By Rachel Johnson
For National Youth Conference (NYC) 2026 we are inviting YOU, youth participants, to write and send in various worship elements. The plan is to use these worship elements as part of our worship services during NYC, which gives youth the opportunity to help shape what worship looks like.
Our theme for NYC 2026 is “Light Within Us,” based on Matthew 5:14-16. We hope that youth will consider this scripture passage and the idea of God’s light in us that we are to share with others, as they are writing their worship elements.
“You” can mean many different things! You may write something yourself, you may work with a friend to write a worship element, or your whole youth group may work together to come up with an idea. While we only need one person to send us the worship element, as many youth participants can work on it as you would like! Just be sure to include everyone’s names so we can give proper credit.
We recognize that not everyone wants to speak in front of a large group of people, but the youth who contribute worship elements may want to share their writings. For youth who do not want to present their worship element in person during NYC, we can arrange for another participant to read what they wrote, while still crediting them for writing it.
The NYC team cannot wait to see what you will write! Find the submission form at https://forms.gle/UP9Y5et17G1FANdz5. Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@brethren.org with questions.
— Rachel Johnson is coordinator of National Youth Conference 2026 along with Anna Schweitzer as assistant coordinator. She is serving through Brethren Volunteer Service.
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