talents were on display.
“We had the pleasure to hear beautiful instrumental music and worship songs, culminating with Pastor Daniel Ortega (Southern California Conference Youth Ministries director) inviting us to give God an opportunity to transform our lives so we may impact the people around us,” Brito said.
After the sermon, everyone in attendance enjoyed food prepared by parents who always support the youth at Glendale Spanish. The congregation celebrated the birthday of special guest Alex, a 6-year-old from the community who is battling for his life. They showered him with gifts and his family with love. “We celebrated his 6th birthday with all the youth and made him feel special, showering him with gifts and his family with love,” Brito said. “We pray that God does a miracle in his life and his family decides to come back and be part of this wonderful church.”
After the meal, participants headed over to the church gym to distribute food from the church’s local food bank. The tables, boxes, and most of the food were prepared one day prior. Participants put on their Global Youth Day shirts and prayed for the Lord to bless the food distribution. More than 200 community families were served that afternoon through drive-thru and walk-up stations.
“We had such a great time; the youth were so energetic and enjoyed every moment,” Brito shared. “It was great teamwork, and you could see the joy in their faces to be part of this fantastic activity.”
Sabbath concluded with the church’s weekly AY program at 6 p.m. There was music, Bible games, and a message from the word of God shared by Ortega.
“It was truly fulfilling for the entire youth group, the parents, and the church as a whole,” Brito said. “They will never forget this day because they transformed their community by shining for Jesus.”
“We could not do any of this without the help of the Lord and the great support of everyone,” Brito added. “A special thank you to Pastor Daniel Ortega for spending time with us and being part of this day with us. We want to motivate others, so that they may empower their local church youth and participate in these youth initiatives. These activities leave an everlasting impact in the lives of all the youth. Identifying at a young age with your calling to testify for Jesus brings a great blessing to all. Here at Glendale Spanish church, we felt the blessing a being part of Global Youth Day 2025. We are looking forward to Global Youth Day 2026: Communion In Action.”
Many other churches in SCC also participated in Global Youth Day in a variety of ways, joining the global movement to mobilize Adventist youth for service and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
