by Cole Mayer
Official Youth Presence journalist

It was around 5 o’clock on the first day. Everyone was exhausted. The Presiding Bishop walked in, which gave us all new energy. She was introduced and walked around the room meeting each one of us. She came right up to me and shook my hand. I was caught off guard and didn’t know what to say! I told her my name my diocese and province.

Once Presiding Bishop Katharine met all 18 youth, she and her husband sat down and we started asking her questions – from ‘What are you looking forward to at General Convention?’ to ‘What do you feel needs to be changed in our church?’

She answered the question what needs to change in the church by asking us what we wanted to see change in the church. Many of us jumped at the opportunity to tell the head of our church what we thought. Some of us mentioned that our church’s relationship with Native Americans is important, and that the church needed to make a service for same sex marriage, and that youth funding was important for the church.

She seemed very interested in what we had to say and after that she told us to challenge our elders and use our voice because it does make a difference!