Mission Yearbook: Young advocates gather for worship and justice at Michigan church during conference

As participants in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Young Adult Advocacy Conference came together for a Sunday morning service with members of First Presbyterian Church of Lansing, the Rev. Jennifer Hibben had a situation back home on her mind.

While on the way to the conference, Hibben, a Methodist minister accompanying a group pf YAAC participants who were en route from Iowa, had received a notification that a community member had been apprehended by immigration authorities.

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The Rev. Jennifer Hibben is director of The Vine, a campus ministry affiliated with Collegiate Presbyterian Church in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by Alex Simon)

“We're really heartbroken about that,” said Hibben, who directs The Vine, a campus ministry affiliated with Collegiate Presbyterian Church and serving the Iowa State University community. "We continue to figure out how we as people of the church can continue to work so that these things don't happen.” 

Social justice advocacy work — and the importance of getting young people involved — was the focus of the recent conference, also known as “Jesus and Justice.” The topic also tied into that Sunday’s sermon at First Presbyterian Church by the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, advocacy director in the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA).

Explaining how the conference works, Hawkins told church service attendees that “we bring young people together to talk about faith and justice together — how they are intertwined” and later added, "God calls us to be people of justice.”

During his sermon, Hawkins noted that “when you talk to young people about their priorities, justice is at the top of the list,” and praised a YAAC panel of young adults for expressing their concern about many topics on the Saturday before.

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The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins speaks at First Presbyterian Church of Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Alex Simon)

Young people “talk about the ways in which they want to make a difference in this world,” Hawkins noted, and when “you look at all of the protest marches that happened in this country in the last five years, most of them have been led by young people.”

So, it’s vital for the church to convey the message that justice was important to Jesus and is also important to the PC(USA), Hawkins has noted.

“We’ve got to find ways to connect with young people, to let them know that we, too, are concerned about justice,” he said. “We want to support you in your drive to make a difference in this world, to be a living witness to what it means to follow Jesus.” 

One of the main Scriptures that Hawkins highlighted was Matthew 23:23–24 in which Jesus chastises the people for neglecting justice, mercy and faithfulness. “Those are our priorities today, church. If everyone does not have justice, we cannot be comfortable.”

Hawkins also emphasized Micah 6:8, which asks, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God?”

Yet “our rulers are struggling with what it means to have integrity,” Hawkins said. “Our nation is so divided, one against another, and even in the church, we define ourselves by political labels,” such as being a red, blue or purple church, instead of remembering that “we fall under the banner of Jesus Christ.”

Regardless of race, socioeconomic status or political party, “when we walk in this house we are one,” Hawkins said.

The preacher also expressed concern about wars scattered around the world, from Gaza to Sudan to Ukraine, and urged church attendees to look to Micah 4:2–3 for words of peace.

“War is too rampant around this world,” Hawkins said. “And we pray that our God might indeed bring forth this promise that all nations will put away their weapons of war and yet melt them down into farming tools in order to feed hungry children. That is why we are here, church. We are called to be a people who recognize that there is pain in this world, there’s suffering in this world, and we cannot pretend that it's not going forth and not happening and not do anything about it.”

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Donna Burkland, Apprentice, 1001 New Worshiping Communities, Interim Unified Agency
Becky Burton, Data Entry, Funds Development Operations, Administrative Services Group, A Corporation

Let us pray:

God of justice and mercy, bless young leaders with courage and perseverance and unite us across every divide so that together we may be instruments of your peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Young Adult Advocacy Conference participants are urged by Stated Clerk to act with compassion and love

The Rev. Jihyun Oh gave a message on the second day of the Young Adult Advocacy Conference that served as a reminder that justice was a central part of Jesus’ ministry and should be a guiding force for Christians today.

There is a “whole movement of people who call themselves Christian” who say that God’s justice and the good things of life are only for a particular segment of people, said Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). To counter that, “we must talk about and act on and advocate for justice where there is injustice and negate that message as being something that comes from Jesus because it doesn't.”

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The Rev. Jihyun Oh addresses the Young Adult Advocacy Conference Saturday at First Presbyterian Church of Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Alex Simon)

Oh, who also serves as executive director of the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA), spoke those words during a morning worship service in Michigan at the “Jesus and Justice” conference, which has been held by the PC(USA)’s advocacy offices for the past three years to teach young adults to do social justice advocacy.

