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UMNS Report
By Joey Butler*

1:30 P.M. EST Aug. 4, 2010

To reflect the global nature of the event, worship and legislative sessions were conducted in each speaker’s native language and all in attendance used translation equipment to participate. UMNS photo by Tom Schmidt.

BERLIN (UMNS) — “Please state your name, jurisdiction and delegate number before speaking.”

“Please speak slowly for the translators.”

“I’m a tosa, tosa, to-saaaah!”

Those may be three statements most remembered by roughly 350 delegates of the 2010 Global Young People’s Convocation and Legislative Assembly, held July 21-26 in Berlin, Germany.

You’d expect to hear the first two statements at a legislative assembly. The third one, not so much. But anyone who attended the closing night’s cultural celebration probably is still singing along to the “name game” rap shared by African delegates.

Led by the Division on Ministries with Young People of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, the event brought young leaders from around the world and created unity through sharing of cultures. The first convocation was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2006.

The youth and young adult participants also approved legislation that will be presented to the 2012 General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative body.

In addition to mastering Berlin’s numerous train routes and a crash course in Robert’s Rules of Order, young people from more than two dozen countries worshipped together in a variety of languages. Unlike General Conference — which is conducted in English and translated into the various languages of the delegates — the convocation’s speakers used their native tongue and all attendees relied on translators.

“This is the nature of a truly global event, not an English-centered one,” said the Rev. Mike Ratliff, head of the Division on Ministries with Young People.

Jacques Kasongo-Kazadi, a delegate from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said he enjoyed experiencing The United Methodist Church’s global connection. “I am interested to see what is happening in the church in Germany, in the Philippines, in the U.S. I am reporting back to my annual conference, and what we do here will influence the future of the church.”

Delegates also got a break from legislative sessions through arranged sightseeing trips that took them to sites such as the Berlin Wall and the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Each excursion concluded at one of Berlin’s United Methodist churches for dinner and worship.

Legislation

After a day of orientation and ice-breaking exercises, delegates got down to business, holding two days of legislative sessions.

Delegates from the Global Young People’s Convocation attended an ecumenical worship service July 23 at the famed Berlin Cathedral. UMNS photo by Steve Horswill-Johnston

Of the 22 petitions considered, 10 passed and will be heard at General Conference in 2012. Those petitions included resolutions denouncing killings in Africa and the Philippines, ensuring young people are properly represented on general boards and agencies and promoting alternatives to abortion.

As is often the case at General Conference, the petitions dealing with human sexuality caused tension, leading to a dramatic Friday night session where tears were shed and debate became heated.

True to the event’s theme of “One Lord, One Church, One World,” all participants reunited for worship the next morning.

“Even after a night of heated disagreement, we were all able to come together the next morning and worship together, and forget our differences,” said Kaitlin McMichael, North Texas Annual (regional) Conference. “I love that my church is big enough to do that.”

The ‘now’ of the church

Seeing 20-somethings debating “amendments to amendments” and calling for seconds to motions makes it easy to picture many of them as the next generation’s bishops, general agency executives and seminary deans.

However, Bethany Amey, a young adult missionary serving in San Francisco, doesn’t like when she hears that young people are the “future” of the church.

“Young adults and youth are the ‘now’ of the church,” she said. “If we don’t start changing our mindsets of youth being the now, there won’t be a future. They’re here ready to step up into positions of leadership if we make the space for them.

“This legislation gives voice to concerns young people around the world have and this is a venue for young people to not be intimidated by the structure of our church.”

Amy Pazan of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference agreed.

On one of many blogs that emanated from the event, Pazan wrote in hers, “Without our help, the youth and young people of today will not be able to fully voice their opinion to make sure their church becomes what they want to see happen, not what their parents and grandparents had seen. It’s our church and together we will make a stand to how we want the church to be.”

*Butler is editor of young adult content for United Methodist Communications, Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Joey Butler, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.