Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM)

 


 

The Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM) announces
UP!WORD 2012!

 

The CCYM continues to promote our theme for the year: God is HERE! Love Matters Here. Peace Begins Here. Joy Abounds Here. Hope Lives Here. God Is HERE! Our next event will be UP!WORD, the annual worship and fun gathering at the Liverpool Holiday Inn. The dates for 2012 will be Friday, April 20 - Sunday, April 22. Click here for the registration form.

UP!WORD 2012 Emcees selected
Info provided by GO chair Chelsea Aiosa

The Gathering and Organization (GO) committee of CCYM has picked the MC's for the fabulous UP!Word of 2012! From the ranks of the Conference Council on Youth Ministries, after an extensive interviewing process, we have chosen two lovely young ladies, and a rather charming gentleman. Let me introduce you to some of the first faces you will see at UP!WORD this spring! 

Jess Hamilton is a senior residing in Vestal, NY. Jess attends Park Terrace UMC. She enjoys hiding under tables and frightening young and old alike!

Allison Walkley, also a senior, resides in East Greenbush and attends East Greenbush First UMC. Allison got our attention when she told us she “would kill to be a Gryiffindor.” (not really, but…)

Our third host is Robbie Zwetcsh, a senior who lives in Buffalo and attends Seneca Street UMC. Robbie can make anyone laugh! Together these three will lead us in experiencing the ways “God is Here.”

We are so excited for our upcoming event, and we hope you are too! Don’t forget the Wayne Kerr band is returning this year to help lead us in worship (see January 2012 Advocate for info). Registration is now open for the April 20 – 22 event at the Liverpool Holiday Inn. See you in April!

Wayne Kerr Band returns to the UP!WORD stage

When the youth of the Upper New York Conference gather for this annual spring event, they will welcome back to the stage a familiar face. The CCYM is excited to bring back… (drum roll, please) …The Wayne Kerr Band!!! Wayne and his band were our guest in 2010 at 4Word10. 

Wayne recently released his new album, Love Stands Out. Earlier this year, Wayne was hired by his home church, Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church, Katy, TX as the Worship Pastor. Wayne has been married to his wife, Kelley for 9 years and they have a husky named Charlie. For more information on the band, go to www.waynekerr.com. Wayne and the band bring their special blend of humor and exciting music leadership to this event! Mark your calendar for an exciting weekend: UP!WORD 2012!

Here are some reflections from CCYM youth on what this year’s theme means to them:

Anna Malone, Lockport Emmanuel UMC:

Here! Where? Here! Well, anywhere two or more are gathered in Jesus’ name, to be specific (see Matthew 18:20). To me, every aspect of the theme goes naturally together. God is here with us no matter what – whether we feel Him here even when we can’t see Him or we think we don’t want Him. Psalm 139:7 says “Where can I flee from your presence?” The psalmist goes on to describe all the places God is. God is always here.

If God is here, then it’s only logical that love matters here. “Let us love one another for love comes from God” (1 John 4:7a). When we gather in God’s name, love is a priority. Love is the greatest, most important thing that we can share with each other. Love matters.

Hope lives here. I like this wording; hope is not dead or stagnant or passive. It’s alive! Hope is one of the most resilient things I can think of. But if constantly crushed, hope can die. It must be lovingly nourished to survive. That’s why hope lives here; with God and love here, we have hope for eternity in heaven.

This hope, our love, and God’s presence give us overflowing joy. An old Newsboys song goes “You give me joy that’s unspeakable, and I like it!” God’s joy is unspeakable. Joy makes us want to sing and dance. Even if we’re not happy, the joy is still within us. Joy abounds, it overflows, it is indescribable here!

Peace begins here. God gives us security and safety, and even in the midst of tough times, God is here to quiet the storms of our lives. Peace begins where God is. And guess what – God is here!

Morgan Bush, Carthage UMC:

What I love about this theme is that HERE can be right in this room, or HERE in this world. God is in this room but He is also throughout this world even though we can’t see Him. God comes/shows through us with love; hope; joy; and peace. Love matters not just to the people you know or the people you’re friends with. Love matters to everyone! Hope is something that lives in our world. People need hope. Peace I think is something that is starting to begin. I see it happening everyday. And through these, God is HERE!

Jefferson Dedrick:

Theme. I like starting things off with a word that pertains to what I’m talking about. I could have started this off with many different words, though. God, Youth, Joy , Peace, Hope or Love are just a few words which are a great part of the theme this year. The theme speaks to those who are lost and need the compassion that all Christians need in their best and darkest times, to lift them up, through, and onward. It speaks to those who need a new direction in their life; the promise of a new day in which the Son shines brightest, offers tranquility, and a restful recovery for those who need it, and also happiness and gleefulness that others may seek. Most importantly and pertaining to each of the previous, the theme speaks to the lost lamb saying, “God is HERE.” The theme is not only a great model for the FABULOUS events we are planning, but also our goal for each individual as they take what they’ve learned at our Gatherings and go out to the world. With God here in our lives, love for one another matters, hope lives within us, joy springs from us like the loveliest of springs, and a sense of peace comes with us in our times of need. The theme is not just for one event, not just for this year, it’s standing truth, God’s gift to us, to know we never walk alone when we have Jesus in our hearts. And that’s what our theme is all about.

Junior Morales                        
“The Boy on the Moon”                                            

The theme shows me that God is really everywhere. He is within us and around us, always thinking about us all the time. God works through me to reach out to others. The biggest word that reflects on me from the theme is hope. I never give up hope, not for anything, because I know God is behind me backing me up through a lot of things. God’s grace is all over and it’s like a warm fuzzy shower. The kingdom of God is within us just like the Holy Spirit.

Laura Tingly:

God is where I need to be,
Bring me to his glory.
Sketch a picture of what I want to be,
And follow me to where I need to be.

Abounding joy and everlasting love,
I want my heart to be as peaceful as a dove.
A beautiful harmony,
Where can I find that life?

God is where I need to be,
Bring me to his glory.
Sketch a picture of what I want to be,
And follow me to a place where you can

See…

God’s never ending story.

“Here” by Anita Towndrow from Brown Memorial UMC:

How do we get to where God is-

     We pray…we read the bible…we go to church…we go to retreats

How do we get to where love matters-

     We go to a place (church) where we know someone cares for us…that we matter to someone for that is what keeps us going

How do we get to where hope lives

     We set a goal and work toward it

How do we get to where joy abounds-

     Recognizing that God is always here and that means something good is always happening and to see this we only have to look at the church - the bible - other people - our pastor - and there we see Good News which is joy

How do we get to where peace begins

     We move away from violence

     We go where we are aware of the presence of God

How do we get to where God is-

     The church sign says God is here! Christians by their life style – presence should be saying God is here.

Abigail VanVleck:

For if His love is an ocean,
Never ending and ever there,
I am but a speck of sand,
Sitting in awe of it there.

Through this love I will realize
There is hope waiting for me in his eyes.
With this hope I will live,
And now my life begins again. 

Seeing His hope and love,
I am here
Giving His hope and love,
He is here.