Strange . . . But No Longer Strangers

Logo for 2004 Presbyterian Youth Triennium

This Sunday, our seven youth delegates to the 2004 Presbyterian Youth Triennium led worship, recreating a taste of their experience with 6,000 other youths for the congregation of Union Presbyterian.

Triennium was held on the campus of Purdue University during the muggy days of July 20-25. The theme for the 2004 Triennium was "No Longer Strangers" from Ephesians 2:14-19. The theme was developed throughout the week through daily presentations, worship, workshops, recreation, and small groups.


Under the guidance of Judy Showalter and Stacy Wheeler, Union Presbyterian raised enough money to send Caiti Barski, Bethany Hunter, Everett Koelling, Cassaundra Lynn, Alisa Rice, Breanne Robirds, Rachel Williams, and Anita Robirds (chaperon, right).

The service started with an energizer to warm-up the congregation, followed by the Call to Worship by Cassaundra Lynn.

Everett Koelling led the congregation in Asking God for Forgiveness. Rachel Williams read the scripture lessons for the day: Genesis 33:1-4 and Ephesians 2:12-17. The Genesis story of the reunion between Jacob and Esau provided Rachel with the theme for her Time for Young Disciples--the theme of healing broken relationships.


Instead of a sermon, four of the group shared their personal impressions of Triennium. Caussandra talked about the three themes of Triennium:

1. No longer strangers,
2. Healing brokenness in the world, and
3. Breaking down the walls that divide us.

Alisa Rice spoke about her progress through the week, where she moved from scary encounters with people who didn't believe exactly as she did to spontaneous and passionate discussions with "complete strangers."

Breanne Robirds's focus was upon her learning experience. During the week, she learned four crucial lessons:

1. Keep an open mind and listen to others;
2. Sometimes God seems silent in times of hardship, but it may be a way to build our spiritual strength;
3. When scripture becomes diluted to our eyes, we need to "step back" and look at it freshly, which can be difficult; and
4. What you put in to an experience determines the value you'll take out of it.

Ending the presentation, Caiti Barski described how she loved the sermon she heard by Mark Lomax of Georgia (left), whose fired-up testimony seemed like "more of a Baptist than a Presbyterian." She described the dramatic climax to another of the group's worship services, a piece of theatre where a wall was broken down to reveal the crucified body of Christ. We must, she said, get past the walls we've set up between us.

Throughout the service, Bethany Hunter encouraged and led the congregation in some of the new songs the group loved to sing at Triennium.