“I think it’s of vital importance that you continue to remind us in your local congregations, but also on the national level, that the voices of young people need to be heard,” PC(USA)’s advocacy director, the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, told attendees gathered at First Presbyterian Church of Lansing for a day of worship, workshops and networking. “We are a church that, right now, is seeking new ways that we can engage with young people.”

 Oh read from Luke 4:16–30, a passage that harkens to a time when Jesus was at the beginning of his ministry and ready to declare that a new day had come.

In that passage, Jesus visits a synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth and stands up to read a scroll containing words from the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus “unrolled the scroll and found the place where it’s written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

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Lawrence Robertson of Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries sings at the Young Adult Advocacy Conference in Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Alex Simon)

After rolling up the scroll as all eyes were on him, Jesus declared, “Today, the Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” and the people were amazed at his gracious words, though they eventually became offended and drove him away.

Jesus’ goal had been to share a particular vision of his ministry that was directed not just for the people he’d grown up around but “anyone who has been bound and pressed down and treated as less than,” Oh said.

That includes “anyone who has felt powerless in the face of the rich and powerful, in the face of unjust economic and social systems, in the face of unjust health care systems” as well as “anyone who has been made to bow down, made to feel crazy, made to feel like they don't matter in society and to God,” Oh said.

Jesus’ reading of the words from Isaiah was a message of justice is everlasting. “It’s a reminder that God has always been about justice, and that the vision of the reign of God is a vision of justice yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Oh said. “God has been and God is, and God always will be about justice.”

And what does that kind of justice look like? It means “all needs are met,” Oh said. “Nobody is hungry, nobody is suffering because they can’t pay for care and healing. Nobody is jailed because they can’t pay a debt or pay a fine. There are fair scales and fair wages and ways for people to dig out from enormous economic hardship.”

Oh also explained what God’s justice is not. For example, in Jesus’ ministry, “religion isn’t used to keep people from wholeness.”

Jesus knew that “justice only for us and not for anyone else is perhaps vengeance, but not God’s justice,” Oh said. “Justice for us at the expense of ‘them’ is not God’s justice.”

Oh went on to encourage conference participants to “act with humility and compassion,” remembering that “God’s justice, God’s love, is for everyone.”

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Jon Baxter, Chief Engineer, Building Services, Administrative Services Group, A Corporation
Serrita Bell, Directory of Communications and Marketing, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

God of justice and mercy, you proclaim good news to the poor, freedom to the oppressed and hope to all who feel forgotten. Shape our hearts to reflect our compassion and guide us to seek justice for others. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Joy is served up with social justice advocacy at conference

The third annual Young Adult Advocacy Conference recently kicked off with a sermon inspired by the book of Nehemiah that encouraged cultivating moments of joy while continuing to fight for a more just and compassionate society.

The Rev. Christina Cosby and Ivy Lopedito, staff members in the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness, tag-teamed on a sermon acknowledging that it’s easy to lose sight of joy or to feel guilty about it during the tumultuous times that many people in society are enduring today.

The sermon at First Presbyterian Church in Lansing, Michigan, was the centerpiece of a worship service organized for the first evening of the “Jesus and Justice” conference, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) gathering designed to give young adults, ages 18–35, the skills they need to practice social justice advocacy. 

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Ivy Lopedito and the Rev. Christina Cosby speak at the 2025 Young Adult Advocacy Conference in Lansing, Michigan (Photo by Alex Simon

The conference, which was organized by the advocacy offices of the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA), was a way for young people to learn how to use their voices and to not be afraid to do so.

Those who greeted the audience or took part in aspects of the opening day included Neil Myer, a campus minister at Michigan State University, the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, advocacy director for the PC(USA), and representatives from seminaries and entities such as the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.

During the sermon, Lopedito noted that being an advocate for social justice can be challenging.

“There’s a real danger of burning out, and many of us have probably felt that — of pouring ourselves out until we’re running on empty,” she said.

Lopedito and Cosby preached from Nehemiah 8:1–3 and 8–12, with special emphasis on the encouragement given to people who had been weeping and mourning while listening to a public reading of the book of the law of God. Nehemiah reassured them by saying, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

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Ivy Lopedito at the Young Adult Advocacy Conference (Photo by Alex Simon)

But such words can be hard to wrap your head around when times get tough, the speakers noted.

“Some days, joy feels out of reach,” Cosby said.

