wfn.org | Global event will challenge youth to 'reach higher'

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Aug. 7, 2002 News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.   10-71B{348}

By United Methodist News Service

Youth are invited to "Reach Higher, Deeper, Further" in their spiritual
lives at Youth2003, an event set for next summer for United Methodists from
around the globe.

The gathering, sponsored every four years by the United Methodist Board of
Discipleship, will be held July 23-27 at the University of Tennessee in
Knoxville.

The event is designed for youth ages 12-18 and their adult leaders. Youth of
all ages from the United Methodist Church's central conferences - regional
units outside the United States - are invited. 

Each day, Bishop Violet Fisher of the New York West Area and Bishop Mary Ann
Swenson of the Los Angeles Area will partner with youth in Bible study.

Stephen Handy, director of sales at the United Methodist Publishing House,
will be the opening speaker. Others will include Duffy Robbins, chair of the
Youth Ministry Program at Eastern College in St. David's, Pa.; and Jay
Williams, a junior at Harvard University, co-leader of the United Methodist
Shared Mission Focus on Young People, and board member of the General
Council on Ministries. The Rev. Grace Imathiu, a Kenyan-born pastor and
international speaker, will conclude the event. 

The registration fee before Jan. 31 is $335; it goes up to $360 between Feb.
1 and May 30, and $375 after May 31. The fee covers four nights' housing, 11
meals and transportation from the Knoxville airport. It also covers the
Youth2003 program, which includes concerts, Bible studies, workshops,
service learning options and recreational activities. 

For more information, go to www.youth2003.org; call Lori Whitehurst at (615)
340-7176 or (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7176; or send an e-mail message to
youth2003@gbod.org.
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United Methodist News Service
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