Young Adults are still around! I was really excited to be able to visit a grant recipient program (Grants for Ministries with Young People) this past February. I went as a Young People’s Ministries representative and took away more than I could’ve of imagined. Maybe it’s because I’m a young adult or maybe because I’m highly relational, but I found the impact to be refreshing and encouraging. I’ve been to Las Vegas one other time for a bachelorette party, so I was looking forward to experiencing the city from a completely different angle: Ministry. I knew one person going into it and left with a handful of new friends. Do I see Young Adult gatherings like this important? Absolutely.

There was time to socialize and connect with one another, but we also spent time worshiping together by singing and listening to speakers. There were community service and discussion groups. For our community service, we were split into a handful of teams and went to a couple of different ministries around the city. What I liked about this was that it was absent of the clique feeling. We were all on the same page with intentions. I was asked the first night what my expectations of the weekend were and for young adult ministry in general. I loved that. Just straight up asked, right from the start. There is a quiet yell for young adult ministries in our communities – and it’s getting a little louder every day. That is kind of a personal experience but let me share what’s been happening according to the grant reporting I’ve received from the Desert Southwest group with Relevance X: 2011 and the upcoming 2012. They’ve been working on developing a new leadership to add to the team.

There has been a lot of prayer put into the ministry with expectations of it reaching larger numbers and adding a new element called LEAD to this weekend conference. LEAD will be a three day conversation focused on converging, innovating, and transforming young adult ministry in the church. LEAD will be a gathering of 100 participants that includes young clergy, young lay leaders and others who are working with young adults in the UMC. The idea is to make sure there is a leadership focus. There are 12 young adults who are involved in the planning and development of Relevance X. They are split into smaller groups to focus on different areas. Relevance X was and will be a 3 day conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2012 event is schedule for February 17-19. It is described as, a movement that focuses on empowering young adults (18-35) through worship, service, united our voices, and actively creating change in our communities. Relevance LEAD is being held February 16-18, also in Las Vegas and will have some overlap with the Relevance X event. You can learn more at www.relevancex.com and here is the promo video from the 2011 event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePCFFOfFBng

excited to see 2012 promos!