Posts Tagged: young adult volunteer program

Pentecost: Who are our teachers?

The Psalmist says, “God from my youth, you have taught me…” Psalm 71:17, and that is true. But it could have also said, “God from the youth, you have taught me” and stated something almost as true. With a foundation in faith built in the early years, our youth can teach us something about leading… Read more »

Building faith connections that last a lifetime

By Lynne Foreman In the late 1980s, when I was serving as a youth group leader in my local congregation, my pastor invited me to attend a gathering that I recognize now as the early stages of a new movement for youth in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Even as I was being drawn headlong into… Read more »

Pentecost: Young Adult Volunteers stand up to injustice and work for healing

As a student at Presbyterian-related Davidson College, Langley Hoyt knew her own mind. The lifelong Presbyterian ventured beyond the college’s bucolic campus into the streets of West Charlotte, N.C., where the world’s injustices were all too apparent. “For two summers during college, I worked and lived in a neighborhood in Charlotte where my neighbors were… Read more »

O God, from my youth you have taught me

Who have been your most influential teachers? All types of teachers — at school, at church, at work and in families — help shape who we become. We are grateful for all our teachers. In Psalm 71, the author uses the image of a teacher for God by stating, “O God, from my youth you… Read more »

Pentecost: Building a Strong Foundation

Right Here, Right Now Rev. Dr. David Gambrell spends of plenty of time with young people. He is a father of two daughters, he volunteers to teach confirmation classes at Highland Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Kentucky and he was one of the youth leaders who preached at the 2019 Presbyterian Youth Triennium. He says Triennium… Read more »

Pentecost: One YAV’s Journey of Faith

From Northern Ireland to Nashville Rev. Ashley McFaul-Erwin would not likely be a pastor for the Presbyterian Church today if she’d stayed in her homeland of Northern Ireland, and especially if she had never found the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program. From Northern Ireland to the U.S. seems like quite a big leap, but it’s… Read more »

Beauty in the Unknown

Guest post by Clara Hare-Grogg, 2019-2020 Young Adult Volunteer The Philippines, where I served as a Young Adult Volunteer until being evacuated due to the global pandemic, is acutely vulnerable to disasters like volcanic eruptions, typhoons, and floods. Even everyday weather is notoriously unpredictable. The ability to deal with the unexpected has therefore embedded itself… Read more »

Pentecost: Young Adult Volunteer Saw Lives Renewed in Peru

The Spirit Moves in Peru… One day at lunch, 14-year-old Teresa pointed to the camera of Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) Kristen Young and called it Kristen’s “treasure.” “I tried to tell her that it wasn’t my camera that I treasured, but rather the people and moments I could capture with it,” Kristen says. Kristen… Read more »

The First Third of Life, Your First Impression of the World

We all know the importance of a first impression. As kids, we all learned about strong handshakes and heard, “First impressions are the most lasting,” and “You don’t get a second chance at a first impression.” Think of all the firsts in your life: your first best friend, your first day of school, your first… Read more »

Minute for Mission: Young Adult Volunteer Program

A Year of Service that Changes Lives and Transforms our Church The racially motivated murder of nine people last year at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, sent shock waves of distress and heartache across our nation and around the world. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Young Adult Volunteer Hannah Weinberg-Kinsey was one… Read more »