Young Adult Tour in Arlington
ARLINGTON, TEX. – “The Young Adult LIFE Tour was a great reminder of the power we have as young adults through God,” lauded Madeline Small, Adventist Young Professionals’ Dallas Chapter coordinator. “The tour presenters showed us how we can use that God-given influence to affect change in the lives of those around us for the better.”
Meeting the call of local churches for training and guidance in developing young adult ministry, Young Adult Life, the official young adult ministry movement of the North American Division, created the tour to equip and empower local churches across the North American Division. The first stop was hosted by the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“It was enlightening and useful to know the many ways young adults can and should be reached,” shared Kyle Barrow, associate pastor of Auburn City Seventh-day Adventist Church in Auburn, Wash., and recent graduate of Southwestern Adventist University.
The Dallas/Fort Worth tour stop featured presentations by Danielle Quaye, teaching assistant and linguistics doctoral student at the University of Texas at Arlington; Justin Yang, Texas Conference young adult ministries director and Steven Argue, pastor, author and advocate for young people.
“I was challenged by Argue’s sermon which highlighted that we ought to do life with people; not just cheer them on from the sidelines, but run the race with them,” reflected Quaye. “That’s what Christ has done for us. He came down to Earth and ran the race and showed us His love in human flesh. I was inspired to do the same.”
“The DFW Young Adult LIFE Tour was one of the most practical and resourceful events to date with Dr. Steven Argue presenting the latest research on the 18-30 age bracket,” raved Yang. “It opened up much-needed and long overdue conversations with young adults on their stages of development along with their relationship with the church and leadership.”
Nearly a dozen churches from across the Southwestern Union were represented at the tour stop. The afternoon training intensive had over 15 different ministries represented with over 40 church leaders in attendance, including Elton DeMoraes, Texas Conference president.
“My family and I were blessed by the Young Adult LIFE Tour DFW. The presenters shared many valuable insights and best practices to start and sustain young adult ministries in a local church,” affirmed DeMoraes. “The fresh and meaningful content and the conversations around the table challenged us to think outside the box to reach this important age group.”
“Argue’s workshop opened the table for a much-needed discussion on how to connect with young adults,” endorsed Kellany Freitas, a worship leader at Comunidad Aliento in Fort Worth. “The tour helped us feel seen in the midst of a church culture that sometimes neglects our needs.”
“What I loved about the tour was the wide range of leaders who gathered: senior leaders, youth pastors and young adults, themselves,” reflected Argue. “Young adult ministry impacts us all, and these gatherings are providing hopeful, informative and supportive ways forward for our churches and faith communities.”
“Young Adult Life Tour provided an opportunity for church leaders, members and families to come together and share, with vulnerability, all their experiences with church which strengthened our sense of belonging,” summarized Jazzmine Bankston, a pastor of the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church. “I appreciated the discussions on ways we can become better listeners with each other and close the generational gaps that silo us demographically, and instead, bring us closer together as a church community.”
For more information about Young Adult LIFE, visit YoungAdultLife.com.
By A. Allan Martin
Pastor
