Division on Young People organizes to transform lives

Geronima Dumagos

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-A standing ovation and applause ushered in the denomination’s entity that will be central place for youth, young adults and workers with young adult ministries to find direction for their ministries.

The new Division on Ministries with Young People held its first meeting Sept. 29-Oct. 2 to begin giving youth and young people a greater voice in the United Methodist Church.

The division aims to "empower young people as world-changing disciples of Christ," to nurture faith development, and to equip young people "so that they will be in the mix," said the Rev. Lillian Smith, who begins leadership of the division Oct. 18.

The heart of the division is the "desire to transform young people’s lives and empower them to be a living gospel, agents of change and transformation in their families, their communities and their world," she said.

The youth and young people representing countries where the church is in ministry began their time together with opening worship during the fall meeting of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. The division is part of the discipleship agency.

The 36 youth and young adults in attendance came together and "united in Christ to serve God in so many ways," said Geronima Dumagos of Baugio City, Philippines.

The creation of the division is important to the church, Smith said, "because in many instances, young people are not present, and if they are not present, their gifts are not being used, their leadership is absent. Young and old alike should praise the name of the Lord, and we have to ensure that the young are there also."

Smith, who has been involved in youth and young adult ministry for years, said people in those categories are absent from the church because of perceptions that the ministry is not relevant to them. In addition, they have not had opportunities to be in ministry, she said. "They have been told, ‘you can do it later, when you get older.’"

The Rev. Lillian Smith

"My prayer for the work of this division is that it will help congregations, campus ministries and other ministries intentionally engage young people in ministry, so that we can not only make disciples for Jesus Christ but equip them to build up the body of Christ," she said.

The church’s 2004 General Conference approved the creation of the Division on Ministries with Young People on May 1, in a 780-109 vote with 11 abstentions. The budget of $6.6 million, which included $1.8 million from off the budget, was approved by a vote of 749-140, with seven abstentions. A proposal from the General Council on Finance and Administration reduced the budget to $1.6 million, with $4.73 million coming through other channels.

With the creation of the division, the United Methodist Youth Organization and the Forum for Adult Workers in Youth Ministry will disband, effective Dec. 31. The Shared Mission Focus on Young People, a churchwide initiative since 1996, is being folded into the new division.

Advocates for creating the division cited research showing that while the general church offers many opportunities for youth and young adults, those ministries remain disconnected, and often the message does not reach the local church. The division creates a central place for youth, young adults and workers with young adult ministries to find direction for their work.

It is that central place for youth ministry that interested Malte Wolman of Stuttgart, Germany. "I’m here for the opportunity to gather with people from across the world and from the United Methodist Church in America to talk about what is youth work over the world."

He wants to learn about the similarities and differences in youth work in America and in Europe. "We have to learn from one another and be openhearted for the mission of Christ," Wolman said. "We are doing the same job all over the world, and we can learn from one another."

The new division comprises 59 members, ages 12 to 30. The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive of the Board of Discipleship, expressed sadness that several young people from the denomination’s central conferences-regional units in Europe, Africa and Asia- could not attend the division’s first meeting due to an inability to obtain visas for travel to the United States.

Stephon Williams

As it first order of business, the division elected Vanessa Trejo of San Antonio and Dawson Taylor of Richardson, Texas, as co-chairpersons and approved four tables of ministry: advocacy, leadership and resource development, communications/marketing, and faith formation.

The division’s members spent considerable time outlining issues of importance. Those concerns centered on the needs of youth and young people in their communities-what they face in school and what they want from the church. "The issues of young people are the issues of every church member," Taylor said.

"This division is an exciting adventure that was created to ensure that, as a church, we really care for young people," Taylor said. "It is a cohesive group that will minister to young people inside and outside of the church."

As co-chairperson, Taylor said his vision is for the division "not to become a bureaucratic nightmare." He wants it to empower the local church to reach young people effectively. Doing so is "vital for the future of the church," he said.

"Youth and young adults are not only the leaders of tomorrow’s church. We are the leader’s of today’s church as well, so we have to make sure that we are empowering and training that leadership," he said.

Courtney Lynch, Goose Creek, S.C., wants to increase interaction with people from across the globe. "If you don’t interact with others, you cannot grow."

Speaking through a sign language interpreter, Stephon Williams of Baltimore, came to the division as a representative of the deaf community in the United Methodist Church. He called the division exciting and unique because "it is one of the first opportunities for a deaf young adult to participate." He wants to give the division a new perspective about deaf youth and young adults, sign language and the deaf culture.

"It is important for me to be involved in the United Methodist Church and in this division for my own personal spiritual growth, and to help other deaf people grow spiritually also."

*Green is a news writer for United Methodist News Service.

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

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