Worship Resources: Ways to pray with & support young adults

Presbytery and Synod Colleagues,

I hope this email finds you, your congregations, and pastors safe and well as we all continue to navigate the pandemic. I admit, never in a million years did I think we would approach a 2nd Fall and start of school with rising Covid-19 cases. The usual excitement that students feel as they move to college or go back to school is tempered again this year by a weariness that I fear we all know too well these days.

As you may remember, the PC(USA) calendar has named the 2nd Sunday of August “College and Young Adult Sunday.” UKirk Collegiate Ministries and the PMA Office of Christian Formation have joined together to provide free resources to your congregations and pastors to celebrate this Sunday. To access the complete worship service for Sunday (or any time of the church year), including prayers, a litany, music, sermon helps and illustrations, go here. There you will also find each of the resources as Word documents that you and your congregations can easily use to cut and paste as you would like.

Over the last 18 months, we have learned about the profound need for Christian community to offer support and encouragement. This is especially true for young adults. Please feel free to use this resource in your newsletters and social media accounts to promote connecting your graduating seniors with a UKirk-network ministry at their college or university. You will also find attached to this email (and included in the link above) ways your Synod, Presbytery, and congregations can support your college students, young adults, and collegiate ministries throughout the year. You may post or forward these resources in any way you would like.

I think it is fitting that Rev. British Hyrams, Campus Minister at North Carolina Central University, and Jasmine Evans, M.Div, Campus Minister at FaithPoint in Greensboro, NC, chose 1 Kings 19:4-8 to focus on for this Sunday’s liturgy. Elijah is exhausted spiritually and physically at this part of his journey. Yet, God is faithful. God does not leave Elijah, or us, alone, and intercedes to provide what is needed for the journey ahead.

May you and your ministries feel God’s provision for you during this season. We in the UKirk network remain grateful for all you do. Thank you for your faithfulness!

Blessings,

Gini

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Rev. Gini Norris-Lane, Executive Director
UKirk Collegiate Ministries Association
ukirknational@gmail.com
210-237-8612