A blog from Natalie Gibbs, our associate partner URC’s Youth Moderator-elect
Those of us who are fortunate enough to have been to Greenbelt Festival will understand what I mean when I say that Greenbelt is a community. Perhaps some of us would go as far as to describe it as a family.
It’s a safe space to learn more about who we are, where we belong and how we can become the people we are called to be. This year the United Reformed Church’s theme of ‘Pilgrimagination’ combined the URC’s focus on lifelong Christian missional discipleship, ‘Walking the Way: Living the life of Jesus today’, with Greenbelt’s focus on ‘Acts of the Imagination’.
One of the many activities offered by the URC was the ‘Who am I?’ hunt, a treasure hunt that took participants around the festival ground in the search of silhouettes. Upon finding the person, perhaps a refugee or an elderly person, participants were encouraged to give a gift that they thought that person needed – for example love or kindness. They then received a gift in return.
As a member of the URC’s Youth Exec, we are looking towards 2019’s Youth Assembly where we will be exploring the theme ‘One Body: We’re all in this together’. During our planning and preparations we have been focusing on 1 Corinthians 12:26-27:
‘If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.’
During our time at Greenbelt we explored various issues during the Cake and debate sessions: refugees, the homeless and those who have been rejected and isolated. These are parts of the body that are suffering.
As people following Christ’s example it’s down to us to play our part in the body of Christ – what gifts have we been given that we can share, particularly with the parts of our communities that are hurting? It’s vital that we recognise that these people have gifts and talents themselves and are of equal importance in the Kingdom of God.
Who in our community can we reach out to today?
The URC Youth Assembly is a weekend for young people between the ages of 15 and 25 years old who are connected to the United Reformed Church in any way to focus on Jesus, to share in community with other young people, and to explore what it means to be church together. URC Youth Assembly 2019 will take place from 18 to 20th January 2019. Find out more at https://urc.org.uk/our-work/children-and-youth.html