Youth Initiative 7 S. Cross Road, LaGrangeville, NY 12540 Phone: (845) 625-4562 // Fax: (866) 718-5852 Email: prumeh@yiconference.org All rights reserved. |
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The Korean American United Methodist Youth Initiative is a national leadership
conference for Korean American youth. Participants will experience dynamic
worship services, new connections with youth across the United States,
innovative leadership training, and exploration of different ministerial
occupations. The aim of this conference is to nurture future leaders in the United
Methodist Church, to call them into ministry, and to build a stronger youth
network.
From the beginning, a design team was created that was composed entirely of
young second-generation Korean Americans, who were both clergy and laity. The
design team is responsible for developing and implementing the conference.
They discern the theme of the conference, find keynote speakers, handle the
registration, acquire a host site (which is always a university), order t-shirts,
create binders and name tags, recruit and train counselors, and many other tasks.
The majority of the leadership has always been under the age of 30.
The conference first began with a handful of first generation immigrant Korean
pastors who had the heart to nurture and raise future Korean American Christian
leaders. The vision manifested itself into this conference called Youth Initiative.
Korean American Youth Initiative held its first conference in 2001 in Los Angeles,
CA. Since its inception, over 500 participants have attended Youth Initiative. The
first generation pastors provided the resources to create the conference, but had
the wisdom to create a separate leadership team to further develop it.
Youth Initiative is not a retreat, but a conference. The objective is to not only be
spiritual, but also practical. The evening programs are geared to be more inward
focused. The evening sessions are also powerful times of praise and worship.
Every year there is a full praise band with a worship leader. The atmosphere is
very energetic and youth find excitement in worshipping God with other youth
who are also excited about worship. But the other programs are to equip students
to serve their church, community, and the world. The afternoon tracks are
designed not only to have teaching sessions, but also to be interactive.
At the end of the session, students should be able to have specific ideas that they
may want to implement in their home churches. The local church benefits when
youth return home energized and empowered to continue to serve their youth
group.In addition to the jurisdictional meeting, there is a separate time for
churches to meet to review what they have learned and talk about what they can
do when they return home.
The young people are also nurtured in the community that is formed through
small group. Youth also find encouragement from one another through listening
to the testimonies of other youths or from healing words from a counselor. Youth
are also nurtured through informal mentorship with the design team and other
pastors. The informal mentoring that takes place is also an important aspect.
Youth are encouraged in their faith journeys by older college students. College
students are mentored by design team members. There have been very gifted
college students that are mentored by adult leaders to consider seminary and
ordained ministry. Young clergy who are struggling in their ministry are
encouraged by one another and other more veteran youth pastors from the
design team.
conference for Korean American youth. Participants will experience dynamic
worship services, new connections with youth across the United States,
innovative leadership training, and exploration of different ministerial
occupations. The aim of this conference is to nurture future leaders in the United
Methodist Church, to call them into ministry, and to build a stronger youth
network.
From the beginning, a design team was created that was composed entirely of
young second-generation Korean Americans, who were both clergy and laity. The
design team is responsible for developing and implementing the conference.
They discern the theme of the conference, find keynote speakers, handle the
registration, acquire a host site (which is always a university), order t-shirts,
create binders and name tags, recruit and train counselors, and many other tasks.
The majority of the leadership has always been under the age of 30.
The conference first began with a handful of first generation immigrant Korean
pastors who had the heart to nurture and raise future Korean American Christian
leaders. The vision manifested itself into this conference called Youth Initiative.
Korean American Youth Initiative held its first conference in 2001 in Los Angeles,
CA. Since its inception, over 500 participants have attended Youth Initiative. The
first generation pastors provided the resources to create the conference, but had
the wisdom to create a separate leadership team to further develop it.
Youth Initiative is not a retreat, but a conference. The objective is to not only be
spiritual, but also practical. The evening programs are geared to be more inward
focused. The evening sessions are also powerful times of praise and worship.
Every year there is a full praise band with a worship leader. The atmosphere is
very energetic and youth find excitement in worshipping God with other youth
who are also excited about worship. But the other programs are to equip students
to serve their church, community, and the world. The afternoon tracks are
designed not only to have teaching sessions, but also to be interactive.
At the end of the session, students should be able to have specific ideas that they
may want to implement in their home churches. The local church benefits when
youth return home energized and empowered to continue to serve their youth
group.In addition to the jurisdictional meeting, there is a separate time for
churches to meet to review what they have learned and talk about what they can
do when they return home.
The young people are also nurtured in the community that is formed through
small group. Youth also find encouragement from one another through listening
to the testimonies of other youths or from healing words from a counselor. Youth
are also nurtured through informal mentorship with the design team and other
pastors. The informal mentoring that takes place is also an important aspect.
Youth are encouraged in their faith journeys by older college students. College
students are mentored by design team members. There have been very gifted
college students that are mentored by adult leaders to consider seminary and
ordained ministry. Young clergy who are struggling in their ministry are
encouraged by one another and other more veteran youth pastors from the
design team.
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The History of Youth Initiative
| YOUTH INITIATIVE |