The National Youth Assembly

How to start a blog post about first time experiences of the NYA? I think the best place to start would be the warm welcome the delegates received on the Friday. After the official welcomes by the Mods & staff we really got to make new friends at the CosyCoffee House and Awaken concert. That started the habit for the weekend of late nights staying up chatting followed by too early mornings.

The early mornings started on Saturday with fantastic wee worships looking at how we can worship God with our Body, Mind, Soul, and Heart. The highlights of the weekend were the debates, the first of which was on input by the Guild about the sexualisation and commercialisation of children. This was a passionate debate which, although not controversial, provided a great debate with lots of talk and helped settle everyone into the format of the debates.

Sunday’s debate was based on input by Priority Areas, looking at how the church can help reach out to some of the poorest groups in our society. The debate that followed was possibly the most successful of the weekend with the NYA agreeing on many deliverances which it hopes will help make a really impact on people’s lives and support their faith.

Then came Monday’s debate, for which input was given by the Mission and Discipleship Council working group on the marriage report. This debate was carried out in a very loving and forgiving manner, during which the opinions of the breadth of the Church were expressed but the YA held together showing what the “peace and unity of the church” means. That will probably be my lasting memory of NYA 2011: that the youth know how to debate serious issues and to do so in a very Christ-like manner.

1.The NYA believes that marriage is an individual choice and recognises that it may not be the correct choice for everyone.

2.The NYA believes that divorce ceremonies would be inappropriate within the Church of Scotland but supports existing pastoral care taking place.

COUNTER-MOTION
- The NYA encourages the Marriage Report Working Group seriously to consider the drafting of liturgy to mark the end of relationships.

3. The NYA believes in the sanctity of marriage and that the Church should seek to continue to value it in a modern context with reference to our constantly unfolding understanding of scriptures.

4.The NYA believes society puts too much emphasis on marriage.

5.The NYA recognises that, in some cases, divorce may be the only course of action left to a couple and believes that in these cases it may be acceptable.

6.The NYA condemns the stigma in the Church in regard to divorce and recognises the difficulties that couples may face as part of being involved in a faith community.

7.The NYA understands that marriages do break down, sometimes for necessary reasons, but encourages the reinforcement of positive role models who are married.

8.The NYA recognises that divorce and separation, although unfortunate, can have a positive impact on individual lives and feels the wider Church should recognise this also.

9.The NYA believes that couples who are truly unhappy in a marriage should not be pressurised into staying together because of their children. Furthermore, in cases of divorce, where children are involved, these children should not be used as emotional weapons.

10.The NYA affirms the possibility of re-marriage for divorcees whilst respecting the presence of a conscience clause available to ministers of the Church.

11.The NYA acknowledges that different marriage guidance courses are available and would encourage the Church to raise awareness of such courses.

12.The NYA believes there is a need for greater pastoral care available to couples entering and leaving relationships. The Church has a responsibility to keep them included within their loving community.

13.The NYA encourages the Church to engage in a meaningful way with those approaching the Church for marriage and to view that contact as an outreach opportunity.

14.The NYA recognises that there are differing views on sex before marriage and feels the Church of Scotland should not be judgemental on the issue.

15.The NYA would encourage preachers to engage with marital issues on a more regular basis outwith wedding ceremonies.

16.The NYA believe there is a need for greater engagement with the issue of divorce and with the people it affects. This would include further guidance for ministers and those in a pastoral role.

17.The NYA affirms that regardless of relationship status, we are all equally loved by God.

