The United Church of Christ General Synod will take place in Indianapolis, IN on June 30 to July 4, 2023 and Rev. Trayce Potter of the National staff is organizing special programming for Youth @ Synod.
Teens from all over the country will gather to participate in worship, hear from inspiring faith leaders, and attend plenary sessions. The Southern New England Conference is sponsoring a trip to Youth @ Synod for youth ages 14 to 18.
This is a unique leadership opportunity for mature youth who have a desire to dig into issues and experience the vitality of the wider church. The program is intense and exhilarating! We will track resolutions and observe the debate process on the floor. Youth @ Synod is a wonderful opportunity to engage in justice issues and nurture advocacy skills.
Some of the planned activities include:
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Resource Mapping Challenge and workshops to examine root causes of homelessness,
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Opportunities to assist with music and liturgy for worship,
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Meet and greet sessions with UCC National staff and ministry leaders, as well as the SNEUCC delegates
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More exciting details to be announced soon!
There are two ways to participate:
Local church pastors and youth leaders are invited to organize trips and accompany the teens from their congregations
or,
Individual youth may join the SNEUCC Youth @ Synod trip. Debby Kirk, SNEUCC Faith Formation Team Leader, and Debbie Gline Allen, SNEUCC Minister of Faith Formation will be coordinating the supervision along with local church leaders. Space is limited so indicate your interest now by filling out this
online interest form before
March 15.
Transportation will be by air and travel days will be June 30th and July 5th. The group will stay at General Synod-designated hotels within walking distance of the Convention Center. The cost per person is estimated to be $1495 which includes registration, transportation, meals and hotel
accommodations. The Southern New England Conference will be offering significant scholarship support of up to $900 to help make this experience more affordable.
Please share this opportunity with youth in your congregation so that we can plan the logistics. Note that trip reservations and scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis so fill out the interest form as soon as possible.
For more information, contact
Debby Kirk, Director of Faith Formation
860-761-7103
