Details announced for Up!Word '12 youth gathering

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From April 20-22, the Holiday Inn in Liverpool will be the site of one of the year's largest gatherings of United Methodist youth as Up!Word '12 rolls into town.

Hundred will be in attendance for this three-day conference-wide event that features worship services, workshops, fellowship, entertainment and many other activities.

In 2011, over 75 churches from across the Upper New York Area were represented, and many of the youth - both speakers and attendees - gave personal testimonies regarding their individual faith journeys.

The Conference Council on Youth Ministries' (CCYM) theme for the year is "God is HERE! Love Matters Here. Peace Begins Here. Joy Abounds Here. Hope Lives Here. God Is HERE!" That theme will be highlighted by this year's emcees:

• Jess Hamilton, a senior at Vestal Senior High School, attends Park Terrace UMC. She has volunteered with the Appalachia Service Project, which provides short-term Christian mission trip opportunities in rural Central Appalachia making homes warmer, safer and drier for families in need. With a passion for music, she is a member of Vestal Voices - a select concert choir at Vestal Senior High School, and the school's concert band.
• Allison Walkley, a senior at Columbia High School in East Greenbush, attends the East Greenbush First UMC. She is a past president of the East Greenbush United Methodist Youth Fellowship and is a fan of the Harry Potter series, writing on her Twitter bio: "I'm Allison and I'm a Gryffindor."
• Robbie Zwetsch, a senior who lives in Buffalo, attends the Seneca Street UMC. He is a lifeguard at the Buffalo Athletic Club and has attended the 2010 Western New York Chrysalis weekend. According to CCYM's Gathering and Organization committee chair Chelsea Aiosa, Zwetsch "can make anyone laugh."

A returning performer is worship leader the Wayne Kerr Band. They have performed with the likes of The Afters, Chris Tomin and Kutless, and they have headlined events ranging from the 2010 youth summit 4Word10 to Resurrection in Gatlinburg, an event in Tennessee with more than 12,000 students in attendance. Their newest CD release Love Stands Out has been a fan favorite, with "Feel Good Song" and "The Mirror" making Billboard's Top 100 Christian Contemporary Hit Radio Songs chart.

The registration deadline is April 6. Click here to download the registration form. For questions on registration, contact Judy Hipes at tandj3905@hotmail.com or (607) 624-2145. For more information on the event, contact Ted Anderson at ted@crcds.edu or Tony Hipes at tjhipes2@stny.rr.com or (607) 729-5675.

For reflections from CCYM youth on what this year’s theme means to them, click here.

*Christian Vischi is the communications associate for the Upper New York Annual Conference. He can be reached at christianvischi@unyumc.org.