On Sunday, April 27th, my youth group from Northaven United Methodist Church went to check out the goings on of General Conference. We brought 10 youth and confirmands as well as about 8 adults (two of us being ministers). That’s a big deal for our church because intergenerational activity has been a major “opportunity to grow.” I think the coolest part for me was hooking up with RMN/Mosaic folks from different churches. Besides NUMC, there are few reconciling congregations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area so its wonderful to fellowship with other folks involved in the struggle. I had spoken to many Mosiac folks via facebook and email but it was wonderful to worship with them.

The RMN service was kind of like a family reunion. There were folks that many of us knew. A couple of my confirmands pointed to John Thornburg and said “that’s the pastor who baptized me.” How awesome is it that our newest soon-to-be members are thinking about baptism? I digress… I also met a lot of new folks. Many people came up to me and said they were encouraged by the presence of our youth group. Let me tell you, we were encouraged by yours.

Hopefully, as the week goes on, our youth will be posting about their experiences. In coming days, I will post a sermon that I’m preaching this Sunday regarding the struggle for inclusion. I look forward to the help and feedback of this online community.

In the meantime, if you want to see how Texas Reconciling Youth roll, check out our youth group’s website at www.waywardumyf.com

Grace and Peace,
Richard Newton

Categories: General Conference 2008, Reflections