Young people engage with God's Word at open-air festival

Heat and mosquitoes could not prevent thousands of young people from getting into the spirit of a Christian festival held in Hungary at the end of July. The Csillagpont festival (its name refers to the top of the spire that characteristic of Hungary's Reformed Church buildings) drew nearly 3,000 young people over five days. It took place in the beautiful county of Tolna, in central Hungary, on the banks of a river which runs into the Danube. The Hungarian Bible Society took part, naturally, and a mobile Bible exhibition, a discussion of The New Atheism, a lecture on the life of David and a bookstall were among the different ways in which it presented God's Word.
The exhibition included video displays and samples from the Society's audio presentation of the Bible, including the parables of Jesus. Young people who gave correct answers to a set of questions about what they had seen in the exhibition were presented with a New Testament and once news spread about this, they came in groups eager to spend half an hour completing the test.

So pleased
One young girl was so pleased to be given a New Testament that she told staff that she was going to go home and give the Bible to her mother. "I have always wanted my mum to have a Bible of her own," she declared, "and this will be the one!"
"How good to have a Bible that is the perfect size for travelling," said another. "Wherever I go this summer I can take it with me and read it!" A lecture on the life of David attracted a large number who were evidently keen to understand more about the man chosen by God who was so brave and yet so frail.

Atheism discussion
A fully interactive discussion of 'The New Atheism' was another feature of the Bible Society's festival programme. A member of the Bible Society staff working at the festival said afterwards that in spite of mosquito bites and the heat - the temperature during the week reached 34 degrees Centigrade - it had been a wonderful opportunity to meet young people who were open to learning about God and who wanted to read and understand the Bible.
"They are still young enough to make life's most important decisions with God's book in their hands and hearts," he said. "I hope they will always make the right choices."
(Source: UBS)