{"id":1749,"date":"2026-09-10T21:43:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T21:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/?p=1749"},"modified":"2026-09-10T21:43:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T21:43:26","slug":"vignette-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/vignette-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Vignette #2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Shawn Flory Replogle\u00a0and Clara Stover Brown<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[<em>This was originally written to include one youth and General Secretary of the Church of the Brethren, David Steele.\u202f It could still be used in a congregational setting by skipping past the \u201c~~~~~~~\u201d line and&nbsp;utilizing&nbsp;a pastor, youth leader, or other respected congregational member<\/em>]&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[<em>after trying to pass David on the down-stage side and cutting him off center stage<\/em>]&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Youth:<\/strong>&nbsp;Excuse me\u2026\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wait! Aren\u2019t you that guy that is like the head of the church?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>David:&nbsp;<\/strong>Well, yes\u2026 [<em>gets cut off by Youth<\/em>]&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Youth:&nbsp;<\/strong>What does that mean I should call you? Pope? Brethren Pope?\u202f B-Pope!!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>David:&nbsp;<\/strong>The title is General Secretary, but you can call me David.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Youth:&nbsp;<\/strong>Cool, cool, cool, cool. But like, don\u2019t you have your own secretary, or do you have to do that stuff too?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>David:&nbsp;<\/strong>It\u2019s&nbsp;not important.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How is your week&nbsp;of&nbsp;NYC going?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Youth:&nbsp;<\/strong>Oh&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;been great!&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;been so busy.\u202f There are so many things to do!\u202f And so many great speakers and workshop leaders.\u202f I hardly know where to start.\u202f&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;a little overwhelming.\u202f&nbsp;Maybe you&nbsp;could help me focus and narrow it down a little.\u202f&nbsp;There\u2019s&nbsp;been:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[<em>a stream of consciousness litany of activities and memorable moments from the week so far<\/em>]&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>First\u00a0we drove all day to Colorado and the stops along the way took so much longer than expected that we almost arrived here late\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We went to the\u00a0WelcomeFest\u00a0and visited all the\u00a0tables\u00a0and I got a Bethany Theological Seminary t-shirt in size 4XL, which has turned into a great sleeping shirt\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Of course\u00a0the supper line was SUPER\u00a0long\u00a0but I made a lot of new friends that day.\u202f Do you think that was a planned get-to-know-you activity?\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I also ran into friends\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0made at past youth events, like Christian Citizenship Seminar and Annual Conference.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And then there was the first Worship and all the things Cindy said, like \u201cGod\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0say BE the light.\u202f God says you ARE the light.\u201d And that the light\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be experienced on its own.\u202f\u00a0It has to have something to reflect off of, which means we have to do this together.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After a travel day like that I was too tired for late evening activities, and the shoe-thing\u00a0in\u00a0the door was weird until it was explained the next day.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I struggled to get out of bed the next morning, but\u00a0the breakfast\u00a0was so much faster than on Saturday!\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In\u00a0morning\u00a0Worship, Keyon was really challenging.\u202f I remember him saying that once\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0exposed to the Light, we\u00a0have to\u00a0love our neighbors and speak up for the least of these.\u202f And did you know that a nuclear physicist can so easily describe what light is?\u202f Light is the opposite of darkness.\u202f And if we are that light, then naturally others we meet should feel better because of the light we are.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You know what I mean?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Leader:&nbsp;<\/strong>Well\u2026&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Youth:&nbsp;<\/strong>And can you believe&nbsp;that&nbsp;was only Saturday through&nbsp;Sunday?!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[<em>a stream of consciousness litany of activities and memorable moments from the week so far<\/em>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Late Evening activities ended\u00a0late\u00a0so I was really tired Monday morning, and I tried hard not to crash out with the off-beat clapping, but then Dianne spoke.\u202f Wow!\u202f So many things, like \u201cJesus never asks if kids were legal\u201d and \u201cNo act of love is ever wasted in God\u2019s hands\u201d,\u00a0and \u201cYou matter and your love matters because God chooses to love the world through you.