Thoughts about Youth and General Assembly
Recently the program coordinator has sent a few
emails seeking help with planning and leading youth activities at General
Assembly 2009. I have had many discussions with other youth leaders in all
manifestations of the church: local, regional, and general on this topic. I
post here a response to the program coordinator that my peer and friend, Bill
Spangler-Dunning and I sent to her.
I
received
your
email
seeking
input
and
names
for
volunteers
to
plan
and
lead
youth
activites
or
events
alongside
GYC
at
General
Assembly
2009.
I
forwarded
that
email
to
my
peer
and
friend,
Bill
Spangler-Dunning
in
the
Upper
Mid-West
Region.
We
have
discussed
youth
ministry
programming,
GYC,
and
GA
in
the
past.
This
was
another
opportunity
for
us
to
revisit
that
conversation.
You
may
not
be
the
person
that
needs
this
information,
but
given
your
‘program
coordinator’
status
for
the
OGMP
we
send
it
to
you
trusting
the
information
will
inform
the
process
leading
to
GA09.
We
urge
the
General
Assembly
planning
committee
to
first
ask
Disciples
Home
Mission
to
clearly
articulate
what
the
role
of
GYC,
as
well
as
that
of
Tod
Iseminger,
is
at
General
Assembly,
so
that
the
GA09
planning
committee
can
make
informed
decisions
about
how
to
include
youth
and
GYC
in
GA09.
If
the
paid
staff
at
DHM
cannot
clearly
articulate
the
role,
responsibilities,
and
accountability
structures,
then
volunteers
should
not
be
asked
to
do
the
work.
General
Assembly
is
a
time
for
the
Disciples
family
to
be
together.
We
have
never
been
a
fan
of
segregating
the
youth
and
the
adults
who
work
with
them
from
the
business
of
the
church
at
General
Assembly.
If
it
is
boring
for
the
youth
among
us,
then
it
is
probably
boring
to
the
adults
as
well,
but
that
does
not
mean
we
should
send
the
youth
off
to
do
other
things
while
the
church
conducts
business.
Why
not
address
how
business
is
conducted?
It
is
easy
to
agree
that
we
want
to
show
youth
how
to
‘be’
Church
through
the
mission
opportunities
offered
at
GA,
but
if
it
is
only
youth
participating
alongside
their
adult
volunteers
then
this
is
just
another
form
of
childcare.
Large
numbers
of
youth
at
GA
help
adults
feel
better
about
our
church,
feel
younger,
but
we
do
not
include
them
in
the
sometimes
messy
and
boring
business
of
being
a
church
or
a
denomination.
It
appears
that
they
are
used
as
window
dressing
rather
than
mentored
for
the
ministry
and
business
of
the
church.
As
much
as
summer
GA
is
a
good
opportunity
for
youth
groups
to
experience
a
Church
larger
than
their
own,
summer
assembly
has
a
negative
effect
on
Regional
camping
programs,
as
well
as
youth
group
work.
A
summer
assembly
makes
it
harder
to
recruit
adult
volunteers
for
outdoor
ministry,
and
puts
many
congregations
in
the
position
of
having
to
choose
what
they
will
help
fund
with
their
limited
budgets:
camp
scholarships,
mission
trip
or
a
general
assembly
trip.
Moreover,
the
summer
assembly
removes
the
adults
who
might
participate
in
assembly,
but
out
of
dedication,
skip
the
business
of
the
church
or
catching
up
with
friends
and
colleagues
to
serve
the
youth
in
their
care.
This
is
why
we
have
supported
resolutions
to
return
to
an
alternating
summer/fall
schedule
for
GA.
The
reason
this
has
not
passed
is
that
the
very
people
who
would
support
such
a
resolution
have
not
been
present
for
the
vote
because
the
youth
programming
at
GA
took
them
away
from
that
business
session.
If
GYC
is
to
continue
in
leadership
at
GA09,
then
please
involve
them
in
leadership
of
the
whole
event.
Are
the
current
‘eye
openers’
and
‘after
sessions’
important
at
GA?
Probably
so,
given
that
youth
groups
attend
and
this
is
a
good
connection
time,
but
don’t
put
the
youth
activities
area
in
the
bowels
of
the
convention
facility.
Place
them
somwhere
everyone
has
to
pass
by,
and
make
that
room
‘conversation
friendly’
for
everyone,
youth
and
adults.
Turn
this
time
over
to
GYC
and
let
them
succeed
or
fail.
Hold
GYC
accountable
to
the
deadlines,
and
don’t
rescue
them.
How
else
are
these
young
leaders
going
to
learn
and
develop?
GYC
youth
need
to
participate
in
the
leadership
of
all
the
worshp
experiences
rather
than
being
assigned
a
‘youth
Sunday’
format
at
GA
particularly
if
the
worship
service
assigned
to
GYC
to
plan
and
lead
is
on
Sunday
morning
when
most
assembly
participants
are
attending
local
congregations.
The
Sunday
morning
worship
at
GA07
that
was
‘youth
and
young
adult
planned
and
led’
appeared
to
be
a
showcase
for
a
preacher
that
the
GA07
planning
team
needed
to
place
rather
than
someone
the
GYC
chose
to
bring
the
message
that
day
as
a
part
of
the
worship
they
planned.
If
GYC
and
youth
ministry
are
important
to
the
OGMP
and
GA09
planning
team,
then
include
them,
work
with
them,
mentor
them,
and
hold
them
accountable
through
the
paid
staff
assigned
to
the
work
of
youth
ministry
in
the
General
manifestation
of
the
church.
We
will
not
discourage
youth
groups
from
attending
GA09,
but
will
not
promote
GA
as
an
option
for
a
summer
youth
group
mission
trip.
The
mission
work,
while
important,
can
and
should
be
done
by
the
adults
who
attend
GA09
if
it
is
and
important
part
of
the
event.
If
you
have
questions
please
call
or
email.
We
look
forward
to
seeing
you
at
the
DYMN
event
in
March.
Filed Mon - January 28, 2008, 09:00 PM in
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