Gen X'ers, Millennials: Take note

I want to let you know about an event that I think is crucially important for Gen X/Y leadership in the church. I write about it in my column this week in the Reporter. It is called, "The Gathering," and it is, well, a gathering for young adult leaders in the church this coming May. This is not an initiative by a particular annual conference, and it is not a top-down event put on by one of the general boards. It is truly grass-roots, in the sense that a small group of pastors got together and started a conversation about the need to get young adult leaders together in a physical space.

There has been a whole lot of good stuff that has happened online to connect us over the past few years. But we all know that virtual community has its limits. So it is that much more important for us to actually get together to worship, talk, and plan for the future.

Check out the website here for The Gathering for registration details. Tim Keel and Doug Pagitt will be speaking, which is exciting, but what is more exciting is just the possibility of getting a couple of hundred young leaders in the church together in one space.

This is not just for pastors. Laity and seminary students are encouraged to attend. For those of you outside the South Central Jurisdiction, yes, there is an airport in Fayetteville, AR, where Mount Sequoyah is located. There is an airport in Little Rock as well, which would probably have cheaper flights and is only about a 3 hr. drive from Fayetteville.

I have heard from enough of you over the past year - from California, to Texas, to Illinois - that I know there is a real desire for us to come together and claim God's future for the UMC. Here's a real place where it can begin to happen.