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19-August-1998 
98269 
 
    Triennium's Light 
 
    by Elena Lloyd-Sidle 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-The only flaw in a life-changing experience is that coming 
back home seems somehow disappointing. 
 
    On July 26 around lunchtime I was staring out of a bus window, crying - 
well, maybe sobbing.  We were pulling out of Purdue University, where 
Presbyterian Youth Triennium was held, with our bags packed and our 
good-byes said.  The week at Triennium was so full of incredible emotion 
and I was finally letting it out. 
 
    Even though memories would always be with me, it seemed like everything 
- all the joy, friendship, excitement, energy, anger, sorrow, love and life 
- was coming to an end.  The lawns and fountains, closets and bathrooms, 
buildings and rooms of Purdue seemed like my home.  I belong there!  I 
belong there with all of my newly found friends and leaders.  This is how I 
felt about parting with the most incredible experience of my life. 
 
    In the past a two-hour worship service has never sounded appealing to 
me.  I sort of groaned when I read the schedule and saw "Worship 9:15-11:15 
a.m."  But after the first one, I knew I was lucky. 
 
    Beginning with "energizers" - movements to different songs - worship 
was instantly engaging.  Some examples of  "movements" were acting like a 
firework or maybe a swimmer, in one song a banana peeler, in another a bus 
driver.  So here I am - a 15-year-old acting like I'm peeling bananas! 
 
    But my self-consciousness soon gave way to pure fun.  Singing was very 
popular during worship and I am so glad.  Singing my heart out knowing that 
almost 6,700 other youth were singing their hearts out too really made me 
glad to be praising God in song. 
 
    Scripture was more powerful than it has ever been before.  It was not 
simply read aloud, it was acted out and danced and sung.  There was usually 
a sermon - sometimes brief, sometimes not, but constantly thought-provoking 
and moving. 
 
    And Communion was unforgettable. 
 
    The activities were wonderful because not only were they fun, but they 
gave me a chance to get to know people from my presbytery, my Bible study 
groups, and others with whom I just happened to get acquainted.  These 
activities included pottery making, painting, storytelling, drawing, 
movies, theatrical performances, concerts, parties, dances, mud and much, 
much more. 
 
    There was a constant energy flowing from everyone.  This made things 
joyous, exciting, and sometimes almost chaotic. 
 
    That is why the Bible study groups were great.  These groups were 
called Lighthouse Groups.  If you were lost in the massive sea of people, 
you could always come to the Lighthouse Group, where there would be roughly 
20 people with whom you could talk in peace.  In these groups we would 
discuss what the word of God means to us, as well as what was on our minds, 
both related and unrelated to Triennium. 
 
    The people at Triennium were amazing.  It was almost impossible to walk 
down the street alone.  Someone was sure to come up to you just to say 
"Hi."  It was as if loving each other was a given.  We were all friends 
without knowing each other.  This is how I met some people who, through 
conversations at Triennium and subsequent letters and e-mails, are now good 
friends. 
 
    I was part of a community that loved unconditionally.  Feeling loved 
that way is a wonderful feeling. 
 
    At home I don't really know that many Presbyterian youth.  It can be 
frustrating when my best friends don't believe in the same things I do. 
When they don't know what I live for and who I praise and thank each day, 
it can feel lonely. 
 
    But now I know that I'm not alone.  I know that there are 6,700 people 
my age who worship the Father, Son and Holy Ghost with the passion that I 
do.  Being a part of this community helped me realize who God is in me, 
what I do, in fact, believe and what I just want to believe, why I love my 
life and myself and what it really means to be a Christian. 
 
    Being a Christian means believing not only in the sweet, cozy birth of 
Jesus, but in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ as well.  It means 
believing that "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and 
the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into 
being through him and without him not one thing came into being.  What has 
come into being in him was life and life was the light of all people.  The 
light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it." 
 
    "Arise, shine, for your light has come!  Jesus is the light!  Jesus is 
your light!" 
 
(Elena Lloyd-Sidle is a high school sophomore in Louisville, Ky., and a 
member of Cresent Hill Presbyterian Church.) 

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