Attention Young Adults attending General Synod!
 
Thom Chu, our consultant for youth and young adult ministries, will be a point-person for young adults attending General Synod, whether as delegates, visitors, or exhibitors. Join us at 9:30pm on Friday, June 26 for a young adult afterhours gathering at General Synod.  The 2030 Clergy Network has also planned a young clergy gathering for Sunday night.

To help young adults convene their peers for impromptu and informal activities such as no-host meals, receptions, and other gatherings during General Synod we have set up a text-messaging service for your use. Simply click on the image below to sign up (there is no cost for the service but your phone carrier may charge you to receive text messages). If you have an announcement to go out to young adults at Synod, send a message to thomaskamchu@gmail.com and we'll help you to get the word out-

-see you in Grand Rapids!

As we come into contact with young adults in our daily environments, whether at work, in our casual connections with strangers, in greeting visitors in our congregations, it is useful to acknowledge that there are various spiritual perspectives and experiences that persons bring with them. Consider the following typology which might be useful for “mapping” your surroundings (this is intended to be descriptive, not prescriptive)

In the UCC, young adults are technically those people between the ages of 18 and 30. The reality is that a young adult could be female, male, a student, a professional, single, married, a parent, still living with a parent, Generation X or a Millennial, a seminarian, an ordained minister, someone who hasn't set foot in a church since high school and anything in between. "Young adult" is a distinction of age that encompasses a group as diverse and dynamic as any in the UCC. This webpage is a ministry resource for these young adults, those who minister with them, and all those seeking a better understanding of the needs of young adults and their many roles within the United Church of Christ (categories which are most definitely not mutually exclusive). The links below describe the resources offered by this site.

Youth and Young Adult Survey.  An online survey tool created as part of the United Church of Christ 2008-2009 needs assessment process.  Your collective input will help inform and strengthen our support of youth and young adult ministries in the future.

Call and Education. Information on UCC-related colleges and seminaries and discerning God's call in our lives.

Justice. Social justice with a young adult perspective, highlighting key issues, sharing opportunities to take action, linking to great justice- and action- oriented websites and more.

Ecumenical Opportunities  The World Council of Churches is seeking Young Adult Stewards aged 18 to 30 years old to serve in ecumenical leadership training in August 2009.  The deadline was March 31, 2009.

The UCC and You. What exactly is the UCC, and why is it unique? How can young adults tap into that distinctive identity and be vital participants in the life, mission and ministry of the UCC? Here's a place to learn more about the UCC and how you can get more involved, including more information than you ever knew existed about the ways young adults are and can be serving in the national setting of the church.

Volunteer and Mission Opportunities. Here's information about volunteer and mission opportunities available for young adults, as well as links to organizations and websites that host such opportunities.

Young Adult Clergy. Resourcing and networking for young adult clergy. Believe it or not, you are not alone out there!

Young Adult Ministries Network (YAMN). Get information about the Young Adult Ministries Network and how to join!

Young Adult Ministries Mission Statement. Read the mission statement adopted at General Synod 21 in 1997.

Link to the Our Whole Lives Education Page.  If you want to start or continue a Young Adult group, this resource would be the one to use!!  It is written by young adults – trainings for its use are being set up all over the country.

Links Links to other UCC pages of interest, young adult webpages from other denominations and faiths, resources on young adult ministry, Christian online magazines, young adult-focused websites, sites on postmodernity and Christianity and more.