When I first stepped up to a microphone on Thursday, my heart was pounding and my hands shook, yet beyond all my nerves there was a silence throughout the room. All the people in the auditorium had ceased side conversations and web searches to hear my opinion, my voice. I was later thanked multiple times for both my input and my willingness to speak. The words I said began as a whispered rant to a fellow young adult representative, yet it became vital at that microphone. Through the forum of General Assembly we saw the power and importance of youth voices on the listening ears of commissioners, and most of all we heard it in the words of thanks that followed when we offered our opinions. Many in our group felt empowered to speak and share, both with the assembly and with each other. Our discussions spanned our evenings and included a guest appearance from the Moderator. In our discussions of hot button issues, we represented many different opinions and many backgrounds. We learned there is no single youth voice, but a mass of opinions and goals, even within our small group of 12. We could not imagine what the hopes of the greater church would be.
Sometimes our experiences on the congregational level have been very different from our experiences at assembly. Though a few among us had been elected as elders in their home congregations, many had little chance to give their opinions. I, for example, juggle two churches—one in Waterloo, where I go to university, and another in Toronto where my family lives. Therefore, eldership is not an ideal possibility for me. Others were too new in their congregations, were children of the minister, or were members of a church unwilling or unable to elect a young person to such a high position. Instead, we have been approached about youth issues, but not much beyond them. One YAR even said she was afraid of returning home after having her words so appreciated by the commissioners. We quickly realized we would not be asked for our thoughts; we needed to stand up and make our voices heard.
We created Our Voice, a group that uses Facebook, forums and YouTube to share the ideas of youth across Canada and the Presbyterian Church—a new form for a reforming church. We hope that through these methods, youth will speak and the church will listen. It’s time to listen, for the future of our church is not its youth or children; we, and all its members, are the present. You can never reach a moment and say, “Here is the future.” Rather, you reach a never – ending stream of presents. It is time the entire church stood and spoke, including the youth and young adults who are so often afraid to speak out.
I would like to personally encourage you, the reader, and you, the church, to join us, speak your mind and be heard. We don’t care if you are in the church, beyond the church, 16 or 86; we simply want to make the church a place where all voices are heard and given equal weight. So take this article, our videos and our websites, pass them on, and use them to make all voices heard.
