The streets of Ferguson, Missouri, were a chaos that included protestors and clergy.  Thursday evening, August 14, I joined with my colleagues in the Diocese of Missouri and clergy from around the region to walk down Florissant St. and to the site where Michael Brown died. What struck me was the disconnect. Church people walked in an orderly line while young people from Ferguson darted in and out of the crowd.

A photo from the Washington Post showed a tense moment later that week. The Rev. Willis Johnson of Wellspring United Methodist Church is shown confronting an angry 18-year-old, Joshua Wilson, in the streets of Ferguson. The minister embraced the young man to keep him from rushing at the police. Johnson and Wilson had never met before.

I’ve thought that the church needs to engage young adults for the church’s sake. If the church wants to continue to exist, we need young adults. Walking in Ferguson over the past weeks has convinced me that the stakes are higher than I imagined before.

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Nominate a Young Adult to Serve with the Young Adult Service Corps.

The Episcopal Church is seeking to send out 30 young adults, around the world.

Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) is a ministry for young adults who are interested in exploring their faith in new ways by living and serving in communities around the world. 

YASC brings young adults into the life of the worldwide Anglican Communion and into the daily work of a local community.

YASC is open to Episcopalians between the ages of 21 and 30. Applicants must have a high degree of maturity and possess a faith commitment, the willingness to be a humble guest, and the ability to be an authentic companion.

Beginning October 7, the Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministries will facilitate monthly video conferences at 6 p.m. (EST) on the first Tuesday of each month.

Join us for "Last Tuesday" Videoconferences for Young Adult and Campus Ministry Leaders.

In July at the Kindling Conference, we kicked off a new project centered around storytelling. Over the next year, leaders in ministries with young adults will consider how we tell stories, and will invite young adults to share their stories.

See the kickoff stories from Kindling.

Leaders in ministry with young adults on and off college campuses will gather at St. Paul's Parish, Rock Creek, in Washington, D.C., for a weekend of leadership development, story sharing, art, and discussions about best practices and models of ministry with young adults.  If you're near Washington DC, plan to join us.  Contact Jason Evans, diocesan missioner for Young Adult Ministry for more information.

September 2014
 

Young Adult Festival at General Convention 2015

The General Convention of The Episcopal Church will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 25-July 3, 2015.

Consider young adults or college students to nominate to learn and serve at General Convention for the Young Adult Festival. Applications will be available later this fall.

Young Adult Ministry in Ferguson

The Episcopal Church's Justice and Advocacy Ministries and Episcopal Relief & Development recently provided grant funding for a new initiative based in the Ferguson area parishes. Part of this grant will fund a program to provide job skills training to young adults as they deliver food pantry food to shut-ins in Ferguson.

Resource for Discussing Ferguson

In a blog post for Episcopal Young Adult and Campus Ministries , the Rev. Mike Angell reports on his experience at the event. The post includes reflection questions for young adult groups and campus ministries.

Kindling Conference Resource Wrap Up

The Rev. Kyle Oliver from the Virginia Theological Seminary's Center for the Ministry of Teaching joined the Kindling Conference in July and wrote this great wrap up of resources and discussions.

Check it out on the Virginia Theological Seminary's Center for the Ministry of Teaching blog.