Cosby has found it difficult to be joyful while watching people be subjected to increased militarization on U.S. streets, which is occurring in various parts of the country.

Witnessing police encounters that seemed based on race and language “made my chest tighten, my soul ache, my eyes swell with emotion,” Cosby said, and in such moments it’s difficult to embrace Nehemiah’s words.

Lopedito described finding joy while experiencing a cool moment in the park filled with music and frolicking kids. “But as quickly as that joy came, I found myself thinking, ‘How can I feel this way right now?'” she said. “People in our nation are losing their rights right now. People don't have access to food right now.”

But finding moments of joy are necessary, especially when fighting for justice, the duo noted.

“Nehemiah’s words matter ... as an invitation to joy in God's presence, as a message, as a source of healing, and even as a quiet resistance,” Cosby said.

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Representatives from seminaries take part in singing a hymn at the Young Adult Advocacy Conference. (Photo by Alex Simon)

Lopedito noted that joy is part of what gives "us strength for the important work of advocacy and justice,” adding, “This is why spaces like this, where we gather in community, are so vital. They allow us to hold both grief and joy” and “to bear witness to each other’s experience.”

Lopedito also stressed the importance of continuing to work together, so that every person “in our nation and around the globe” can experience love, belonging and joy.

Cosby noted that during Nehemiah’s time God’s people had returned home only to find their homes in ruin and their temple destroyed and their identities shaken. Likewise, some people may feel like that today.

Joy is rooted not in “how we feel but in who God is,” Cosby said. So “we as followers of Christ must practice joy, practice it daily, not as a fleeting emotion but as a sacred rhythm that calls us back to God's presence again and again.”

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Dwayne Batcho, Production Clerk, Presbyterian Distribution Service, Administrative Services Group, A Corporation
Doug Batezel, Senior Vice President & CIO, Information Technology, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

Loving God, you meet us in both our grief and our gladness, holding our struggles and our hope together in your care. When the work of justice and the needs of the world feel overwhelming, renew our spirits with moments of joy that strengthen rather than distract us. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) vigil raises gun violence awareness, honors lives lost

The Rev. Tony Larson, co-moderator of the 226th General Assembly (2024), brings words of hope and encouragement during event held as part of the Young Adult Advocacy Conference

The Rev. Christina Cosby of the Office of Public Witness, second from
right, speaks during a gun violence prevention vigil held as part of the
Young Adult Advocacy Conference. (Photo by Darla Carter)

T-shirts emblazoned with the names of local victims of fatal gun violence encircled a cross at Union Presbyterian Seminary on a recent afternoon.

The T-shirts, placed on the ground at the base of the cross, called attention to a problem that is all too common, not only in Mecklenburg County but the nation as a whole.

“We recognize the names of individuals no longer with us, lives taken (prematurely) … by a form of violence — gun violence — an epidemic in this country that impacts this soil, in this place,” said the Rev. Christina Cosby, representative for Domestic Issues and Environmental Justice for the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness (OPW). “Lord, in your mercy, hear their names in our prayer.”

The social justice action was the final activity of the Young Adult Advocacy Conference, “Jesus and Justice,” which was held on the Charlotte campus Oct. 18–20 by OPW and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.

PC(USA) has a long history of speaking out against gun violence and has declared 2022–2032 to be the Decade to End Gun Violence.

The T-shirts represented just a fraction of people who’ve lost their lives to gun violence in the local area.

The Charlotte Observer reported that 61 people were killed in Charlotte in the first half of 2024 (at least 50 victims having been shot to death). That’s more than in the first six months of any year since at least 2015, the newspaper noted in July. And the state as a whole averages more than 1,300 gun deaths a year.

But “today, we say no to gun violence,” said the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, PC(USA) advocacy director.

The Rev. Tony Larson, co-moderator of the 226th General Assembly (2024) of the PC(USA), was present to support the event, which included Scripture, song, and an opportunity to speak the names of victims, either someone local listed on a T-shirt or someone on the heart of a vigil participant.

“May this action, may this symbolic rite remind us and those who pass by that we have been blessed with voices that we might use them, that we are connected, all of us, one to another, that while we are resurrection people, all of these deaths that come too soon break our communities and keep us from being all that God would dream that we could be,” Larson said. “Bless this brokenness and bless us to be repairers of the breach.”

Earlier this year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared firearm violence a public health crisis in America, noting that more than half (54%) of U.S. adults or their family members have experienced a firearm-related incident in their lives.

