wfn.org | Presbyterian Youth Connection Event Attracts Close to 2,000

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Participants 17-September-1996 
 
 
96366          Presbyterian Youth Connection Event 
              Attracts Close to 2,000 Participants  
 
                         by Julian Shipp 
 
ATLANTA--A Region 3 Presbyterian Youth Connection (PYC) event here 
attracted 1,845 young people Sept. 14 at the Six Flags over Georgia 
amusement park. 
 
     A new national youth ministry program, Presbyterian Youth Connection 
made its debut at the 207th General Assembly (1995) in Cincinnati. 
Commissioners approved a mission budget that boosts funding for youth and 
young adult ministry by more than a quarter million dollars. 
 
     PYC is built on five goals of the National Presbyterian Youth Ministry 
Council, which includes representatives from all synods and racial-ethnic 
caucus groups and staff for youth ministry at the General Assembly level: 
 
     *     to call young people to be disciples of Jesus Christ. 
     *     to respond to the needs and interests of young people. 
     *     to work together, youth and adults, in partnership. 
     *     to be connected to the whole church, community and world. 
     *     to include all young people, reaching out and inviting them to 
           belong to the community of faith. 
 
     "Several youths [I know] went and had a wonderful time and said it was 
just exciting to see that many kids wearing PYC shirts," said Tina Yeager, 
associate for youth ministry in the Congregational Ministries Division. 
 
     Carrie Peterson-Davis, youth ministry consultant for the Presbytery of 
Greater Atlanta, said the day's events included energizer activities 
designed to break the social ice, a briefing on the PYC program from 
regional representatives, distribution of promotional goodies and a 
fellowship meal at the park pavilion. 
 
     As if  being turned loose at a major theme park with hundreds of rides 
and attractions weren't enough, the youths were also treated to a special 
concert presented by the Rev. James L. Morgan Jr., a Presbyterian pastor 
from Laurel Hill, N.C. 
 
     "Our main purpose was just to let the youths know what's going on with 
PYC and to kick it off regionally," Peterson-Davis told the Presbyterian 
News Service. "We wanted to connect PYC with something fun and not just 
papers coming in the mail." 
      
     The event was sponsored by the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta Youth 
Council, which started its promotional efforts for the event last spring. 
Even so, Peterson-Davis said, the response to the outing was overwhelming. 
 
     "We did a Presbyterian Youth and Family Day last year without tying it 
in with PYC and attracted 300 folks," she said. "So this was a significant 
increase." 
 
     Yeager said PYC Region 3 includes the synods of Mid-Atlantic, South 
Atlantic, Living Waters and Puerto Rico. 

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