Hello friends! My name is Anna Hackett, and I had the privilege of attending this year’s North Carolina’s Annual Conference Session for Youth.
Never in my life have I met someone who can verbalize the experience that ACS brings to our youth, but I promise I will try my best.
Last Monday, about 90 youth met at Methodist University to commence a week full of holy conferencing- and holy foolishness. I was overwhelmed with the Spirit of our God by just being in a room with our youth.
Every morning of ACS, the first thing we did was worship. Well, after breakfast, of course. We were blessed with Christina Turner, from Wrightsville UMC, as our pastor-in-residence. She continually breathed the Word of God into our sleepy hearts and urged us to consider how different this world could be if we, as the youth, daily sought to bring Jesus’ paradise down.
We engaged in four legislative affairs sessions during the week. The debate was heated at times, but it was always respectful and inspiring. The youth of this year passed resolutions concerning the treatment of immigrants, habitat destruction, abortion, and so much more. A shining moment was undoubtedly when we as a body passed a resolution stating our response to the 2019 special session of General Conference.
But as it always is with our youth, there was much more than just business to get down to. Our week contained the annual ACS dance and talent show where we let our childish sides run wild.
For our mission focus on Thursday night, we partnered with the United Methodist Women in packing school kits! As the youth, we are so appreciative of what the UMW does for the church and are honored in sharing that experience with them. We are hoping for a mission night partnership with them to become an annual thing!
Along with every other ACS, we elected our new youth leadership for the coming year and said some of the hardest goodbyes to our graduated seniors. Our conference is blessed with some of the strongest youth leadership I have ever seen- youth who know that their only constant in this crazy world is God, and who channel their crazy energy into serving and pursuing Him. Please join me in welcoming our new youth officers, Conference Youth Committee, and Conference Council of Youth Ministries with open arms!
Personally, ACS is the closest picture of Jesus’ paradise that I have been able to grasp. A group of crazy kids, all with completely different backgrounds, all with the same love of their Creator, coming together to worship, fellowship, and seek social justice- inside and outside of our church walls. The youth of this conference are breathtaking. My hope is that ACS will continue in its influence for many, many lifetimes.
Anna Hackett
Representative of the Sound District on the Conference Youth Committee