The Child and Youth Protection Policy requires a minimum of two adults for every interaction with young people. IN THE CHURCH S GREATEST RESOURCE. OUR YOUTH. THREE WAYS TO GIVE Through your congregation Text YOUNG to 20222 to give $10
Child and Youth Protection Policy Myers Park Presbyterian Church is leading by example in enforcing child and youth protection, thanks, in part, to your help. Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, has around 1,700 children and youth in its congregation. Following the Child and Youth Protection Policy (CYP), Julie Hester, Associate Pastor for Children and Their Families, is working towards preserving the church as a safe place for young people to worship and grow in Jesus. All interactions with children and youth require a minimum of two adults. However, with the large number of young people in the church, hundreds of volunteers from the congregation are needed. The congregation talks about CYP as growing out of baptism and promises parents to take part in guiding and nurturing children to be disciples, Hester says. Just to have the proper ratio of adults to follow policy means there are a lot more adults working with the youth, and that means a ministry is being formed and faith being deepened, Hester says. The congregation s staff revisits the CYP policy regularly. Most recently, a social networking policy was implemented, requiring any adult connecting with a young person online to copy a second adult and give the youth pastors full access to their profiles and correspondence. For Hester, their commitment is important because it creates a place where children and youth are safe. Children feel safe and loved and know they are loved by God and adults who love God. Hester works with children in first through fifth grades, while her colleague, Michelle Thomas-Bush, Associate Pastor for Youth, focuses on older youth. A portion of the Pentecost Offering goes to support their efforts, assisting in providing background checks for volunteers, education on how to spot signs of neglect or abuse, and CYP policy training. Please give to the Pentecost Offering 12144-14-035
One-third of all Young Adult Volunteers go on to ordained church leadership. IN THE CHURCH S GREATEST RESOURCE. OUR YOUTH. THREE WAYS TO GIVE Through your congregation Text YOUNG to 20222 to give $10
Young Adult Volunteer Young adults from all walks of life are coming together to do Christ s work, thanks in part to your generosity. Ashley Morales, 22, lives in her hometown of San Antonio and is studying anthropology while working as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV). Before she became a volunteer, Morales was under the impression that YAVs came exclusively from out of town. Then I was approached with a local idea for outreach and reflection, she says. Ashley is an example of how YAVs are altering the typical narratives of volunteering. While many YAVs travel to offer support in communities across the world, others, like Morales, are staying in their hometowns, teaming up with visiting YAVs to further improve their communities. It can be a challenge to communicate among different people and support them, she says. I now know to look at the 360 of everything. It should not just be about me, it should be everybody. Now in her second year as a YAV, Morales is putting these lessons into practice by volunteering at the San Anto Cultural Arts Center. Like many YAVs, her work focuses on community improvement. But in this case, it is improving her own West San Antonio neighborhood. She also works with students, encouraging those who grew up in disadvantaged areas to consider and prepare for college. We talk about college, but we also talk about self-identity. A lot of our students are Latinos and Latinas. Around 54 percent of them go to college but only 12 percent finish, Morales says. Your gifts to the Pentecost Offering make it possible for Morales, and other young adults like her, to take part in the YAV program, learning skills to help them grow in Christ and lead our church into the future. Please give to the Pentecost Offering 12144-14-033
Thanks in part to your generous gifts, more than 5,000 youth attended the 2013 Presbyterian Youth Triennium. IN THE CHURCH S GREATEST RESOURCE. OUR YOUTH. THREE WAYS TO GIVE Through your congregation Text YOUNG to 20222 to give $10
Youth Triennium Your contributions help support youth through their journey with Christ. Tyson Miller, 26, was a beloved volunteer youth advisor at the First Presbyterian Church in Hartsville, South Carolina. Tragically, in the summer of 2012, Miller passed away in a single-car accident, leaving behind his grieving family and congregation. As a youth advisor, Miller offered his time to help his congregation s young adults grow in their journey with Christ. After his death, Miller s leadership was memorialized with stories shared by youth from his church during the Presbyterian Youth Triennium (PYT). Julie Cox, Associate Executive Presbyter of New Harmony Presbytery in Florence, South Carolina, who was a member of Miller s congregation, volunteered during the PYT, giving her time specifically to The Hammock prayer center. Inside was a memorial book that attendees could share their stories and prayers in. While reading, Cox made a moving discovery. Cox shared the messages she found with Miller s parents so they could see the impact he had on the youth in his congregation. I think for them, it meant so much that their son is still remembered and loved, Cox said. The heartfelt story made its way to the ears of Gina Yeager-Buckley, Associate for Youth Ministry at the Presbyterian Mission Agency. I was paging through the memorial book and saw two separate messages about our youth advisor [Miller], Cox said. They said they were so thankful for him, that he was their brother. Of all the messages to read, those are the ones I happened to see. To her, the story reinforces the importance of the Pentecost Offering, which ensures inspiring discipleship is kept visible for Presbyterian youth and youth leaders through ministries like the Triennium and the Presbyterian Youth Workers Association. Please give to the Pentecost Offering 12144-14-034
Forty percent of your gifts to the Pentecost Offering are kept by local congregations for ministries with youth and young adults. IN THE CHURCH S GREATEST RESOURCE. OUR YOUTH. THREE WAYS TO GIVE Through your congregation Text YOUNG to 20222 to give $10
Pentecost Offering Helping children, youth and young adults develop tools to be leaders in Christ, thanks in part to your support. YOUTH TRIENNIUM - Bringing youth together in Christ. Tyson Miller, 26, a volunteer youth advisor at First Presbyterian Church in Hartsville, South Carolina, died tragically in a one-car accident in 2012. Members of Miller s congregation shared their memories of him at the prayer center during the Youth Triennium, expressing that he was like a brother to them and they were thankful to have known him. They remembered him and wished he could be there, says Julie Cox, Associate Executive Presbyter of New Harmony Presbytery in Florence, South Carolina, who volunteered during the Triennium at the prayer center. Your gifts to the Pentecost Offering help fund youth events like the Triennium, Pathways, and Faith in 3D which encourage discipleship engagement and youth worker formation. These ministries accompany youth in their walk with Christ. YOUNG ADULT VOLUNTEERS - Working to improve communities around the world. Ashley Morales story takes place in her hometown of San Antonio, where the 22-year-old anthropology student is changing the narration of being a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) from being one of the served, to one of the serving. In a new approach, local YAVs and those from out of town, come together to study, learn, worship and live together under one roof. I know to look at the 360 of everything, Morales says. It should not just be about me, it should be everybody. Morales is putting this lesson to good use as she volunteers at the San Anto Cultural Arts Center and works to help students consider and prepare for college. Your support of the Pentecost Offering helps give YAVs opportunities to serve communities across the world. CHILDREN AT RISK - Keeping youth safe as they build their relationship with Jesus. Julie Hester, Associate Pastor for Children and Their Families at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, says the church s Child and Youth Protection Policy (CYP) has become the congregational norm. The policy requires a minimum of two adults for all programs, events and interactions with children and youth. No adult is allowed to be alone with a child. All adults who work with youth at the church must be educated in the CYP policy and are retrained every three years. Hester says their commitment is important because it creates a place where children and youth are safe. Your gifts to the Pentecost Offering go toward sustaining programs that protect our children and youth. Please give to support the vital ministries of the Pentecost Offering 12144-14-036