wfn.org | Weekend of worship helps young people hear God's call

["NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Nov. 22, 2002  News media contact: Kathy Gilbert7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.	10-71BP{541}

NOTE: Photographs are available with this story.

By Pamela Crosby*

CHICAGO (UMNS) - The O'Hare Hyatt Regency Hotel was rocked by shouts of
praise as 1,400 high school and college students considering ordained
ministry met for Exploration 2002. 

The biennial event is a weekend of worship, study, prayer and small-group
discussions designed to assist youth and young adults who might be sensing
God's call or wondering about ministry in the United Methodist Church. The
denomination's Board of Higher Education and Ministry sponsored the Nov.
15-17 gathering.

Opening worship began with the energy of the praise and worship team led by
the Rev. Cynthia Wilson-Hollins, pastor of music, worship and communication
at Ben Hill United Methodist Church in Atlanta. She sang "Calling My Name," a
song with lyrics and rhythms punctuating the conference's theme: "Is God
Calling You?"

Sitting on the floor and in aisles or standing along the walls of the hotel
convention hall, young people listened as speakers told of their own doubts
about being called into ministry when they were younger. 

God calls those who don't necessarily look, walk or act like a pastor, said
the Rev. Nick Harvey, design team member and Candler School of Theology
professor. "Jesus was radical, and God needs radical individuals. You may
have piercings; you may have tattoos. In this day and time, many folks won't
go where you will go. Who's going to preach to those on the edges of
society?"

After each worship session, 128 small groups, ranging from five to eight
people each, adjourned to meeting rooms, hallways and secluded areas to
discuss their responses to the talks. Many students had their questions
addressed in these sessions.

"At first I didn't know what to expect," said Jennifer Jacobs, a high school
student from Overland Park, Kan. "When I came, I was struggling with my faith
because of being pressured at school to prove why I believe as I do. (Here),
I couldn't believe people are that in to God. This is an amazing experience
that shows me God is there."

The small-group leaders included seminarians, chaplains, campus ministers,
missionaries, Board of Higher Education and Ministry staff and board members,
and clergy from annual (regional) conferences.

Returning each day to the packed conference hall, students entered to the
music of the theme song, "He Knows My Name." Each worship service included
dance, mime, signing, danced Scripture, instrumental music and choral
singing. As students registered, they were encouraged to find their roles in
these worship activities.

Workshops addressed topics such as "Faces of Today's Ministry," "Women in
Ordained Ministry," "Differently Abled in Ordained Ministry" and "What to
Expect in Seminary Life," a question-and-answer session led by a group of
nine students from United Methodist-related seminaries.

Clergy couple Susan Pendleton Jones and L. Gregory Jones were models for
students who feel they can't be both clergy and married. The couple, both
staff members at Duke Divinity School, were featured speakers Nov. 16.
Assuring the group that ordained ministry is not where the money is, the Rev.
Susan Pendleton Jones explained, "Ministry is your life, not your livelihood.
You find ministry where the needs of the world and your talents meet."

The Nov. 16 evening worship included a powerful sermon by Iowa Area Bishop
Gregory Vaughn Palmer. Taking his text from the biblical story of Samuel and
Eli in 1 Samuel, he encouraged the students to think seriously about their
call and urged, "Don't say, 'Speak Lord,' if you're not ready to go."

"I just learned that you could act out Scriptures. I'm learning other ways
you can worship God and bring people to God," said Raven Alexander, a junior
at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark. 

Throughout the weekend, students were able to spend one-on-one time
expressing their concerns to Palmer, Wisconsin Area Bishop Sharon Zimmerman
Rader, elders, deacons, campus and military chaplains, seminarians, campus
ministers and pastoral counselors.

Preaching at the Nov. 17 closing service, the Rev. Grant Hagiya, of the
California-Pacific Annual Conference told the young people what they need for
ministry. "You don't need a 1,600 score on your SAT or a 5.0 GPA to be in
ministry," he said. Smiling, he continued, "What you do need is your
humanity, to get in touch with who you are as a human being, as a person and
as a child of God." He told students to approach the church in humility, and
the church would welcome them.
 
"I've gotten to worship God with so many cultures," said A. J. Powell, a
senior at Alabama Christian Academy High School in Montgomery. "Meeting new
people, making contacts, learning about all these seminaries, having new
people to pray for has been awesome. I believe this is going to help me in
years to come."

# # #

*Crosby is assistant editor and writer for the Office of Interpretation at
the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville,
Tenn.

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United Methodist News Service
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