Ecumenical Young Adult Steward Programs

Ecumenical settings provide other arenas and opportunities for young adult Christian leadership. Such opportunities often come via steward programs associated with national and international ecumenical organizations. Five of the ten Young Adult Stewards chosen for the 2003 National Council of Churches for Christ General Assembly (NCCC) came from United Methodist congregations and ministries. The NCCC Young Adult Stewards provided leadership and assistance with daily event functions, event communications, and event administration. The group pictured below participated at the 2003 NCCC General Assembly in Jackson, MS.

Seated (left to right): Katherine Parker (Ames, Iowa),
Melissa Porter (Virginia Beach, VA), and Grant Kinney (Alma, MI).
Standing (left to right): Maria Consuelo (San Antonio, TX),
Motoe Yamada (Berkeley, CA), and Evan Jones (San Antonio, TX).

The 2004 NCCC General Assembly is scheduled for November 9-11, 2004, in St. Louis, MO. Application deadlines have been extended to early August 2004. Visit the NCCC website to download the Steward Program information and application; or click here for a pdf of the application form. For additional Steward Program information, contact Patrice Rosner.

United Methodist young adults are active and serving on the United States Young Adult Stewards Steering Team for the World Council of Christian Churches (WCCC). Motoe Yamada and Renee Grounds are part of a five-member ecumenical team representing United Methodist, Lutheran, and Episcopal faith communions.

The U.S. Stewards Team is focusing on a Globalization & Economic Justice Issues Project designed to advance information and appropriate action to churches and faith communities across the nation. Thirty young adults from five mainline denominations convened at the Scaritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, TN, July 21-24, 2004, to study, dialogue, and design learning strategies that sensitize Christians to economic injustice practices and issues in underdeveloped countries.

Additional Young Adult Ecumenical Opportunities

Visit http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/brochure-intern_2005.pdf for information and an application for the World Council of Churches Internship Program (three paid internships for 2005—2006 in Geneva, Switzerland). Application deadline: August 31, 2004.

Visit http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/stewardsbrochure_2005.pdf for information and an application for the 2005 WCC Stewards (February 15-23, 2005, Central Committee Conference, Geneva, Switzerland).