And, as pointed out by recent OPW Summer Fellow Olivia Phelps, firearm-related injury is the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents.

Hawkins said young people have inherited a culture of gun violence that includes living under the specter of school shootings.

Last  year, there were more than 2,300 victims of firearm-related violent crime in Charlotte as of early June, according to local police.

To change society, it’s time “to love one another,” he said, and to recognize “that we are truly the children of God.”

Though the vigil had a local focus, Hawkins also asked attendees to remember people experiencing war overseas, including those in Gaza and Sudan, noting, “only through our sorrow will we have the power (and) the energy to move and act and to speak” to bring about peace.

Recalling the words of previous speakers at the conference, Larson reminded attendees to have courage as they return to their communities and to never let anyone despise them because of their youth since their voices are needed and there is work to be done.

Until swords are turned into plowshares, “give them Jesus,” he said. “Let him abide in you and take care of one another on that work, for it is good when siblings can gather, even with broken hearts and hopeful hearts in unity.”

The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations are among the Compassion, Peace & Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Let us join in prayer for:

• César Carhuachîn, Mission co-worker serving in Colombia, World Mission, Presbyterian Mission Agency
• Olanda Carr, Senior Ministry Relations Officer, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

O God of love greater than we can imagine, teach us how to love all your children as you have loved us, especially those who suffer unnecessarily. Give us boldness to argue and plead for your reign, especially in your house. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Spreading ‘truth, faith, God’s word, equality and joy,’ regardless of age

North Carolina minister urges young people to activate a ‘newer, sharper vision’ for the church and beyond

The Rev. Dr. Amantha Barbee delivers a sermon during the Young Adult Advocacy
Conference. (Photo by Darla Carter)

With a sermon infused with self-deprecating humor about her age, the Rev. Dr. Amantha Barbee encouraged attendees of the “Jesus & Justice” Young Adult Advocacy Conference to realize the power within them and to never let anyone look down on them because of their youth.

“Stand firm in the Word of God and don’t let anyone derail your passions for ministry, witness, mission and your outreach,” said Barbee, a Ministry Engagement Adviser for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). “You can change the world. You can change the future of the church and let me take it a step further today: It’s your responsibility to do so.”

Barbee, a North Carolina minister, acknowledged that elders sometimes can be dismissive of young people by saying things like, “When you get to be my age, you’ll understand,” and “You’re not even old enough to know about that. Give yourself some time, baby.” Likewise, young people can discount their elders.

But through anecdotes about her own attempts to master iPhone photography — a trial that exasperated her niece — and her mother’s past attempts to operate dial-up internet, which exasperated Barbee, the preacher demonstrated that people of all ages can and should learn from each other.

Flanked by the Rev. Christina Cosby, Ivy Lopedito addresses the Young
Adult Advocacy Conference. (Photo by Darla Carter)

“You have a different vision, a different prophesy, if you will,” she explained to the young adults before her. “Your vision has been developed through a newer, sharper lens. That does not discount the vision of those older than you, but together, the vision is clearer. Together, we listen to and discern the Word of God. God spoke to 12-year-old Jesus. God can speak to you, and God can speak to me.”

Barbee spoke on the second day of the conference, which was put on by the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations at Union Presbyterian Seminary. Barbee’s sermon was part of a full day of events that also included workshops, a panel discussion and greetings from representatives of various seminaries.

The conference, which was part of a series that began last year in Louisville, is designed to enhance young people’s advocacy efforts and to showcase the importance of advocacy in the PC(USA).

“We are passionate about advocacy, and we are here to build that dynamic community in a place that we can learn from each other, that we can grow together, and that we can all inspire one another, of all ages,” said Ivy Lopedito, OPW’s Mission Associate. “Let’s equip ourselves to be agents of change in our communities and also beyond. Like Rev. Dr. Amantha Barbee said, let’s all keep showing up.”

Among the presenters during the Young Adult Advocacy Conference is the Rev.
Dr. Alonzo Johnson, coordinator of the Presbyterian Committee on the
Self-Development of People. (Photo by Darla Carter)

Barbee also stressed the importance of being prepared. “I’m asking you to study, read the Word of God, love one another, and have your ducks so much in a row that when you go to the elders, your gifts cannot and will not be denied,” she said.

There are multiple advantages that put young people in a great position to get involved in advocating for causes they believe in, she said.

