General Convention Official Youth Presence / la Presencia Juvenil Oficial de la Convención General
In collaboration with the General Convention Office and the president of the House of Deputies, the Office for Youth Ministries is coordinating the application and discernment process for high school teens to become a part of the General Convention Official Youth Presence (GCOYP.) This group was established by a resolution at General Convention in 1982 and has been further defined at subsequent conventions, with legislation passed as recently as 2000.
Up to two youth from each of the church’s nine provinces will be selected to participate in the Official Youth Presence from June 20-28, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky.
The GCOYP have seat and voice on the floor of the House of Deputies and can testify at hearings held before and during General Convention.
En colaboración con la Oficina de la Convención General y el presidente de la Cámara de Diputados, la Oficina de Ministerios Juveniles está coordinando el proceso de solicitud y discernimiento para que los adolescentes de secundaria formen parte de la Presencia Juvenil Oficial de la Convención General (GCOYP, por sus siglas en inglés). Este grupo fue establecido mediante una resolución en la Convención General en 1982 y ha sido ampliamente definido en convenciones subsiguientes, incluyendo legislación aprobada tan reciente como en el año 2000.
Se seleccionarán hasta dos jóvenes de cada una de las nueve provincias de la Iglesia para participar en la Presencia Juvenil Oficial del 20 al 28 de junio de 2024 en Louisville, Kentucky.
La GCOYP tiene asiento y voz en el pleno de la Cámara de Diputados y puede testificar en audiencias realizadas antes y durante la Convención General.
Evento de Jóvenes Episcopales
Aplazan el Evento de Jóvenes Episcopales (EJE)
La Oficina del Ministerio de la Juventud Episcopal anunció que la planificación del próximo Evento de Jóvenes Episcopales queda suspendida hasta después de la Convención General del próximo verano [2024] y de la elección de un nuevo Obispo Primado. Los organizadores esperan que el evento, concebido para jóvenes episcopales de la IX Provincia incluida Cuba, pueda celebrarse en 2025. Los que tengan preguntas que hacer pueden enviar un correo electrónico a eje@episcopalchurch.org.
Evento de Jóvenes Episcopales (EJE) Postponed
The Episcopal Office of Youth Ministries announced that planning for the next Evento de Jóvenes Episcopales will be put on hold until after this summer’s General Convention and election of a new presiding bishop. Organizers are hopeful the event, designed for young Episcopalians from Province IX and including Cuba, can be held in 2025. Those with questions can email eje@episcopalchurch.org.
Episcopal Youth Event/Evento de Jóvenes Episcopales (EYE/EJE) Report and Recommendations
The Office of Youth Ministries contracted with Ministry Architects in 2021 and conducted a program evaluation of the Episcopal Youth Event and Evento de Jóvenes Episcopales. Thank you to all of those who participated in the surveys and listening sessions. Below you will find links to the Assessment and Recommendations in English and Spanish.
From the Recommendations:
To achieve the desired vision for EYE and EJE, these events must be viewed as more than stand-alone, stop-and-go programs. These events, at their heart, are designed to support the ongoing, day-to-day lives of young people and their leaders. These efforts, sponsored by the Office of Youth Ministry, support and expand discipleship and evangelism, creation care and racial reconciliation, leadership and passion development, discernment and accompanying youth on their journey toward identity, belonging, and purpose. Since we can no longer assume that the local, diocesan, and provincial resources are present for young people in the same ways they were in the 1980’s, we make the following recommendations which are found in the report.
Episcopal Youth Ministries
Youth Ministry calls for passion, patience, and faithfulness – pointing out the sacred in the midst of the chaos of adolescence and walking faithfully with young people as they transition from child to young adult. Youth Ministry is a bridging ministry of education, connection, formation, and hopefully, transformation.
Responding to the spiritual needs of teens is about building trusting relationships. The Episcopal Church strives to walk with young people on their journeys from childhood to adulthood, recognizing their gifts for ministry, their questions about spirituality, and their desire to make a difference in the world. The Youth Ministries Office is grounded in the Five Marks of Mission and the Baptismal Covenant, building churchwide networks to invite, inspire, affirm, and equip youth for discipleship and Christian leadership in their lives and their communities.
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