As the commissioners to the 221st General Assembly (2014) were electing Moderator Heath Rada Saturday evening, the Assembly’s Young Adult Advisory Delegates were electing leaders as well.

Bryce McAteer, from the Presbytery of Los Ranchos, and Erica Clark, Presbytery of Lake Huron, were elected to serve as co-moderators of the YAAD Council throughout the rest of the Assembly.  This council is made up of the 152 YAADs serving the Assembly this year.

The Standing Rules of the Assembly establish that “advisory delegates are … selected to attend the meeting of the General Assembly in an advisory role so that the Assembly may be assured of hearing and taking cognizance of their special viewpoints.”

The category of YAAD, delegates who are between the ages of 17 and 23, was created in 1970 so that young people’s voices could be heard. YAADs serve to make the Assembly aware of issues and ideas it might not otherwise consider.