|
Youth
Commission President’s Address
Diocese
of Southeast Florida
Diocesan
Convention, Oct. 19, 2002
Good Morning,
bishops, other clergy, ladies and gentlemen.
My name
is Erin A. Ferguson, and I am your Youth Commission President. I am
joined here by my fellow Youth Commission officers, members and voting
delegates (Geoffrey Hendricks--vice president, Azebe Etsubneh – secretary,
and Ellie Evans–parliamentarian).
A
task such as this is usually quite nerve-wracking for most young people
my age, but I am inspired by God to deliver this message and that alone
will ensure my success.
I am very
pleased to announce that the youth ministries in the diocese are alive
and well, and we pray for that to continue for many years to come.
While it is paramount for the youth ministries in the diocese to be
present, it is of much more importance that the youth ministries be
out in the open and accessible to the youth in the diocese.
Many of
us are not aware that within our diocese is the 5th largest
school district in the United States. It is our job to make the youth
aware that the Episcopal Church is a place where they can receive the
word of God in manner that is comfortable for them. In order to do
this we need the continued support at the diocesan, deanery, and the
parish level. I have a few suggestions that may stir up in the minds
of youth ministers and members of this diocese ways that youth ministry
can attain our goals of expanding in numbers.
We encourage
all parishes and deaneries to organize the youth so that they may attend
diocesan events, and we would also ask parishes and deaneries to alert
the youth commission to all the ideas that you have for diocesan events;
we are very welcoming to suggestions. We also encourage that deaneries
and parishes get together and plan deanery and parish youth events.
The Diocese
of Southeast Florida is the only diocese of the five in Florida that
does not have a camping facility for the youth, and it has been shown
that dioceses where these exist have very successful diocesan youth
ministries. Finally, we ask that everyone support the building of a
camp facility for the youth in the Diocese of Southeast Florida, and
we ask that you please submit donations to the Rev. Clegg Memorial Scholarship
fund.
It is out
of our Baptismal Covenant that we are called to provide a safe place
where youth can develop a personal relationship with God. We should
therefore accommodate the youth by providing a designated place for
a youth on the vestry, creating a line item in your budget that would
provide youth with some funds in your churches and deaneries, and also
having someone in place to act as a liaison between the parish or deanery
and the diocese on the subject of the youth.
We want
for the youth ministries to go to the next step and to move “beyond
telepathy”, and to grow at a rate that would allow for youth to represent
at least 35% of the projected 60,000 new members before the year 2010.
I challenge
you, the leaders of this diocese, to walk with us, pray with us, and
assist us in achieving the vision of the youth ministry. I would like
to thank Bishop Frade and the Diocese of Southeast Florida for their
support of youth ministries in the diocese, and we ask your continued
support for many years to come. Thank You.
|