For example, “you can go to social justice rallies and stand on your feet for hours on end,” she said. Thanks to computers, you can “gather all the needed material in seconds. You can send a single text and have 150 people gathered in 45 minutes. You are with transgender students who are bullied every single day. You can even run a high-level background check on the new Sunday school teacher in minutes. These are very valuable gifts, and you can use these gifts to spread truth, faith, God’s word, equality and joy.”

“You can be a Christian leader in your circles by being the example,” she said, adding, “Don’t ever be discouraged by naysayers opposing your gifts. Find your Apostle Paul, who will speak for and with you, listen to you, support you, and teach you to be the leaders we need. … You’ve got the power. Use it.”

The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations are part of the Compassion, Peace & Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Let us join in prayer for:

• McKenna Britton, Communications Associate, Presbyterian Historical Society
• Kendra Bright, Operations & Accounting Associate, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray:

God of compassion, when we serve others, let us follow the example of children, shedding our expectations so that we may reflect your love. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - The PC(USA)’s advocacy director: ‘We have had church tonight!’

The Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett’s inspiring sermon and a rendition of Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ highlight day one of the Young Adult Advocacy Conference

December 20, 2023

The Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett preaches during the Young 

Adult Advocacy Conference. (Photo by Jimmie Hawkins)

“Jesus and Justice,” the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s first-ever Young Adult Advocacy Conference, got underway on an October Friday at the Presbyterian Center and online. Eighty young people registered for the free three-day conference, including an online cadre of about 30 young adults.

“I’m so inspired for your witness,” the Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, told both those online and the group gathered in the Chapel at the Presbyterian Center. Moffett put in a plug for young adults — those who are college-age or seminarians — to also consider attending the Matthew 25 Summit, set for Jan. 16-18, 2024. New Life Presbyterian Church in College Park, Georgia, about 10 miles south of Atlanta, is hosting that much-anticipated event. “I hope there will be some young people at the summit,” Moffett said. “It’s open to [Matthew 25] inquirers and those who are seasoned.”

“We are excited to do this work, focusing on advocacy and social justice and what that looks like for young adults,” said Ivy Lopedito, one of the conference organizers and a mission specialist at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, which alongside the Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C., does advocacy work on behalf of the nation’s 1.1 million Presbyterians. “We [young adults] are passionate about this work, and the church sees that. Sometimes we just don’t know the church is doing this work, too, and we’re doing the work together.”

Listening, learning and doing were the themes for each respective day of the conference, said the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, advocacy director for the PC(USA). “We want to listen to what God’s spirit is saying to you tonight,” he said.

Hawkins defined advocacy as both “a call to change and a call for justice.”

“Something is out of whack. We are the richest country in the world. People are living on the streets, and we are numb to it. We walk right by them, but God is waking us up. Advocacy is speaking up and standing with others,” Hawkins said.

Because advocacy is also a spiritual discipline, “there is no disparity between advocacy and evangelism,” the longtime pastor said. “Jesus was a preacher, teacher and healer.”

Lawrence Robertson Jr. delivers an a cappella version of Sam Cooke’s “

Change is Gonna Come.” (Photo by Mike Ferguson)

“The church does advocacy. Young adults do advocacy — just not together,” Hawkins said. “The tragedy for the church is that when young adults plan advocacy events, they don’t even think of the church as an ally. We have to do a much better job of investing in the lives of young people. We want to join what you are engaged in.”

Many churches proclaim two messages that are in conflict, according to Hawkins: We want more young people, and we find topics around social justice to be among our most controversial. “The thing we are most afraid of,” he said, “is the one thing that will attract young people to our churches.”

Why hold an advocacy conference for young adults? “Because justice matters,” Hawkins said. “In the Reformed tradition, we know two things about God: God is a god of love, and God is a god of justice. God has called us to make a difference in this world.”

“This country can do better. Justice matters,” Hawkins said. “That’s why we’re having this conference.”

“God is doing a new thing, and we need to celebrate that new thing,” said Moffett, herself a pastor of 33 years before being approved as the PMA’s leader by the 223rd General Assembly in 2018 and then again by the 225th General Assembly in 2022. “We don’t do this work alone. We are the church together.

“‘When did we see you, Lord?’ ‘When you did it to the least of these, you did it to me,’” Moffett said.

Before helping to preside at the communion table, Hawkins paused to offer a word of appreciation for the sermon he’d just witnessed.