1. The NYA commends the work of the Church of Scotland in priority areas through the Priority Areas team and partner organisations whilst recognising that the entire Church has a responsibility to this cause.
2. The NYA recognises the good work of uniformed organisations and encourages the Church to continue to develop its work with them.
3. The NYA believes the “Sunday best” attitude in Church creates a barrier for people. The Church should welcome people for who they are regardless of their background, circumstances and how they are dressed.
4. The NYA believes that negative attitudes and stereotypes in regard to young people are profoundly damaging and can cause or enhance feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.
5. The NYA condemns stereotypes of priority areas as “violent” and “rough”.
6. The NYA believes that inter-generational work is paramount in breaking down the stereotypes of modern society.
7. The NYA believes that the priority area system is a helpful system but there are substantial flaws. Therefore the NYA encourages the Ministries Council to revaluate how it selects priority areas and supports the expansion of the priority area targeting.
8. The NYA believes that the Church has a responsibility to encourage the media to portray young people in a more positive light and encourages the elected youth representatives of this Assembly to lobby the relevant parties.
9. The NYA condemns priority areas being exploited by the media for entertainment purposes.
10. The NYA instructs its elected representatives to explore funding options (including local and national charities) to assist with the provision of facilities, including technology, for the use of youth groups.
11. The NYA urges the Council of Assembly to expand financial provision for the Church’s outreach to priority areas for all ages whilst making youth a priority.
12. The NYA asks the Ministries Council to explore further ways for church leaders, workers and volunteers in priority areas to exchange ideas and provide clearer and more accessible information on opportunities for volunteers.
13. The NYA encourages local churches to share resources, talents and time to build links between communities which may lead to a more structured twinning.
14. The NYA encourages awareness raising of work done in priority areas through media such as “The Good News” newsletter published by the Church of Scotland online.

So far we’ve had debates about the sexualisation of children and priority areas, lots of worship, talks from our guest speaker John Bell, a visit from the Moderator of the General Assembly, a concert by the band Awaken, workshop sessions, a ceilidh and disco and a gala dinner in memory of Robert Paton, a COSY man for many years who sadly passed away last year (you can see more about Robert here).

Lots of sessions during the event are being streamed live on the Church of Scotland website for the first time so come and join us in real time. You can also find us on twitter @cosy_nya and lots of conversation happening using the hashtag #nya11

We will be getting some of the young people at the event to write about it and these will appear here over the next few days (and maybe even weeks) so keep checking back to find out more. In the meantime here are some interviews with our own Moderator Amanda Philip and the Moderator of the General Assembly David Arnott.

It’s almost exactly a year since I was in Grand Rapids in the USA, taking part in a conference in which reformed Christians from around the world gathered together for a conference which would see two ecumenical organisations, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) become one. If that sounds a bit dull then when you realise that the new body represents over 80 million Reformed Christians around the world then the gathering takes on a bit more significance! It seems like almost no time since we were there and despite not having seen most of the people I met there since many of them are still on my mind and I consider relationships formed there to have been incredibly important. I thought it would be good to share some thoughts which I put together earlier in the year about how young people were involved in the conference.

Children holding up WCRC logo

As well as having Youth Delegates to the General Council there was also the Reformed Youth Forum (RYF) held for three days beforehand. I’m going to base my discussion on the message from the Reformed Youth Forum, a statement which was put together from the young people there based on our time together. This is in five parts: an introduction followed by sections entitled “Who we are”, “Our challenges”, “Our offering”, and “Our calling”. As well as telling you a bit about what we did in Grand Rapids, I would also like to use this message to dig a little deeper into some of the themes which came out of our discussions and can help our understanding of young people in the church and the ecumenical movement today and so I have highlighted some phrases in there which I feel are particularly important. Here’s a video made by Jessie, one of the American delegates. It will give you a chance to see some of the amazing breadth of people who were there and hear them read the message.

Introduction
The Reformed Youth Forum met June 14-17, 2010 at Grand Rapids Michigan bringing together youth aged 18-30 from member churches of WARC and REC. We met under the theme “Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace” (Eph 4:3). We represent the diverse communities of Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, North and South America. We are grateful to God and to our churches for the opportunities to worship, to learn and to mutually share our experiences and stories. We are inspired to each live the message of Ephesians.

The Reformed Youth Forum met before the main WCRC Council and shared it’s theme, “Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace”. The delegates to the Youth Forum were a mixture of Youth Delegates and stewards to the General Council along with some extra delegates from North America and the Caribbean. It proved to be an important space for networking and allowing young people who would go on to attend the General Council a chance to form a support group outside their own church delegation. This proved invaluable over the two weeks that we were there and I found it a huge contrast to other conferences where I didn’t meet the other young people as a group until the last couple of days.

Another important element was the “mutual sharing of experiences and stories”. The Youth Forum had been planned in such a way that most of the sessions were planned by delegates as we went along, including worship and discussions. This really gave us a feeling of community and of ownership of the Forum, allowing us to feel that we were sharing equally in the experience of contributing and learning. It also led to some beautiful moments such as a morning worship where people were asked to read the set bible passage in their own language and we heard almost twenty different people speak out of less than forty participants. For me that was one of the points in my life where the universal message of the Christian faith has felt real.

