Being a Young Adult Representative at this year's General Assembly is one of the most unexpectedly enjoyable things I have done in my life. In all honesty, I had no idea what to expect. I was being thrown into the inner workings of the church I had grown up in, and I did not know if I would come out the other side. I felt unprepared and inexperienced and I was starting to get uneasy about the whole affair. Fortunately for me, when I arrived at the beautiful campus at Waterloo, my uneasiness was quenched when the smiling face of John-Peter Smit, a YAR group leader along with his wife Tori, greeted me. He took me to a magical land where there were 15 other young people, all of whom were quite confused. That was the beginning of our adventure. We were told about the procedure of assembly and the general order of things, but there is a big difference between being told what will happen and experiencing something as it is happening.
The one thing I learned at assembly: there's power in numbers. This was undoubtedly proven at the opening worship service in Knox's Galt, Cambridge. I don't know exact numbers, but I'm sure there were more than 400 people there. Coming from saskatchewan, I don't often get the opportunity to worship with so many Presbyterians. less than two per cent of all Presbyterians in Canada live in saskatchewan. looking around the room and seeing our group in worship filled me with a sense of warmth and wholeness. God was there that day; you could tell from the smile in your heart.
Being a YAR surpassed my expectations of entertainment. Instead of the stiff, formal sederunts I was expecting, I was delighted to see that there was some freedom, and humour was not only appreciated, but sometimes necessary. among all the ice-cream themed amendments, heated debates about stoles, comic strips starring the moderator, and inspiring guest-speakers, we found that General Assembly could be a time of enjoyment and learning. mingling with the commissioners was lots of fun, too. They were all so friendly and had so many stories to tell. The thing I liked most was the people. Presbyterians are, as a rule, the friendliest people I know, so imagine my delight to be living with hundreds of them for a week! There was never a dull moment, and I thank God for each and every person there.
All in all, the entire week was one I will hold fondly in my memories. I learned more about the Presbyterian Church and how it works than I could have ever imagined there was to know. General assembly opened my eyes to what it means to be Presbyterian and I would not trade the experience for anything. Thank God for Presbyterians!
