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

Andy Murray

'WORD’
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another....” – 2 Corinthians 3:18a

QUOTES OF THE DAY
"I believe Jesus said, ‘Come and see,’ because whose you become will determine who you become.” – Andrew Murray, morning preacher and peace studies professor and founder of the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa.

“If it weren’t for good questions, we wouldn’t find good answers, would we?” – Youth in a skit introducing evening worship, in answer to another youth who was frustrated with all the daily questions at NYC

“With every question we ask, we join Jesus in tugging at the veils and revealing God. With every question we will be transformed.” – Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, Bethany Theological Seminary professor, speaking for worship Wednesday evening

QUESTION OF THE DAY: 'Who are you becoming?'

Aubrey Illinois "A better person"	Morgan Pennsylvania "A follower of Jesus"	Carolyn Pennsylvania "A more informed youth advisor in tune with the youth"	Kyle Pennsylvania "A philosopher"	Lisa Illinois "An adult"

--Reported by youth interview team from North Manchester, Ind.: Kristen Lahman, photographer, and Maya Hippensteel, reporter

The crowd at morning worship enjoyed music from around the world. Photo by Chris Detrick

The evening service closed with a service of anointing for freedom in Christ. Photo by Chris Detrick

NYC called for more when the band ended their last song of the evening. NYCers stood and clapped for more. Photo by Chris Detrick

Youth contributed to the music for morning worship. Photo by Chris Detrick

Worship leaders Glenn Mitchell and Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm anointed each other to begin the service of anointing. Photo by Chris Detrick

THINK ABOUT WHOSE YOU BECOME, SAYS MURRAY
"Who are you becoming?” asked the NYC question of the day. “I don’t know how much time I have to become something,” responded morning preacher Andrew Murray. “None of us do.”

Reviewing key events of his own life, he told the conference that at age 64, he realizes that most of what he has become he never anticipated in his younger years. Murray is a professor of peace studies at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., where he founded the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. He also is a popular Brethren folksinger.

Referring to the scripture for the morning, Psalm 139, Murray asked, where is God in all of the events of his life? “I want to say with the psalmist, everywhere.” But he added that he is uncomfortable with the idea that God has written out a script for his life. God created the world to includes coincidence, luck, irony, and surprise he said.

“God gives us freedom and endless possibilities, and then an invitation for us to come and see,” he said. “I believe Jesus said, ‘Come and see,’ because whose you become will determine who you become.”

To the extent that you see the world the way Jesus wants it to be, you will become the kind of person who makes the world that way, Murray told NYC. “I believe God’s plan for me is the same for you, to fully become a child of God, as we know God revealed through the life of Jesus of Nazareth.”

The NYC choir sang for the service, and an offering for the NYC Scholarship Fund received $18,422.37.

EVENING WORSHIP CLOSES WITH ANOINTING FOR TRANSFORMATION
Light and smoke from a brightly burning oil lamp, a cross in the background... That was the setting for the Wednesday evening worship celebration. At the beginning of worship, the cross was simply a cloth-covered mound in center stage. Piece of cloth by piece of cloth, the cross was gradually uncovered.

“God’s got you covered,” said evening speaker Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, “but beware of the protective coverings you make for yourself.” Wilhelm is a professor at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind.

She spoke on 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, in which she said. Paul complained about how people become comfortable living behind coverings that veil them from the glory of God. Only when the veil is removed is God’s glory revealed.

Wilhelm traced Paul’s feelings about veils to the experience of Moses and the Hebrew people in the wilderness. When Moses came down the mountain after meeting God, he had to cover his face because the people were blinded by the God’s glory reflected in him. “The people of God cannot bear that much glory,” Wilhelm said.

That is why the NYC theme, “Come and See,” is such a bold and dangerous thing, she added. “To come and see God is to be knocked down the mountain and never be the same.” We create veils, protections, that keep us from recognizing others, God, and ourselves, she said. These veils can be made of many things: silence used as defense or a weapon, a sense of humor that becomes inappropriate, friends who aren’t real friends, busy-ness that turns into self-importance. The worst veil, she said, is hardness of mind.

“If you want to loosen the hold of hardness...then do what God does, do what this conference has asked you to do. Ask questions. ... God loves questions,” Wilhelm asserted. “Jesus was always tugging at the veil and revealing the power of God, and he did it by asking questions,” she said, giving examples: “Who do you say that I am?” ... “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” ...

Reading from a New York Times article about a lieutenant who is being court-martialed for refusing to deploy to Iraq, Wilhelm said, “He began to ask questions.” The lieutenant refused to fight in Iraq after he began to read about the war, and learned about the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, the real experiences of soldiers in Iraq, and the deceptions used to justify the war.

“Questions will lead you God-knows-where, if you’re not afraid of dying, and you’re not afraid of living,” she said. “With every question we ask, we join Jesus in tugging at the veils and revealing God. With every question we will be transformed.”

Worship ended with a service of anointing for freedom through Christ. Afterwards, in moments of deep emotion, groups of youth sat in tight circles on the floor, or stood in large groups, swaying to the music with their arms around each other.

NYC NUGGETS
Tournaments continued today for Jungle Ball volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee. Some games were cancelled yesterday because of thunderstorms.

Late-evening activities included a concert by Andy and Terry Murray, a performance of “Godspell” by a performing arts camp from Camp Harmony, and another Open Mic talent show. A “Party on the Patio” gave NYCers a chance to celebrate the final night of NYC with friends new and old.

An oil lamp and a cross formed the worship center Wednesday evening. Photo by Chris Detrick	The NYC choir sang for worship. Photo by Chris Detrick	Youth helped lead music for worship. Photo by Chris Detrick
The cross was unveiled, one layer at a time. Photo by Chris Detrick Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, a Bethany Seminary professor, preached Wednesday evening. Photo by Chris Detrick