Reformed Youth Forum delates in national dress

Who we are
We live in an age of globalisation with friends and family across many borders. We therefore see and understand the world differently from previous generations. We are often perceived as immature and lacking experience, but we share a mutual understanding that our youth have gifts, abilities, spiritual maturity and experience that we share with the whole body of Christ. We share mutual values of openness and respect. We are eager to explore the meaning of our Reformed tradition today beyond denominations and with other faiths. We are keen to change ourselves and our world for the better. We share a history with those before us of working for equality in the midst of strife. So we recognise that division and disrespect are not options for our vision of the world today and for the future. We are shaped by our history but we are not bound by it.

I think that one of the reasons it was important for young people to meet as a group from across the world was because of the way in which modern communications have made globalisation an intrinsic part of our lives. And for our generation this doesn’t mean just knowing about other cultures or that you can find parts of Western culture across the globe, but that all cultures are valued equally. Because of this there are different challenges today. There is often despair that young people are not as proactive in asserting their ideas as they used to be, whether that is through political protest or through evangelism. There is no doubt that part of this is due to the rise of individualism over community which has also been fundamental to the decline in importance of the church in Western communities. However, inextricably linked to this is also the impact of globalisation, where young people are less sure about their place in the world and the difference they can make in it because the world they are in contact with has become much larger and more diverse. I think that this is why in this message from the Youth Forum and in similar statements from bodies such as the Church of Scotland’s Youth Assembly, you find that the language of understanding, respect and equality is seen as more important than making statements about particular issues.

It’s also interesting to consider what it means to people today to be part of the Reformed tradition. When we were talking about the Uniting General Council one of the youth delegates commented on her surprise at how little this was discussed. It’s maybe the case for every generation but I know very few people my age who are bound by their denominational background when choosing a church to attend and this blurring of denominational differences will surely have big implications for ecumenism in the future.

Communion at the Uniting General Council

Our challenges
We recognise the challenge to justice in our world including: poverty, HIV- AIDS, poor access to health care, harsh economic realities, are challenges that affect us without regard to age. The social realities of our world have created a spiritual crisis that causes many youth to lose hope, and avoid our relationship with God and with each other. We recognise the challenge to unity created by the political and economic structures that continue to keep us from full communion by excluding persons from our fellowship because of travel restrictions, visa complications and economic deprivation. We recognise the challenges to peace in an age of religious prejudice where fear reigns instead of compassion and dialogue. We accept the challenge to create an inclusive World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) not bound by divisions of age, denomination, gender, the diversity of languages or labels by which we may define ourselves. We are willing to take our place as whole mature people in Christ in the WCRC to live our calling in this family of faith.

In both the Youth Forum and in the General Council we had a chance to break down into regional groups and talk about issues specific to our own areas, as despite our increasingly global understanding of the world, there are still very different challenges in different regions. In the European discussions we focused on issues such as interfaith relations and migration. However, the most important issue for young people was the idea of there being a spiritual crisis in the Western world, where faith seems to have become irrelevant for many people who have at the same time lost hope and struggle with issues such as identity and community.

When considering interfaith and migration it was great to be able to talk with people from countries such as Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, which have all had far more political discussion about these issues. Tied in with the issue of migration is also the idea that political and economic structures keep us from full communion with other Christians round the world. There are a number of ways in which this is true but the most obvious one in Grand Rapids was the visa restrictions which denied almost a tenth of the delegates the chance to attend this conference despite assurances from the government that all delegates would be granted visas. This was the subject of a lot of discussion at the Uniting General Council but it is worth noting that almost half of those denied visas were young people and this meant that there were very few people from Africa and Asia at the Youth Forum.

While all these challenges can seem too large for churches to deal with, the strength of a body became apparent to me when I learnt about the role of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in challenging the South African churches on apartheid. One of the South African youth delegates summed up the importance of the WCRC to her by saying “It’s wonderful for us to know there is a place where different views and voices are expressed that’s there to help us stay on track and remain focused. In our context, we’re always aware of not going back to thinking in a vacuum.” (Annette, South Africa)

Uniting General Council Youth Delegates

Our offering
We offer our whole selves, our passion, our enthusiasm, our desire to know God and to know each other as we share this journey of faith. We offer fresh new ways of understanding church and the world which both recognise the past and embrace the future, while working for progress in the present. We offer our willingness to honour our differences without deliberately magnifying our divisions; this is the living reality of what our parents and ancestors struggled, and continue to pray for. We are grateful for new ways of communication, and technology that allows us to cross boundaries and borders and to find new ways to live out communion and justice in our own places.

