Church of the Brethren Newsline
July 21, 2018
“Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals
yet chosen and precious in God’s sight,
and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house,
to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”
(1 Peter 2:4-5).
Quotes of the day:
“You are all welcome here. We’re so glad you came. We can’t wait to see waht God has in store for you this week.”
— A member of the National Youth Cabinet welcoming the participants to NYC
“Living stones, we’re known…sitting at the table alone, God will get up and join us.”
— Tyler Goss in a poetry jam video during worship
“We are chosen and beloved. Now those are some positive labels…. You are beloved, you are cherished, you are a treasure, and you are held tightly…. You have a few days to transform this arena and this campus into an incredible place. It’s within you.”
— Jeff Carter, president of Bethany Seminary, preaching the opening sermon of NYC 2018
“You all, here and now, are the church.”
— Josh Brockway, director of Spiritual Life and Discipleship, who is serving as spiritual director for the conference
“Put on love
and let it bind us today.
Put on love
as harmony starts to fade.
Lot love lead the way
come what may.”
— The chorus to the NYC 2018 theme song by Seth Hendricks, “Bound Together, Clothed in Christ”
By the numbers:
NYC kicks off celebrating God’s good work by bringing together 1,170 youth from around the world, 466 adult advisors from all districts and congregations sending youth, and 127 staff including volunteers and church workers from across the denomination. Attendees come from 29 states and 4 countries. Clearly, we are “Bound Together” by God’s loving Spirit and our commitment to follow Jesus. Simply. Peacefully. Together.
Big moments on the way to National Youth Conference
Big mountains: Nine NYC participants took an Amtrak train from northern Indiana to Denver. They rented a van and visited Mount Evans, one of the tallest peaks in the area at 14,265 feet above sea level, before making their way to Fort Collins for NYC. Aubrey from North Liberty Church of the Brethren, also in Indiana, said their group flew in but they went to Mount Evans to spend some hours getting exposed to altitude. “We drove by Mount Evans…. It’s the highest paved road in Colorado, about 14,000 feet.” Amy Despines, an advisor from Hanover Church of the Brethren in southern Pennsylvania, said, “On the trip we went to Estes Park, we took a Rocky Mountain Park Jeep tour. We took an Alpine Train to the Estes Park overlook.”
No sleep: When some of the 19 participants from Michigan District arrived at registration, they really just wanted a little sleep. By the time they flew into Denver, they had been up for 30 hours.
Sightseeing and Duck Boats (but not Wyoming): Antioch Church of the Brethren traveled for a week before arriving at Colorado State University. They visited Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and Pikes Peak. The 68 members of Western Pennsylvania District left July 16. Their journey included several stops along the way. They rode on duck boats at the Wisconsin Dells, visited the Badlands and Mount Rushmore, enjoyed Pioneer Days at Cheyenne, and visited a ranch where they had a chance to ride horses and brand cattle. Camden of South Waterloo Iowa said, “We went to the Badlands and saw boring Wyoming.”
Training: Luke from Spring Creek Church of the Brethren in Hershey, Pa., said he was part of his high school’s track and cross-country teams, and hoped he was ready to run in Sunday’s 5K. He and his youth group had been training at altitude in Boulder for a few days, and have a special shirt they’ll unveil at the race.
Crossing state lines: For the youth and advisors on the bus from Pacific Southwest District, Fort Collins is a distant city in the East, not the West. Erik Brummitt, pastor of Live Oak Church of the Brethren said, “It was a big moment when we crossed the border (out of California) into Nevada.”
Anticipating worship together: For the 10 or so youth from the Miami (Fla.) Haitian Church of the Brethren, the trip was an uneventful airplane flight and bus ride from the Denver airport to Fort Collins. For advisor Emmanuela “Emma” Attelus, who attended the last NYC as a youth, the trip is the start of so much more for the youth in her church. “I want [these youth] to experience what we did when I attended as a youth. Worship is going to be lit!” #cobnyc #cobnyc2018.
Members of the NYC 2018 Press Team contributed to this reporting. The team includes Laura Brown, Allie Dulabaum, Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Eddie Edmonds, Russ Otto, Frank Ramirez, Alane Riegel, Glenn Riegel, and Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.
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