The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow inspires at Presbyterian Youth Workers’ Association gathering

More than 50 youth ministry leaders from across the country gathered Oct. 7–8 for the first in-person National Gathering of the Presbyterian Youth Workers’ Association (PYWA) since 2016. PYWA is part of the Christian Formation Collective with the Office of Christian Formation.

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The event featured two keynote addresses by author, activist and the Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, who invited attendees into a deeply personal and prophetic exploration of what it means to be called by God in different seasons of life.

The PYWA gathering was co-sponsored by the Office of Presbyterian Youth and Triennium; the Presbytery of San Diego; and Christ Presbyterian Church in Carlsbad, California, which hosted the event. Each attendee received a copy of Reyes-Chow’s latest book, “Everything Good about God Is True: Choosing Faith,” thanks to the sponsorship of the Presbyterian Foundation.

Reyes-Chow shared stories that traced the evolution of his understanding of vocation — from youthful ambition to mature discernment and from personal disappointment to global solidarity.

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In his keynotes, Reyes-Chow reflected on a pivotal moment from his youth: preparing to leave home for college at the University of California, Irvine. “I was excited for college and ready to begin the next stage of life,” recalled Reyes-Chow, reflecting on the significance for a teenager raised by a single mother. But just weeks before the move, his father called to say he could no longer pay for college. “I was devastated, and I could not see beyond my own anger and disappointment.”

That disruption, however, became a turning point. “Fast forward 35 years, and here I am … doing just fine, professionally, emotionally and personally,” he said as he expressed empathy for how hard it must have been for his father to break his promise to pay for college. “With all my heart, mind and soul, I believe that God’s Spirit has been present around, throughout and in it all.”

Rather than viewing God’s call as a rigid plan, Reyes-Chow encouraged youth workers to embrace a more dynamic theology. “I do not believe that there is one singular path for any of us,” he said. “But I do believe that God moves with us no matter where we go.”

A prophetic call: bearing witness in Palestine

In another speech, Reyes-Chow also shared a more recent and sobering story from his February 2024 trip to Palestine with Friends of Sabeel North America and Sabeel, a Palestinian Christian liberation theology organization. He described a harrowing visit to a government-sponsored event in Israel where he and fellow delegates were subjected to propaganda while listening to a grieving father speak about his missing son.

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“I had zero compassion for this father,” Reyes-Chow admitted. “And not only no compassion, but I had no empathy. That was not me.”

The experience forced him to confront the emotional toll of occupation and the spiritual cost of dehumanization. “Evil won that room that day,” he said. “And we simply can’t let that happen.”

He emphasized that prophetic calling often involves risk — whether it’s joining a protest, speaking truth from the pulpit or simply choosing empathy in the face of division. “If there isn’t an element of risk involved, then there’s not a prophetic nature of following Jesus into something that God intends for you.”

A gathering of healing and hope

Throughout the gathering, attendees were invited to reflect on their own callings through worship, liturgy and communal prayer.

In closing, Reyes-Chow reminded participants that being prophetic doesn’t always mean marching in the streets.

“It’s being prophetic in how we actually see another person and have empathy for them … seeing them and their humanity in a different way,” he said.

The event was a powerful reminder that youth workers are not only spiritual guides for young people but also co-collaborators in God’s unfolding hopes for the world.