After six long years, Presbyterian Youth Triennium opens its doors and its heart to young people from across the nation
Many youth made a beeline to the Exhibit Hall in the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville
LOUISVILLE — Presbyterian Youth Triennium-goers were flocking Monday afternoon to the Exhibit Hall at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville.
Youth and young adults ages 14-25 could sing a verse of a hymn for a campfire treat; learn about Presbyterian-affiliated colleges, universities and seminaries; receive a sticker affirming their pronouns; learn about the varied ministries of the PC(USA)’s Interim Unified Agency; and visit with service providers ranging from campus ministry to suicide prevention.
As soon as the doors were open at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, the Rev. Brian Ellison, executive director of Covenant Network of Presbyterians, was staffing a booth that offered pronoun stickers. “It’s really important to provide spaces where people of all ages can grow comfortable with gender identification,” he said. “In many communities, young people are leading the way in understanding gender identity, but not everywhere. Particularly in churches, it’s important to keep reinforcing messages of inclusion.”
Presbyterian Youth Triennium “was always really good about providing affirming and safe spaces for kids,” Ellison said, adding Covenant Network of Presbyterians “is always here to provide support to people of all ages whatever the need may be,” whether it’s for “people seeking a call or for a youth at Triennium.”
The Rev. Dick Young, the executive director of Zephyr Point Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center in Zephyr Cove, Nevada, said he’s at Presbyterian Youth Triennium in part to connect with youth leaders and pastors about bringing their youth to the picturesque facility on the shore of Lake Tahoe. In addition, Zephyr Point hires about 35 young adults every summer, and so he’ll be answering questions about possible future employment as well.
A PC(USA) pastor since 1989, Young fell in love with Zephyr Point after a visit in 2018 and went to work there the following year. He was named executive director in 2022. Last year Zephyr Point welcomed about 200 people to celebrate its centennial. “We serve all kinds of folks, including nonprofits and business groups,” Young said. “I want to make sure every Presbyterian has the opportunity to recreate and stay in the Tahoe basin.”
Nearby, Joel Winchip, executive director of the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association and the Campfire Collective, sat near an artificial campfire and invited youth to do the same. Those brave enough to sing a verse of a hymn identified by a sign on a skewer in the campfire were rewarded with a tasty s’more.
Winchip said it’s his goal to let youth from around the country know their home is part of a network of about 95 sites across the United States and Canada affiliated with one of nine denominations, including The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Christopher Epperson was telling young visitors and their leaders the story of Soul Shop, which provides suicide prevention training for faith community leaders.
“The church is poised to do this work, especially with our youth,” Epperson said. “Our focus is on equipping faith community leaders to minister to those affected by suicidal desperation.” Soul Shop works with mid councils and congregations in several denominations “to help churches think differently about their ministries.”
The one-day workshops stress the importance of having honest conversations. “We don’t have a theological stance. We have trainers who are very conservative and others who are very liberal, and we haven’t had any pushback,” Epperson said. “We say, ‘come in and use your theological imaginations.’”
Clara Harper, the senior assistant director of Admission and Coordinator of Westminster Scholars at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, was talking to prospective students about the Westminster Scholarship for Presbyterian students. Tier 1 awards are for tuition, housing and food and are for dependents of a full-time clergyperson or staff member. Tier 2 scholarships, which cover tuition, go to students who are documented members of the PC(USA).
A 2023 graduate, Harper calls Austin College “a thin place where transformative work happens.” Students discover what they’re passionate about studying in part by not declaring their major until the end of their sophomore year.
An institution affiliated with the PC(USA), Austin College was founded in 1849. Read its covenant with the Synod of the Sun here.
Videographer Randy Hobson contributed to this story.
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