Call for applications:
Young adult editorial team
Then YHWH touched my mouth and said to me,
“Now I have put my words in
your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over
nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
—Jeremiah 1: 9–10
Horizons, Presbyterians Today, and Unbound are coming together to publish a May 2014 collaborative cross-issue on young adults. But here’s the kicker: this issue will be planned by young adults, edited by young adults, and written by young adults. Nothing like this has been done before in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), certainly not on this scale. And we want you to be a part of it.
A CROSS-ISSUE ON YOUNG ADULTS
In this collaborative issue, we will feature some articles in all three publications, while each magazine will also include unique articles that pertain to its subject matter (women, the denomination, and justice—respectively). And we’re not just talking about written articles. We’re looking for art, photography, video, music, poetry, and other creative forms of expression.
This issue will be a platform for young adults to share with each other and with other generations their vision for the church, their faith experiences, and the creative and innovative ways young people are already doing church. It will be a creative space for joy-sharing but also honesty and critique—a space you get to make your own.
THE EDITORIAL TEAM
We are seeking nine young adults (ages 18–35), representing diverse experiences, life stages, and perspectives, to serve as an editorial team, staffed by liaisons from each publication. This team will plan, edit, and execute the issue while receiving valuable experience in publication development and new media. Editors will have the option of writing for the issue, but their primary roles will include
- meeting at least once in-person and participating in monthly phone conferences;
- choosing the theme and subthemes of the issue;
- calling for submissions and selecting writers/artists;
- serving on one of three subteams, one for each publication;
- assisting staff editors in the editing process;
- promoting the published issue; and
- developing a plan to continue the “work” of this issue after its publication (i.e., raising the voices of young adults and building up God’s church).
Applicants should be able to demonstrate a commitment to Jesus Christ and to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); a history of ministerial leadership, particularly among young adults; a broad and innovative understanding of putting faith into action; a commitment to inclusivity and equal representation; and communication and organization skills. Experience in editing, publishing, and social media will be valued but is not necessary.
Applications will be reviewed by representatives of each publication and of the Presbyterian Mission Agency young adult priority team.
Dates for you to know:
- January 18, 2013 – Application deadline
- February 1, 2013 – Applicants chosen and contacted
- March 2013 – First physical team meeting (location to be announced)
- October 1, 2013 – Authors identified and assignments out
- December 1, 2013 – Articles completed and submitted
- February 1, 2013 – Editing completed
WHY PLANNED AND WRITTEN BY YOUNG ADULTS?
Young adults, particularly women and people of color, are often shoved to the margins. Yet we know that young adults have a powerful and diverse set of bold voices—mouths, like Jeremiah’s, touched by God. We are seeking, in this issue, to hand you a mic.
In this way, our collaborative issue will serve as a season of listening to, and learning from, young adults—a priority set by the 220th General Assembly (2012). It will be a space for the prophetic—a space for asking (again, like Jeremiah) what needs to be demolished and what needs to be planted, as we seek to be a church “Reformed and always reforming.”
ABOUT THE PUBLICATIONS
Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women for the PC(USA) and provides information, inspiration, and education from the perspectives of women who are committed to Christ, the church, and faithful discipleship.
Presbyterians Today is the official general-interest magazine of the PC(USA) and seeks to provide laypersons and congregations with articles and resources that lift up the practical issues of faith and life as well as church news and activities.
Unbound is the newest publication of the PC(USA) and an interactive, multimedia e-journal of Christian social justice. Ecumenical in vision, Unbound is a community of justice-loving Christians, particularly young adults, sharing ideas, stories, resources, artistic expression, and calls to action.
