wfn.org | [ENS] Young Adult Ministry Network celebrates ministries in abundance

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Daybook, from Episcopal News Service

October 17, 2005 -- Monday Mission

Young Adult Ministry Network celebrates ministries in abundance at
Denver meeting

By Nicole Seiferth

[Episcopal News Service] When the Young Adult Ministry Network (YAMN) met
for the first time in 2004, it was made up of 33 people from 29 dioceses.
They agreed to come together in a year's time, to keep the momentum going.

The momentum was still there when they met from September 23-25
in Denver.  With 140 young adults and young adult ministers from 70
dioceses, including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Taiwan,
the number of attendees was more than four times that of the 2004 meeting.

The work of those who returned home to their diocese from last year's
meeting strengthened the ministry with young adults that the national
church is supporting prayerfully and financially, said the Rev. Douglas
Fenton, staff officer for Young Adult and Higher Education Ministries.

Fenton's office asked each diocese to send one young adult and one young
adult minister to the conference. Those who attended came from diverse
backgrounds and programs, ranging from parish young adult groups to
diocesan young adult initiatives and campus ministries. The conference
gave them all an opportunity to connect with one another.

It was inspiring, said Katie Knoll, an undergraduate at the University
of Kansas and a representative from the Diocese of Kansas, to see how
much work and dedication people put forth because they have faith in
[young adult] ministry.

"Particularly helpful to me was the opportunity to meet and form
relationships with other young clergy and lay-folk who not only want
to do ministry with young adults but, being young adults themselves,
are committed to translating the gospel of Jesus Christ and the
catholic tradition of the Episcopal Church into the reality of 20- and
30-somethings," said the Rev.  Greg Syler, who works with young adults
at the Church of Our Saviour in the Diocese of Chicago.

"Lots of times in the church we create ministries out of fear and
anxiety," remarked Ewart Jones, a member of the network coordinating
committee from the Diocese of Texas, at the beginning of the meeting. "I'm
here to tell you that this is not one of those times. We're here to
create ministries in abundance and celebration."

The Young Adult Ministry Network was created in 2004, as part of a funding
initiative from the 2003 General Convention. The network's purpose was
to build connections among diocesan representatives working in young
adult ministry. The first network meeting identified three priorities:
developing resources of people, materials and programs, facilitating
relationships among people doing young adult ministry, and advocating
for young adults in the life and structures of the church. To further
these goals, each representative at this year's meeting was asked to
join one of three working groups: Resources, Relationships, or Advocacy.

"The way to keep young adults involved in the life of the church is give
them leadership roles. Empowering the young to make decisions about where
our church is going is important so they don't feel like they are just
along for the ride," said Carlton Allen, a facilitator for the Advocacy
group from the Diocese of Northern California.

With that in mind, the Advocacy group focused on how young adults can
become leaders in the church on all levels and how the network can
communicate effectively to bishops and clergy the work of young adults
and young adult ministries.

The Resources group explored how they can share programs and information
with one another and those interested in beginning a young adult ministry
at the parish or diocesan level. Members of the group left the conference
with a number of plans to improve the information available to young
adult ministers, including creating a database of young adult ministers
and programs, developing a communication plan to advocate for young
adult ministry in the Episcopal Church, and developing a statement of
purpose for young adult ministry in the Episcopal Church.

"I hope the Resources group can pull together program models, sample
calendars, recruitment strategies and pretty much anything else young
adults can use to build a ministry in their own parish," said Jill
Brown, who leads a young adults group at St. Columba's in the Diocese
of Washington. "If people don't have to reinvent the wheel, they may
have more energy to get these groups off the ground."

In addition to organizing and encouraging national Young Adult gatherings,
the Relationships group will also focus on establishing regional
relationships and utilizing the national website and YAMN listserv to
form relationships and share information. The next national gathering
of young adults will be the Young Adult Festival, which will be held
during General Convention in June 2006.

"Our goal in addressing relationships is to enable us to know that we
are all connected in this ministry within the church and beyond. We are
seeking to find continued avenues to strength our ministry and support of
each other through our relationships in the Network," said Carol Taylor,
one of the Relationship group facilitators and a representative of the
Diocese of East Carolina.

Many people left the conference as part of committees or groups that aim
to help strengthen young adult ministries throughout the church. "It
was a wonderful reminder, said one attendee, that I am not alone in
my efforts to support young adults in my parish, because I have the
encouragement and resources of the wider church.

Visit http://www.episcopalchurch..org/myp.htm: for more information
about the Young Adult Ministry Network and resources available for Young
Adult Ministries.

-- Nicole Seiferth is editor of The Episcopal New Yorker.

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