National Youth Conference registration begins, more presenters are announced

By Erika Clary

More than 350 people from across 17 Church of the Brethren districts have registered for National Youth Conference (NYC) 2022 since registration began on Dec. 1. Many of those participants took advantage of the December registration incentive and will receive a free t-shirt.

We are all looking forward to a week of worshiping, growing, listening, and learning. NYC takes place July 23-28 on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.

Haven’t registered for NYC yet? Do so as soon as possible so you can join the NYC community! Registration, which includes all meals, lodging, and programing, costs $550. A $225 deposit is due within two weeks of registration to reserve your spot. Go to www.brethren.org/nyc/registration.

In more news, ongoing announcements of presenters for NYC 2022 continue. The NYC 2022 office is happy to announce that all the worship preachers for the event have been confirmed. Continue reading about the NYC speakers and a special guest below.

COVID-19 protocols

Wondering what the COVID-19 protocols are for NYC 2022? Each participant signs a covenant agreeing to a number of rules, including wearing a mask any time they are indoors (unless they are eating/drinking, showering, or in their own dorm room). By signing the covenant, participants also acknowledge that they will follow protocols outlined by the NYC staff immediately prior to the event, as appropriate protocols cannot be defined until closer to July. We strongly encourage all participants to get vaccinated.

Each Saturday in recent weeks, a preacher was announced on the NYC social media pages as part of a series called “Speaker Saturday.” Previously, five speakers plus the theme of the Youth Speech Contest were announced. They can be found at www.brethren.org/news/2021/nyc-speakers-and-youth-speech-contest.

More speakers:

Dava Hensley is pastor of First Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va. She graduated from Bethany Theological Seminary in 2009 with a master of divinity degree and graduated from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in 2020 with a doctorate of ministry with an emphasis in preaching. She currently serves on the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board and on the Virlina District New Church Development Committee. When she has time, she loves to golf, read, cook, travel, and go to the movies.

Rodger Nishioka is director of Adult Faith Formation at Village Presbyterian Church in Kansas. Before starting at Village Presbyterian, he taught at Columbia Theological Seminary for 15 years. He formerly served as the national coordinator for Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Presbyterian Church and received a doctorate in Social and Cultural Foundations from Georgia State University.

Jeremy Ashworth is a husband, father, and pastor of Circle of Peace Church of the Brethren in Peoria, Ariz., a Phoenix suburb. He likes tacos.

Seth Hendricks is an experienced midwesterner, having lived in Nebraska, Kansas, Ohio, and now residing in Indiana where he is pastor of Youth Ministry and Congregational Life at Manchester Church of the Brethren in North Manchester, Ind. He is also a musician and composer of three National Youth Conference theme songs. He hopes to win his first Brethren Volunteer Service-sponsored NYC ultimate frisbee tournament with his youth group.

The NYC office is also pleased to announce that Ken Medema will be joining us for the whole week of NYC. Blind from birth, Medema sees and hears with heart and mind. He has inspired people through storytelling and music for 4 decades and has reached audiences of up to 50,000 people in 49 states and more than 15 countries on 4 continents. He custom designs every musical moment of his performances with improvisation that defies description. He is a great friend of the Church of the Brethren and has performed at Annual Conference and National Older Adult Conference as well as previous NYCs.