Journey to the center of yourself. Convention of (not only) evangelical youth in Čáslav

...The sleepy streets are alive with an unusual bustle. Hundreds of young people fill them. And they're not heading for the disco. The Evangelical Youth Convention is starting in Čáslav...“

Exactly 30 years ago, the third post-Soviet convention in Čáslav, entitled „Head Against the Wall“, featured a lecture by Fedor Gál, a screening of the film Jesus from Montreal, and a theater performance.

This year, the Dusík Theatre was packed again. And despite the fact that the number of participants was not 900 like 30 years ago, but by 300 less.

In the three halls of the Čáslav theater it was possible to listen to a number of lectures or participate in a discussion with journalist and documentary filmmaker Saša Uhlová about the „limits of work“, which she herself experienced when she was employed in factories and the lowest paid jobs.

The lecture programme was then complemented by workshops or volleyball, Taizé chants in an evangelical church, and the adjacent fortress bastion became the site of a miraculous story from a roadtrip through Albania. The evenings then were devoted to concerts, and Saturday evening concluded with a devotion by the local film and theater group and their friends.

Sunday services are the last part of the convention. The evangelical church was completely packed with young people from all over the country, as well as children with wooden swords. The services were led by Ondřej Zikmund and Drahomíra Dušková Havlíčková, but other pastors and many volunteers were also on hand, which is necessary during the celebration of the Lord's Supper because of the number of people coming. In the announcements we learned that next year the congress will be in Svitavy, where it was 13 years ago.

Tomáš Vojtíšek