Storytelling is at the heart of our Around the Table mission, so when we learned that the 2025 Presbyterian Youth Triennium (PYT) would be gathering in Louisville, KY, we knew we had to be there. PYT was the perfect opportunity to meet incredible young
people and capture their stories of faith, service, prayer, and hope for the church. If our calling is to help faith in God through Jesus Christ take root in the next generation, then PYT was fertile ground—alive with the dreams, questions, and wisdom of young believers ready to share their voices.
But getting there was only half the story.
We had originally planned for a formal podcast booth. When both of our regular podcast hosts couldn’t attend, I stepped up to make our dream of “story catching” happen—right in the middle of the exhibit hall, surrounded by hundreds of voices and all the joyful chaos you’d expect from a youth conference. So how does one have a podcast when there is so much noise in an exhibit hall?
A quick online search for sound booths nearly ended the plan—most were five times our budget! That’s when I remembered my son, a jazz drummer, and how drum shields are used to contain sound at church and other venues. One quick Amazon order later, we had our booth solution. I recruited (cough) my teenage daughter for a trip to the Los Angeles garment district, where we bought 10 yards of glittery sky blue tulle, stuffing to fill two king-sized pillows, and tons of sparkling lights and other decorations to match PYT’s beautiful theme: “As if We Were Dreaming” from Psalm 126.
The Questions that Sparked the Stories
With the theme in mind, I paired Psalm 126 with Deuteronomy 6 and our Sabbath Practices framework to create twelve interview questions. They explored prayer, service, rest, connecting with God on the journey, and advice for the church today. Every guest was asked at least two questions, including:
- What is your dream for the church right now?
- What advice would you give to adults in the church today?
Because it can be challenging—especially for teens meeting me for the first time—to put faith into words, I added a playful twist: a homemade spinner to randomly select their questions. Some prompts the spinner landed on included: “Share about a time when you felt close to God (or wished you had),” “What’s one thing you wish you knew more about God?” and “What advice has someone given you or did you give to a friend during a rough time?
Over three days, I interviewed nearly 40 teenagers and a few adults, gathering hours of heartfelt and inspiring responses. Their answers were moving, hopeful, and at times challenging—clear reminders that God is still at work through the voices of the young. I met young people whose testimonies transformed me. We cried together, laughed together, and dreamed big for our beloved church and world.
Dear reader, I want you to know: these young people are brimming with compassionate hearts, justice-seeking love, and a deep desire to serve the Lord our God. Many are serving the church now as youth elders on session, volunteers for outreach and mission and assist in worship leadership. I am certain I met future moderators, pastors, therapists, writers, veterinarians, wellness practitioners, make-up artists, civic leaders, journalists—and even a few I could see as future stated clerks. Whoo-hoo! God IS good! I cannot wait to see how the Presbyterian Church (USA) will be transformed as they step into servant leadership in the church in the very near future. Watch out!
Coming This October
We are excited to release a Special Edition Triennium 2025 Around the Table Podcast this October, featuring these interviews and the insights of young Presbyterians from across the country. You’ll hear their dreams, their challenges, their prayers, and their deep hope for the church’s future. We also had two VERY SPECIAL guests, so stay tuned for that big reveal!
Storytelling is not just about preserving the past—it’s about sharing the faith of those in the present and building the future God is calling us to dream into reality.
Why Storytelling Matters to Around the Table
At the Around the Table Initiative, our tagline says it all: “Sharing Our Stories.” Storytelling is more than art—it’s a calling modeled by Jesus, whose parables shaped hearts and revealed God’s kindom on earth. Scripture urges us in Deuteronomy 6–7 to tell the next generation about God’s word and works so they never forget.
Around the Table exists to help parents, grandparents, caregivers, and mentors speak and live this faith so young people can claim it for themselves.
Learn more at pcusa.org/aroundthetable.
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