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Small groups talked about sermons and questions around Love Feast.\u202f A lot of us were surprised how many others thought\u00a0feetwashing\u00a0was weird, because we grew up being used to it.\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In workshops I did crafting and a lot of people showed up.\u202f We had fun creating beautiful objects out of a limited\u00a0amount\u00a0of resources.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I really wanted to hike, but I got a visit from some of my family who live in Colorado.\u202f They grew up in\u00a0Pennsylvania, and\u00a0got to see some advisors they went to\u00a0NYC with\u00a0years ago.\u202f What a coincidence!\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>That evening George really got my attention when he said, \u201cGod placed something inside of Gideon that he\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know was there.\u202f What spark has God put in us that we have yet realized?\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In that Worship I reflected on my own baptism, which happened two years ago in a river here in Colorado.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In late evening activities we got a front row seat to bingo, where we got shushed by Daniel because we were laughing so much.\u202f We\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0win.\u202f After that I got to\u00a0connect up\u00a0with my camp friend group and we\u00a0hung out.\u202f The YMCA of the Rockies is such\u00a0a great place\u00a0to hang out!\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On Tuesday, it was even harder getting awake, but Kayla took care of that! \u201cIt\u2019s easy to look good and put together at a distance\u201d and \u201cCan\u2019t just look good on paper and do the minimum.\u201d\u202f And the one that really got my attention: \u201cBiblically perfect\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0mean having it all together.\u202f It is being mature,\u00a0complete\u00a0and allowing yourself to grow.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Then I got to build\u00a0community\u00a0through games in workshops and\u00a0participate\u00a0in the fleece blanket service project.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After that we explored Love Feast in Worship, heard Dennis talk about how this is one of the ways that the Church of the Brethren has seen what Jesus said and did, and continues to try to say and do those things.\u202f DO THIS!\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And then we got to try out Love Feast ourselves.\u202f\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not trying to brag that it\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0feel awkward to me because I grew up with it, but I realize it\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0that easy for everyone.\u202f I just appreciated that people\u00a0tried.\u202f Makes me feel just a little step closer to God by doing what Jesus did.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And then I went roller-skating. Haha!\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Youth:&nbsp;<\/strong>But do you know what I think&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;realized most?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Leader:&nbsp;<\/strong>Uhhh\u2026&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[<em>Youth finds a slower pace<\/em>]&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Youth:<\/strong>&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;realized how much God loves me and everyone I meet.&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;felt deeply&nbsp;the pain and joy that&nbsp;resides&nbsp;in the world.\u202f Most importantly, I know that sometimes my voice can be small\u2026&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EVEN STILL, God can use that small voice for making the world a better place. And that seems like the most important thing of all, you know?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Leader:&nbsp;<\/strong>I\u2026&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Youth:&nbsp;<\/strong>Well, thanks for helping me think all of that through, but I&nbsp;gotta&nbsp;go.\u202f There\u2019s only&nbsp;1,450 minutes&nbsp;left of NYC.\u202f I still have a lot&nbsp;do!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[<em>Youth hurries off stage, leaving Leader behind<\/em>]&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Leader:<\/strong>&nbsp;[<em>shrugging<\/em>]:<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>I think the church&nbsp;is&nbsp;in good hands.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[<em>And then Leader also exits off stage<\/em>]&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Shawn Flory Replogle\u00a0and Clara Stover Brown [This was originally written to include one youth and General Secretary of the Church of the Brethren, David Steele.\u202f It could still be used in a congregational setting by skipping past the \u201c~~~~~~~\u201d line and&nbsp;utilizing&nbsp;a pastor, youth leader, or other respected congregational member]&nbsp; [after trying to pass David<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[105,49,51,59],"class_list":["post-1749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-skit","tag-activities","tag-nyc","tag-shawn-flory-replogle","tag-skit"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1749"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1750,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749\/revisions\/1750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/yya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}