God & Government Youth: Naomi’s story
2020. When many of us hear this, the first thing we think of is the start of COVID and the beginning of lockdowns. But for me, 2020 was actually the start of something big. It was 2020 when I realized my passion and love for Christian political action.
It all started with the ARPA God and Government Youth conference (GGY) in February, shortly before everything started shutting down. I got to go to Ottawa with more than 30 other like-minded young people, where we met the ARPA staff and various Members of Parliament.
We spent three days learning, listening, touring, advocating, and, most importantly, building relationships with each other and with our elected officials. I’ll never forget what it felt like to sit in an MP’s office and pray with them. These are the people that make decisions in our country, and here they were making time for me, valuing what I said, and allowing me to pray for them.
One of my favourite parts of GGY was learning to do street outreach on the Care not Kill Campaign. It only took a few simple questions, and from there people would share their thoughts and their stories. I learned from only a few conversations just how desperate the world is for a listening ear, and how much of an impact we can make in showing Christ’s love to the people that we meet. Ever since, I have continued doing street outreach, mainly on the issue of abortion, all thanks to being pushed out of my comfort zone to try it at the conference.
God & Government Youth was such a unique opportunity to build relationships with MPs, with other Christian young people from churches across the country, and even with strangers I met on the street. I’m thankful some of those connections continue to this day.
My experience at GGY prompted me to study political science in university. I wanted to better understand the political systems and the world around me, so I could better figure out how to speak into it as a Christian.
Today, I have the privilege to be working at ARPA Canada, hoping to inspire YOU to get involved and speak up on important issues. I couldn’t be more grateful for the seed that was sown in my heart through GGY in 2020.
So, is it your turn? Applications for God and Government Youth 2025 are open now, but only until November 29. If you’ve ever thought about how your faith can be used to impact our country, or how your faith applies to various social issues in our society, this experience is for you. If you want to make a difference, this is for you. If you have no idea where to start, this is for you. If you want to see Ottawa in February, this is for you! You never know if it could change your life, so why not give it a try?
