National Youth Conference Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colo. July 22-27, 2006
Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Wrap Up

Ken Medema

'WORD’
"Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road...?” -- Luke 24:32

QUOTES OF THE DAY
"They changed the world!” – A member of the Youth Peace Travel Team, in a skit about Brethren leaders

“I could no longer preach Jesus Christ unless he was the star I walked by.” – Jim Hardenbrook, telling the story of his experience in Sudan and how it changed his life, in Tuesday morning worship

“The church is a family held together by faith, and not biology.” – From a skit in morning worship

“There’s no ‘fear’ in McPherson.” – “Guy McSmiley” interviewing youth about their knowledge of the Brethren colleges in a video titled, “Know Your Brethren Colleges!”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: 'What does it matter?'

Al Pennsylvania "The cause of Christ is for eternity"	Rebecca Maryland "Meet new people, make friends, and know more about Jesus"	Andy Pennsylvania "To have a good time"	Katie Illinois "Everything"
Greg Pennsylvania "For a different point of view" Danielle Pennsylvania "Meet new people and strengethen relationship with God" Jimmy Virginia "Eternity"

--Reported by a youth interview team from Harrisburg (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren: Todd Abney, reporter, and Robyn Carter, photographer

Three of the many youth who helped lead worship throughout the week of NYC. Each service included youth worship leaders who introduced worship, read scripture, played in skits, or gave other types of leadership. Photos by Chris Detrick

TUESDAY MORNING WORSHIP ASKS, WHY CHURCH?
"Why does the church need you? And why do you need the church?” asked the morning worship leaders. Planned by staff of the Church of the Brethren General Board, the service focused on the relationship that youth have with the wider church, and vice versa.

The chorus, “I got a mind to do right,” seemed to sum up the experience that included music, a moving ritual of repentance and forgiveness, informational videos, skits that laid out the issues, and personal testimonies.

Brethren youth and adults spoke about why it matters that they are part of the church, and several told stories of their work for Christ in the world. Ben Sankey, a youth participant from Live Oak (Calif.) Church of the Brethren, told the story of attending Christian Citizenship Seminar in 2005. He was empowered to express his beliefs by the seminar. Now, he said, “I’m up here and I’m telling you what I believe. It’s a good thing.”

Speakers used two phrases inspired by the story of the disciples meeting the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus as “exclamation points” for the service: “It was as if his words burned inside of me,” they said. “Together we journey toward God.”

The three NYC coordinators gave the morning benediction. Photo by Chris Detrick

Michaela Camps, of the Haitian church in Miami, Fla., shared her personal experience with the NYCers during morning worship. Photo by Chris Detrick

Beth Gunzel, a mission worker in the Dominican Republic, preached for evening worship. Photo by Chris Detrick

A skit during the morning worship service laid out the scope of the issue, what is the relationship between youth and the church, and vice versa? Photo by Chris Detrick

A young man who attended Christian Citizenship Seminar told NYC he had been empowered to speak and share his opinions through the experience. Photo by Chris Detrick

TURN WRONGS INTO RIGHTS, URGES EVENING SPEAKER
Evening speaker Beth Gunzel, a Brethren mission worker in the Dominican Republic and consultant for a microloan community development program of the Church of the Brethren there, focused worship on how the poor communities of the DR could change.

“Life is no day at the beach” for many Dominicans, she said. As opposed to the impression given by the lush resort brochures that help Americans plan Caribbean vacations, many poor Dominicans do not earn enough to live on, and their families don’t get enough to eat.

Gunzel spoke of one community of extreme poverty, Sabana Torsa, that was built by the sugar cane companies to house the workers. There is no electricity, phone, medical care, and the jobs are among the most demanding physically with work in the sugar cane fields lasting 12-16 hours a day. Worker who cut cane earn somewhere around $36 a month, and the work is only available for half the year. In the other half of the year, many families go hungry.

Christians have a responsibility to others, she said. Quoting from a passage in Isaiah, she urged the conference to share their food with the hungry, invite the poor into their homes, and put clothes on the naked. “By sharing we become focused on what others need,” she said, “rather than on ourselves.”

“We are guided by the Holy Spirit to turn wrongs into rights, to be used for a divine purpose,” she said.

An offering for the Global Food Crisis Fund, the ministry of the General Board that financially supports the microloan program in the DR, received an amazing $57,017.73. One of the NYC coordinators read a list of the congregations that had tithed their youth group’s registration fee to NYC, to donate to the offering. The list included more than 35 congregations from across the country.

The youth group from the Dominican Republic sang “Hallelujah” in response.

NYC NUGGETS
A group of friends gave NYC dean Jon Keller a supportive serenade today, to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”: “Take me out to NYC.... and it’s one, two, three counts your cleaning the old Moby!”

The emcee of the Open Mic, a late-evening talent show for NYC participants, offered a “You might be Brethren if...” list. Here are samples of Frank Ramirez’ wit:

“You might be Brethren if...
...you think one of the Ten Commandments is, ‘Thou shalt not skip dessert.’
...you learned the Sermon on the Mount in Sunday school but no one told you David killed Goliath.
...the first time you went to a buffet at a fancy hotel you thought it was just another Brethren potluck.
...you run into a guy in a plaid short-sleeved shirt with an open collar wearing shorts with black socks and sneakers, and you think it’s your minister.
...you know the words to ‘Move in Our Midst’ whether you want to or not.
...your idea of a good time is going to the Washington (D.C.) City Church of the Brethren to feed the homeless.”