Though a commissioners’ resolution to allow youth under 18 to fully participate and volunteer at future Assemblies failed Wednesday (June 25), the youth say they’re glad they tried to change the policy and will work with committees on local arrangement for future assemblies, beginning with Minneapolis in 2010.
Molly Kent, the church’s director of youth ministry, began planning last year to bring her group to San Jose. The group alternates between international and domestic mission trips each year.
Kent lined up Foothill Church in San Jose to house the group for a week, called San Jose’s Committee on Local Arrangements and began contacting groups that typically meet at General Assembly — including That All May Freely Serve, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, the Witherspoon Society and the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program— who hold events where the youth could work.
But Kent wanted more for her youth GA week. She wanted the children not only to observe the Assembly up close, but to work for the Assembly in any way they could.
The problem — as she found out a few weeks ago — is that for insurance and liability reasons, youth under the age of 18 can’t volunteer to work directly for the Assembly.
The group switched gears, plugging themselves into the groups whom Kent said “were happy to have the help, happy to have the kids experience all the groups.”
In between their volunteer activities, the youth saw the Oakland A’s defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0, toured the Winchester Mystery House, walked the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, toured Chinatown and Alcatraz and rode the rides at the Great America theme park in Santa Clara.
Lauren Melville, a 13-year-old member of the group, said she’s proud of the fact that her group helped write the resolution and came to San Jose to try to see it through. The youth attended a Youth Committee hearing on the commissioner resolution, which was filed by the Rev. Jonathan Scanlon, a resident pastor at Central, and Marie Andrews.
“It was cool,” Melville said, “to see our youth going and speaking out for what we believe in.”
“What I’ll take away from the Assembly,” said Alex McDonald, a 15-year-old member of the group, “is to learn how it works. It was a learning experience, and we enjoyed observing. Maybe one day we can participate.”
“I never asked for this to be easy,” Kent said, “only possible. I want us open to the possibility that all this has been worth the work.”