“We have had church tonight!” he said.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Today’s Focus: Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett’s preaches at the Young Adult Advocacy Conference

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Ralph Su, Associate, Asian Intercultural Congregational Support, Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Carla Sutton, Operations Admin, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray

God, in your mercy, give us eyes to see beyond the smiles of those who serve us. Open our hearts to love those so easy to treat simply as tools, for you said that whenever we care for the least, we serve you Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - The PC(USA) wants to strengthen the voices of young adults by offering them an advocacy conference this fall

Two compelling voices join the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins during the ‘Advocacy Watch’ podcast

August 3, 2023

The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins

Three of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s strongest voices for empowering young adults to advocate for change that’s important to them recently took to the airwaves to discuss the free Young Adult Advocacy Conference set for Oct. 20–22 at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville.

Listen to the 26-minute conversation among the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, Ivy Lopedito and Victoria Alexander on “Advocacy Watch,” a monthly edition of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” by going here.

Hawkins is director of the PC(USA)’s advocacy offices in Washington, D.C., and the United Nations. Lopedito is associate for international issues at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, and Alexander is a Young Adult Volunteer working at the PMUN.

The fall conference is being offered free of charge to college students, seminarians and other young adults living in the Louisville area and in southern Indiana. It’ll also have an online component. A video explaining the conference can be seen here. Visit the conference website by going here.

Asked by Hawkins to explain the value such a conference might have for young people, Alexander said, “For me, it’s really important that my faith is one of action. So many of the advocacy priorities I have — gun violence prevention and climate — you get a lot of the ‘thoughts and prayers’ sort of response from the Christian community. To me, our faith means going beyond that.”

Victoria Alexander, a Young Adult Volunteer for 

the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), said the 65th 

session of the UN Commission on the Status of 

Women has been “one of the most meaningful, 

inspiring, thought-provoking experiences” of her life. 

(Contributed photo)

The skills young adults will sharpen at this conference — and at subsequent conferences planned for Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2024 and East Lansing, Michigan, in 2025 — “are skills that when you develop them, you’re going to use them for the rest of your life,” Alexander said. “I wish I’d had an event like this when I was starting out my advocacy journey.”

Young adults can and should learn that “I don’t have to wait for someone older to give me permission. I don’t need to wait for the chance to speak up. I can take it right now,” Alexander said. “It speaks to the priorities the PC(USA) has, that they’re putting together an advocacy conference like this and saying, ‘Not only do we want young people in the room — we want them to be the ones leading us in all this advocacy work.’”

“We believe empowering young people to engage and to take an active role can play a crucial part in changing the future for the greater good,” Lopedito said. “We’ve been engaged in a Matthew 25 vision that calls upon the church to care for the most vulnerable and to seek a flourishing of all God’s people,” especially in fighting poverty and racism, seeking greater Creation care and gender justice and embracing peacemaking and human dignity for all people, she said. Then Lopedito turned the tables on Hawkins, asking him, “Why is advocacy work important in the lives of young adults?”

Ivy Lopedito is associate for international issues at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. (Contributed photo)

“Every congregation wants more young people,” Hawkins said. “What do young people want? They want to see a church that’s concerned about the community.” Not only will young adults receive training to become more effective advocates, “they will see the Church in a new light, that the Church is involved in justice and concerned when people are homeless and have nowhere to go, concerned when there is war all around the world, concerned when they see injustice in their local communities,” Hawkins said. “They’ll see that the church has a prophetic voice, a longstanding prophetic voice. We’ve been doing this work for over 70 years” in both the nation’s capital and at the United Nations.

Alexander has appreciated how intergenerational churches can be as they go about the work of advocacy.

“I have seen so many people around me willing to share their life experience,” Alexander said.

During the conference, “we’ll explore the connection between faith and justice,” Lopedito said. “For justice advocacy, that’s the heartbeat of our work. It’s important to go to church, but it’s even more important to be the church.”

“We hope to see a lot of young people there,” Lopedito said, “and we can’t wait to see all that God has for the future of this work and for young people who are excited and committed to do this work.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Today’s Focus: Young Adult Advocacy Conference

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Cathy Holland, Generalist, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Tyler Holm, Mission co-worker serving in Malawi, World Mission, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

Ever-present God, help us to see today with the heart of Jesus the needs of those around us. And may our hands always be helping in Jesus’ name. Amen.