Youth 2007 brings together United Methodist teens
United Methodist youth from Kansas sing during opening worship at
Youth 2003 in Knoxville, Tenn. Youth 2007 is set for July 11-15 in
Greensboro, N.C. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.
|
By United Methodist News Service*
March 5, 2007
If
you can sing, act, slam dunk or play a mean game of Operation, you
could be on your way to fame, fortune and loads of fun at Youth 2007.
Aspiring filmmakers, singers, athletes and others between ages 12 and
18 will have a chance to compete at The United Methodist Church's
largest quadrennial youth event, set for July 11-15 in Greensboro, N.C.
More than 5,000 youth and their leaders already have registered for the
event.
Youth also will have a chance to speak their minds on issues related
to the church at the “speaker's corner” or step out of the chaos into a
reflective and meditative prayer labyrinth.
Worship leaders, speakers and workshops will expose participants to
the multitude of resources and insights that will help them grow as
Christian disciples and make a positive impact on their communities.
Through a missions pavilion, youth also will provide service to the
people of Greensboro and beyond.
Ready, set, action!
Insight, the first online film festival for United Methodist youth,
gives youth groups a chance to tell stories related to faith and
spirituality on video or film.
Youth groups can submit short videos (3 to 10 minutes) in any
genre--documentary, fiction, animation. A panel of judges will decide on
the winning films or videos and award cash prizes of $1,000, $500 and
$250 for the top three. Winning entries will be shown during Youth
2007.
“Insight will give young people 12-18 the opportunity to experience
faith through a medium with which they are already comfortable,” said
Jay Clark, staff member with the Division on Ministries With Young
People of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, which sponsors the
event.
“We are excited about this opportunity to blend the areas of technology and faith,” he said.
May 1 is the deadline to enter the film festival. Information
about entry requirements, suggestions for help and instructions for
uploading are available on the Insight Web site, www.InsightFilmFest.org or by e-mailing InSight@GBOD.org.
Got soul?
The Upper Room Ministries magazine for youth and young adults, devozine,
has announced a SoulTunes Contest for youth bands and songwriters. The
winners will perform the winning song live at Youth 2007.
"Youth 2007 provides so many areas to
explore. Everyone that comes to this event should be able to find some
activity that suits their needs."
Youth bands and performers, ages 13-19, may enter online (mp3 format only) at www.devozine.org or send their song on a CD with entry information to devozine
SoulTunes Contest, 1908 Grand Ave., P.O. Box 340004, Nashville, TN
37212. Entries must be received by midnight, Central Standard Time, on
March 31.
“devozine knows that music is a huge part of youth culture
today. And music is often the medium that young people use to express
and to celebrate their faith,” said editor Sandy Miller. “Because devozine
is 'devoted to God + devoted to prayer + devoted to youth,' we are
calling youth bands, vocalists and songwriters to write and record an
original song that expresses their devotion to God,” she said.
Slam dunk
Youth visiting the Nothing But Nets pavilion will have a chance to slam
dunk basketballs or spike volleyballs for the ultimate award--saving
lives.
WNBA star Ruth Riley joins a neighborhood basketball game near
Luanda, Angola, as part of her Nothing But Nets trip to Africa. At Youth
2007, youth can slam dunk basketballs and spike volleyballs to help
raise money for the anti-malaria initiative. A UMNS photo by John
Gordon.
|
The people of The United Methodist Church are in the big leagues with
the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares Foundation, United
Nations Foundation, Millennium Promise and the Measles Initiative to
provide insecticide-treated bed nets to Africa, where a child dies from
malaria every 30 seconds.
The nets cost $10 each, and 100 percent of each gift goes to the cost
of buying and distributing them to families in underdeveloped nations
where mosquitoes typically transmit malaria at night while people sleep.
Health officials say the nets can reduce transmission by as much as 50
percent.
Malaria infects more than 500 million people each year, and most malaria victims in Africa are under age 5.
A fund-raising contest will net three youth and adult companions a
paid trip to the United Nations in New York. Winner of an essay contest
will have an opportunity to participate in an Africa trip to deliver the
nets. A Web site, www.umc.org/nets, will be up in mid-March with more information about the contests.
Remove the funny bone
"Operation Vote!" is an opportunity for youth to name The United Methodist Church's new online Web site for teenagers.
Teens who visit the United Methodist Communications' booth can vote
on a final name for the online site, which officially launches under its
new name at the end of Youth 2007. A $2,000 grand prize awaits the
youth/group nominating the winning URL.
The Web site is designed to offer a teen-relevant, online venue to
share the values, inclusiveness and living embodiment of The United
Methodist faith community, and actively invite seeker teens to journey
into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
While at the booth, teens who vote on the site’s new name can qualify
to attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest game of
Operation, a classic board game in which players test their hand-eye
coordination by using tweezers to remove plastic ailments from an
imaginary patient. The current record is one minute and two seconds.
"Youth 2007 provides so many areas to explore. Everyone that comes to
this event should be able to find some activity that suits their
needs,” said Clark.
“Yet, it is not what and how participants feel at the event that I’m
most concerned about. It is [people] going back to their local churches
and communities as changed persons ready to make a difference; people
going home ready to stand up for what they believe, and be a catalyst
for positive change. That is where I hope to see God at work in this
particular event and in the lives of the young people that
come,” Clark said.
For more information about Youth 2007, visit www.Youth2007.org, or call the Youth2007 event office at (877) 899-2780, ext. 7058.
*Information for this report was provided by Jeanette Pinkston,
director of media relations, United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related Articles
Christian bands set to rock Youth 2007
Youth 2007 expected to draw 10,000 young people
United Methodists join launch of global malaria campaign
Young people celebrate global connection, hear challenges
Resources
Youth 2007
Division on Ministries with Young People
Nothing But Nets
Igniting Ministry |