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29-July-1998 
98254 
 
    1998 Presbyterian Youth Triennium Is Largest Ever 
 
    by Julian Shipp 
 
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- More than 6,000 youth and young adults attended the 
1998 Presbyterian Youth Triennium at Purdue University here July 21-26 - 
the largest number to date, according to event organizers. 
 
    The Triennium was co-sponsored by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the 
Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in Canada. 
However, more than 5,800 of the estimated 6,661 participants belonged to 
the PC(USA), according to Rodger Nishioka, coordinator for youth and young 
adult ministries in the Congregational Ministries Division. 
 
    "We estimate that we could have registered at least 2,000 more young 
people," Nishioka said. "But our registration is set by the number of seats 
in Purdue's [Elliott Hall of Music]." 
 
    Even so, little could have contained the excitement and enthusiasm 
exhibited by participants before and during worship. On July 24, for 
instance, thousands warmed themselves up to the hip-hop beat and ethereal, 
electronic harmony of "Gangstah's Paradise" by  rap sensation Coolio and 
the melodiously whimsical  "Tell Me More" from the "Grease" motion picture 
soundtrack. 
 
    Under the direction of choir/band director Kevin T. Harris of Kansas 
City, Mo., recreation leaders Deb Guess of Summerville, S.C., and Keith 
Harris of Kansas City, Mo., kept the crowd hyped  through witty skits and 
songs designed to introduce the theme of the conference: "Shine for Your 
Light Has Come." 
 
    "The crowd at the music hall looked like it was suited more for a rock 
concert than a worship service," observed Jennifer Martin of St. John's, 
Newfoundland. "Six thousand people make for a wonderfully huge 
congregation, and one could feel the indestructible spirit of so many youth 
in one room. Worship was filled with song, prayer and dance - a celebration 
of the light of the Lord." 
 
    "It's really exciting and I'm glad to see there's more and more 
interest in Triennium and I like to see the kids come out and do a lot of 
things that are really good," said the Rev. Byron Wade, pastor of Davie 
Street Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, N.C., and a former Presbyterian 
Youth Triennium Design Team member. 
 
    The youth express themselves for mission 
 
    On July 23, participants were given an afternoon of exploration during 
"Express Yourself," a time for young people to try something new such as 
folk dancing, creative writing and making global crafts or origami. 
 
    However, about 100 youngsters opted to help the local Habitat for 
Humanity effort in Lafayette, Ind., by spending their afternoon pounding 
away with hammers and sawing prefabricated wood to construct work sheds for 
Habitat homes. Under the supervision of adults, five work sheds were built 
by the end of the evening 
 
    "It's been a good experience for the kids," said Stephen Melton of 
Bedford, Pa.., a Presbyterian Youth Triennium Planning Team and Habitat for 
Humanity Committee member. "They got to see how to build a house. Several 
of the youth and adults have worked on Habitat homes before, but others 
just wanted to help." 
 
    Many more Triennium gatherers contributed to a mission effort of 
another type. The Lafayette Urban Ministry (LUM) received an enormous 
donation to its emergency homeless shelter and food pantry through the 
Triennium's Cereal and Socks Program. Each person registered for the 
Triennium was asked to bring a pair of socks and a box of cereal to the 
event. 
 
    According to Deanna Pilkenton, LUM shelter director, more than 4,100 
guests at the homeless shelter will eat a hearty breakfast during the next 
four to five months. Also, each guest throughout the remainder of the year 
will receive new socks. The homeless tend to have chronic problems with 
their feet due to the severe conditions of the street and good socks can 
often prevent these problems. Pilkenton said the Triennium gift was so 
immense LUM shared a truckload of donated items with its neighboring 
Salvation Army shelter for families. 
 
    Global partners tell their stories 
 
    For 140 teenagers from other countries also present at the Triennium, 
the event was an ideal place to tell their stories. Among them was Debora 
Tri Ragawanti of Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country where Christians 
are a persecuted minority. 
 
    According to Ragawanti, there are fewer than 300 Christian 
congregations in the entire country of Indonesia. Churches are sometimes 
destroyed and pastors killed, but rather than seek revenge, Indonesian 
Christians seek action - action through prayers and through rebuilding 
their ruined places of worship. Occasionally, she said, when those 
responsible for the destruction see how the Christians refuse to respond to 
hatred with hatred, they are amazed. Some, wondering what sort of people 
these Christians are, even show up at the new churches wanting to learn 
more about Jesus. 
 
    "We may have different cultures, but love is universal," Ragawanti 
said. "We are different, but we can also be in unity as brothers and 
sisters in God." 
 
    Another young person who shared his experience during the Triennium was 
Muleba Kasonga from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa. 
Kasonga said a recent occurrence in the Congo cemented his faith. Psalm 
91:7 says, "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your  right 
hand, but it will not come near you," and Kasonga said he lived this verse 
out on Jan. 21, 1991. 
 
    President Mobutu Sese Seko, the ex-dictator of Congo, had not paid his 
soldiers for six months. They became angry and vented their frustrations by 
breaking into an armory and stealing all of the weapons and ammunition. 
They then went out and raped and killed people and looted stores. Kasonga's 
family fell victim to the soldiers, who stormed into his home and took 
everything. 
 
    "When my family and I left our ruined home and walked out into the 
street, we could see bullets flying everywhere," he said. "The gunshots 
were literally falling around us, but no one in my family was hurt. The 
Lord protected us. That night, we had to stay in the military camp, as 
there was nowhere else to go. This was the same camp that housed the people 
who had destroyed our home, but even so, no one came near us or touched us 
or harmed us in any way." 
 
    The next day, Kasonga said, his family found another house to live in 
while theirs was being rebuilt. He lived there six months and was very 
happy. Kasonga said he and his family had cause to celebrate because they 
were alive, their faith was made stronger and they learned firsthand that 
God is "the Great Protector." 
 
    "Even though we had no money and very few clothes, we did have food and 
were clothed and provided for," Kasonga said. "God loves us! God really 
loves us! And I love Jesus." 
 
    Billed as the world's largest gathering of Presbyterian and Reformed 
youth, the very first Triennium was held in 1980 at Indiana University in 
Bloomington. All subsequent events have been held at Purdue. 
 
(Information for this story was also compiled by Adele Halliday and Laura 
Alary). 

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