A ministry of the Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board
Daily Coverage

Tuesday, July 16, 2002
"TOGETHER . . . FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS"

Bryan McKimmy, left, of Beaverton, Mich., and Casey Tuttle, right, of Alto, Mich., raise their hands in praise during the Tuesday evening worship service.

WEATHER: Very sunny and very warm with low humidity, high near 100

KEY EVENTS: Arrival and registration of NYC participants; supper cookout/picnic; opening worship celebration; David Kinnick concert; swing dance lessons

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Welcome to National Youth Conference 2002!" – National youth cabinet advisors Dave Steele and Wendi Hutchinson, opening the evening worship

"Since the beginning of creation, there have been rules." – NYC dean Steve Van Houten, going over the participants' covenant

"I had a great time the first time I was here, and I'm looking forward to another great time." – Beth Murphy of Bruceton Mills, W.Va., who attended NYC as a freshman in 1998 and is back one year out of high school this year

A procession of candles symbolized NYC participants coming together in God's Spirit.

WORSHIP CELEBRATION: Evening worship coordinators Jeff Carter and Bonnie Kline Smeltzer pulled out all the stops from the start for an opening service full of energy, images, and creativity. All introductions were made, and even NYC discipline dean Steve Van Houten received a big cheer. The NYC coordinating team of Becky Ullom, Luke Croushorn, and David Young made their entrance by rappelling down from the Moby Arena rafters.

Representatives from the denomination's districts and others brought forward water in vessels and lit candles to symbolize all the NYC participants gathering and coming together; the water was poured into a fountain on the stage, and the candles were placed around a large, metal circle of hands containing a "fire" cauldron of light and cloth. General Board general secretary Judy Mills Reimer brought greetings andprayers, wishing "God's blessings upon this body of Christ."

Susan Boyer

Long-time Manchester Church of the Brethren (North Manchester, Ind.) pastor Susan Boyer, who will become pastor at La Verne (Calif.) in September, brought the evening message titled, "The Time Is Now" and was welcomed to the stage with the traditional NYC "Preach It" wave. Using the experience of watching her son learn to drive as a metaphor, she urged all the participants who come to NYC to take full advantage of the week. Some, she said, come just for fun and go home unchanged, while others "come eager to soak up the experience NYC has to offer," and "they go home new."

"I feel so honored to invite you into this NYC experience, for there will be no other week quite like this one. You have been called to CSU (Colorado State University) for just such a time as this. Do not leave here without letting God overwhelm you."

OTHER NOTES, EVENTS, AND THINGS OF INTEREST:

From left, Kelly Finkbiner, Jessi Garber, and Kim Zurin, all from Lancaster, Pa., enjoy a picnic dinner Tuesday evening before the worship service.

A few dozen Brethren followed through on a boycott of Boyer's message called for by the Southeastern District. The call came in protest of the Manchester congregation's controversial approval of permitting same-sex covenant services, though none have yet been held there. The group held their own worship time in one of the NYC dormitories. . . . Registration went smoothly through the day,with no long lines as participants and advisors gradually arrived in buses, airport shuttles, and other vehicles. The first busload was processed at about 8:45 a.m. . . . The best-represented last name among participants appears to be "Miller." Three entire boxes of registration packets were for NYCers with Miller monikers. . . . A group from the Hartville (Ohio) Church of the Brethren wore matching baseball jerseys with the words "Charlie's Angels" across the front, in honor of their youth director, Charlie Schlabaugh, who is retiring after NYC. . . . Each participant had to pay a deposit to receive a lanyard for the week, enabling them to pick up their room key. A blue tent and green tent on the Moby Arena promenade had a running competition through the day to see who could supply the most lanyards. The green tent claimed to have won. . . . The Southern Ohio district buses may have had one of the most adventurous treks to Colorado. A bus was turned aside at one truck stop; at another, four of them were asked to come behind and help prepare the food at a Wendy's; and at a rural Nebraska rest stop, they arrived at the same time as four other NYC-bound buses all trying to use the facilities at the same time.