Christ the King Anglican Church (CKAC) branch of the Anglican Young People's Association (AYPA), as part of activities to mark this year's Youth Month celebration, on Sunday inaugurated the Anglican Junior Youth (JY).

The establishment of JY in the Anglican Diocese of Accra, under the Youth and Children's Ministry, was necessitated to absorb children between ages 13 to 17 into the mainstream church services and adequately train them in the ways of Christian living for the service of God.

It is also aimed at equipping the junior youth to partake in the mission of the church, it's worship and to bear witness in their faith by undertaking service for the church and their respective communities.

The CKAC branch of the AYPA developed a roadmap towards institutionalizing JY in the Parish, to ensure members of JY are given the best of Anglican nurturing and training on the liturgical rites and teachings of the Church before they are graduated into the mainstream church and subsequently the AYPA when they turn 18.

As part of the inauguration, eight coordinators, with membership from the AYPA, Anglican Sunday School Association (ASSA) and the Lay Readers Guild, were also commissioned to ensure the provision of tutelage and proper coordination of activities of JY.

Speaking before the brief inaugural ceremony, Reverend Father Roland Kpoanu, Vicar of CKAC called on parishioners to give the children and their coordinators the necessary support during the process of training to enable the children grow staunchly in the Anglican faith.

Fr. Kpoanu whose first anniversary as Parish Priest coincided with the inauguration of JY, said the youth were the vessels of the Lord whose proper upbringing was key to the growth of the church.

"I'm particularly glad as these children will be trained in the Anglican faith, based on scripture, to become useful to themselves, the church, their communities and society at large", he said.

Brother Joseph Boquaye, President of the AYPA, Tema Archdeaconry, who led some other Archdeaconry Executives to the inauguration, called on the members of JY to distinguish themselves during their years of training.

He commended the Christ the King Branch for the initiative, and said: "hitherto children above 12 years who joined the main church after confirmation were often somewhat deficient in teachings and liturgy of the church".

This inauguration, he added was timely to it would ensure the age-old challenge was remedied as that would further culminate in member retention.

Nana Danso Indome, President of the CKAC branch of the AYPA noted that the junior youth of the church constituted a greater number of the church's population and inculcating in them the proper doctrine of the church was non-negotiable.

The institution of JY, he further stated would ensure kids in the Parish get an even better understanding of the Anglican way of worship and further improve their spirituality.

According to him, members of JY would be graduated to become fully-fledged members of the AYPA who would take responsibility for their development thereof.