By Erika Clary
The Church of the Brethren’s National Youth Cabinet gathered Aug. 6-10 in Fort Collins, Colo., at Colorado State University for an onsite visit preparing for National Youth Conference (NYC) 2022.
The cabinet spent a day planning and discussing ideas for NYC, explored and hiked at Rocky Mountain National Park (since they will not be able to hike during NYC), and toured the university, followed by meetings with university staff.
This is the first time the cabinet has been able to meet in person due to the coronavirus pandemic, so they were filled with anticipation and joy to form friendships and plan together. The cabinet will meet again in the spring at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., to continue planning for the conference.
The cabinet is composed of six youth who have just completed their junior or senior year of high school, and two adult advisors: Hayley Daubert of Shenandoah District, Elise Gage of Mid-Atlantic District, Geo Romero of Illinois and Wisconsin District, Luke Schweitzer of Southern Ohio and Kentucky District, Ben Tatum of Virlina District, Bella Torres of Atlantic Northeast District, and adult advisors Kayla Alphonse of Atlantic Southeast District and Jason Haldeman of Atlantic Northeast District. Staff are Becky Ullom Naugle, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, and Erika Clary, 2022 NYC coordinator.
NYC will be held at Colorado State University on July 23-28, 2022. Registration will open in early January 2022. Youth who have completed ninth grade through one year of college at the time of NYC (or are age equivalent) and their adult advisors are invited to attend. The 2022 theme is “Foundational,” based on scripture from Colossians 2:5-7. Visit www.brethren.org/yya/nyc for more information.
— Erika Clary is National Youth Conference coordinator for the Church of the Brethren and a Brethren Volunteer Service worker in the Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
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