One of the challenges for the church is how it can embrace new forms of communication such as social media and use these in a positive way. It’s very easy for us to say that they undermine the values of community and personal interaction which are fundamental to Christianity but the same thing was said about radio and television when they first appeared and no-one now questions the value of Choral Evensong or Songs of Praise. One of the interesting people I met at the General Council was an American minister who has a thriving church in San Francisco which attracts a lot of people in their twenties and thirties. He knows his congregation personally and meets them for coffee but also spends a lot of his time communicating by email, facebook, twitter and blogs. When he then became Moderator of the PC(USA) he energised this same generation to become involved in the national church. Of course we have to be careful about how we use new technology but if we are then it could really help us connect with a generation who often find the church out of touch with their way of life.

Another phrase which I’ve highlighted here is “honour our differences without deliberately magnifying our divisions” and I think this is particularly pertinent to this coming together of different Reformed bodies. During the Youth Forum we had the chance to ask the General Secretaries of WARC and REC some questions and one of the questions was why Reformed Churches should be able to join successfully given their history of division while traditions such as the Catholic and Anglican churches which have traditionally been more united are currently facing splits over various issues. The answer given was that the Reformed churches have learned to live with our differences and are now coming together in spite of them. For me that is one of the most important things about this new body and I hope that this philosophy can continue.

Singing and dancing during worship at the Reformed Youth Forum

Our calling
We share a vision to live out the inclusivity we experience in the Reformed Youth Forum at home in our local communities. We share a vision for communities that are transformed by our faith, hope and love. We share a vision for an inclusive WCRC family whose worship, fellowship and actions are based on just relationships rather than strengthening institutions. We ask the Uniting General Council to remember this vision as it creates WCRC to develop and maintain structures of governance that are based on relationships rather than hierarchy or rank. We recognise that our vision is not impossible if we know prayer that is action. We commit our gifts to WCRC and the whole body of Christ as we speak the truth in love for the peace our world. (Eph 4:11-16)

One of the things which has frustrated me in conferences I’ve attended during the last year is where groups have a chance to speak and use that opportunity to complain about not being listened to. This was apparent with delegates from the global South at Edinburgh 2010, the Women’s Pre-Council Meeting in Grand Rapids and has often been the case with young people at the Youth Assembly. Of course the reason for this is that these are groups which historically haven’t had a voice and this has most often been apparent through their lack of representation at conferences and committees. However, while the young people in Grand Rapids recognised this as an issue we were determined that these problems arose from the emphasis that is often placed on institutions rather than relationships, and that we should be seeking to change how people thought about the systems of governance rather than fighting for a more prominent place within it. I believe our conclusions were justified when we saw an entire session in the General Council effectively hijacked by a debate about quotas for women on the Executive Committee and as delegates to future General Councils.

The last point I would like to highlight from the message is “our vision is not impossible”. When I gave the Youth Assembly report at the General Assembly in May 2010 I focused on the hope that young people in the church have despite the doom and gloom that about the future of the church that often seems to dominate church meetings these days. I think that this same view was apparent here where all of the young people at the Youth Forum and the General Council felt that the experience gave us new ideas and new energy. It’s not often you get to be part of a gathering where you really feel the support of the church around the whole world but this was one such occasion and with that comes renewed belief in what we can achieve if we act together.

Some of the young people helping as stewards watching the World Cup

Views from young people on RYF/UGC

I’ve already quoted a few of the youth delegates but I thought I could bring in just a few more voices so you can get a few more ideas of what young people thought about these events as I found these quite insightful.

“I think the perspective the WCRC brings is very important, one that resonates with even non church people. I’ve had lots of great feedback from people when I tell them about the WCRC. In my experience there are lots of people under 30 who have no idea that churches can care about justice and are intrigued when you tell them about it. Part of the challenge is making this fact known.” (Allan, Canada)

“I think that the two councils joining provided a good example of two things: (1) Christian unity – there are some very different theological and human rights viewpoints in the WCRC but they are committed to working together for God. (2) Stewardship of the church – sometimes for the greater good we have to give up a little bit of our own independence. This is hard for individual congregations to accept (and I understand why) but sometimes what is lost can be outweighed by what is gained.” (Chelsea, USA)

“In terms of the youth it was absolutely great to be part of the RYF and to talk about youth’s contribution to the WCRC. What is really a pity is that we are only youth for a few years. This means that every time we have to find new young people who want to be involved in ecumenical relations and to educate them like they did with us which is hard work. I think an important question is how we can involve young people continuously? Also how can those who took part in the RYF inspire young people in their churches, the next generation?” (Verena, Germany)

Personally I found both the Youth Forum and the General Council to be very important experiences in terms of my understanding of the global church. However, this was undoubtedly more due to the relationships which were formed than the formal proceedings. It has also added to my belief that young people have an important role in the church and particularly in ecumenical dialogue. I hope that experiences like mine can play an important part in stimulating discussion and action in the whole church rather than it just being about experiences for individuals, important as that also is.

Photos courtesy of Erick Coll and youth delegates

Firstly, an excellent video by Euan Patterson, Youth Rep for Greenock and Paisley Presbytery

Thoughts from Gillian Davie, Youth Rep for Hamilton Presbytery

This is my first year as a youth delegate at the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly. So you can imagine how nervous I was feeling already, let alone when I got two hours notice to come to the Assembly! In my rush I forgot one of my most necessary item, my bible!

I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had previously been told it was like a week long presbytery meeting! Luckily I found this to be untrue. I was sitting in the gallery today for the Church and Society Council’s proposed deliverance. Previous to this I had unfortunately only skimmed through the said proposal. I immediately felt unprepared and was worried I would not follow it well. Had I not had an amazing person beside me (Amanda Philip) who accepted my naivity and explained everything to me clearly and patiently, I would have been completely lost otherwise and not got anything out of it.

I was amazed at the passion the speakers had, my fellow youth delegates exceptionally, about their chosen topic. They must have dedicated hours and hours to perfect their certain subject and for this I commend them.

I was worried it would feel very long and tedious and as I’m a “fidgeter” I thought it would be impossible to last a whole 4 hours. But I was kept happily amused by certain entertaining events. One such being a fellow youth delegate (I shall not name names, you know who you are!) who went to talk. He put his card in the machine and pressed the button. He couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working – he had mistakenly used his Travelodge room key! This offered out small group in the gallery some much needed hilarity. Another such event was someone else falling off their chair in a moment of silence. I also made the mistake of trying to stifle my sneeze, this only made it ten times worse and echoed all round the gallery!

I was happily entertained for the whole four hours and was amazed how quickly time flew by. I also learned so much more than I ever expected. I figured my child-like knowledge and perspective would hinder what I took in and understoof. I was astonished as to how simply things were put and how much I absorbed. It’s only Tuesday, 3 more days to go, and I feel I have been enlightened already and can only imagine how life changing the rest of the week will be.

Youth Rep Worship
We began with a programme of worship prepared for us by Emma Worsfold, who is the youth rep from Dumbarton. She led is in the reading of Psalm 100, played a worship song for us to reflect on and then asked two further youth reps to read the same passage, from different translations. We then had a prayer.

Opening of Assembly
This was a lovely ceremony to witness especially as a first time representative at the General Assembly. I particularly enjoyed the pageantry with which local authority visitors and the Lord High Commissioner were welcomed and also the ability to worship with such a large congregation, which I also found a little overwhelming.

Reports(Assembly Arrangements Committee; Committee on Classifying Returns to Overtures; Delegation of the General Assembly; Minutes of Commissions of Assembly; Minutes of Judicial Commission; Minutes of ministries Appeal Panel; Committee on Overtures and Cases)

I will admit that most of the deliverances presented during these reports were not to my interest and were of a primarily administrative and financial nature, however I used them as an opportunity to witness and gain a further understanding of the procedures used when debating a deliverance.

Reports(Legal Questions Committee; Church of Scotland Trust; Church of Scotland Investors Trust)
I found these reports again not to my taste or understanding but enjoyed the way in which experienced commissioners engaged with the reports, particularly those knowledge and insight on the matters.

Council of Assembly
When reading through the Council of Assembly report I came across a point relating to the National Stewardship programme on which I wanted further clarification. I decided to question the Convener (who is my parish minister) on this. I found his answer very useful.

What can I say really? This is my first general assembly and I arrived with great anticipation of what was to follow, I have not been let down.*

*The first day of the assembly was never known as strictly business. I completely enjoyed the day. Both the former moderator, John Christie, and current moderator, David Arnott, impressed me greatly. Their style of speaking was very appealing to me and both men had a great sense of humour and down-to-earthiness’ which is perhaps sometimes missing within the church. I did feel that John Christie’s words were very potent as he swore in the new moderator. Reminding us that we all have seeds to sow and everywhere we go we sow, then handing the new moderator a pack of sunflower seeds!

David Arnott at Roll Away the Stone

Business then proceeded as we delved into reports. As a first time youth rep I have to confess I found the reports hard to follow to begin with, but as the day went on I steadily got to grips with it. However, I have not been brave enough to ask a question yet! The highlight of the reports section to me was the Mission and Discipleship council’s report. I felt their attitude to what we should be doing now was fantastic. They talked about how only 10% of Scotland’s population go to church, but on the other hand, many more people than 10% in this country have a spiritual connection or a church connect. The councils view is how we can engage with the 90% who do not come to church and in my opinion, the council’s attitude is fantastic. For to long we have been within the walls of a church, now we have to step outside the walls of the church. As Convener Mark Johnston put it, “We have to save Jesus from the church.”. The report was fantastically presented by Mark Johnston. His analogy of the broken-down fridge in his kitchen and the out of date M&S products relating to how the church should change was fantastic, and made it very easy to understand. It does not matter how good something once was, if it is out of date we have to change. Change affects everyone and we should never be scared of change.

At night we gathered in the story-telling centre for a social event for the Mission and Discipleship council. There was plenty of food and good people about. Personally, I when up to the assembly hall for an hour. I wanted to hear the address by John Christie to the assembly about his year as moderator. I found it very enlightening and especially when he talked about countries all over the world that do not have the basic things that we do, it really made me thing and remember how lucky we really are.

Overall I also remember how lucky I am to be at this assembly, and I hope I can represent the people who have sent me here well.

*Sunday was a more social day for the assembly. The first matter of the day was Morning worship. Personally, I went to the assembly service in St Giles Cathedral. It held a kind of double interest for me being a history student. I was interested going to the place where 400 years ago a stool was thrown at the pulpit in anger and started the beginnings of the signing of the National Covenant which led to civil war. The service however contained no such drama. The music was fantastic, from both the organ and the choir. The moderator again preached to us the significance of the King James Bible and how we as a church and nation should look after those in the margins of society. I have to say I enjoyed the service, parts of the music sent shivers down my spine and touched a chord.

After the service we then relaxed until the roll the stone event began. To break up the time I had what I must class as the best hot chocolate I have ever had out of a shop just around from St Giles!

Roll Away the Stone

Roll away the stone was a new event for this year which acted upon what the Mission and Discipleship council reported on yesterday, trying to bring the church to the 90% who do not go to church or engage with the church. Princess street gardens was the venue and there were a huge number of stalls from the Boy’s brigade to The Guild. St Cuthbert’s Parish church was also used to great effect with various meeting rooms used for different events and the main sanctuary being used for a fantastic organ recital and school choir concert. The day was then concluded with a mass open worship, which must have had over 1500 people (Early gates estimate that 4,500 people came through the gates). This brought the day to a fantastic end and hopefully engaged many more people.

Then came the youth reps preparation for the debates the next day. (Youth reps prepare for the debates from 8-9.30 every evening). Tomorrow is a particularly challenging day as the special commission delivers their report into same-sex relationships in the ministry. The eyes of the press will be firmly on the Kirk in what will be a defining moment.

My name is Euan Patterson and I am the youth delegate for Greenock and Paisley Presbytery. This is my third time attending the General Assembly and as such I feel that I have become well accustomed to the proceedings; that said, I must confess to having never spoken at the GA, primarily due to a lack of personal preparation rather than an absence of the desire to do so.

This year I have decide to put old habits to rest and intend to ask a question of the Church and Society Council on Tuesday – potentially followed by a motion, depending on the answer to that question.

One of the most contentious topics we have thus far discussed as youth reps is the question of whether or not we should hold an indicative vote on Assembly matter. I, personally, am a strong supporter of youth reps receiving the vote, but only with the arrangement of a more stringent selection process by presbyteries.

In terms of the social aspect of being a youth rep, I have had a wonderful time thus far, laughing with friends old and new. Youth representation (in any capacity) is an incredibly enjoyable and educational part of the life of the Kirk and I would commend it to anyone who may be considering taking up the role.