| Young adult Christians take steps toward ministry BY YVONNE J. MEDLEYUMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT  At a recent youth event, introducing young people to God was not the focus. Instead, the youth, ages 15-25, already knew God, already had a relationship with Jesus, and were already familiar with the Holy Spirit.
They came to Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., June 20-22, because they wanted to know if God was calling them into ministry and what they could do about it. This is about their vocation, their life in ministry, said the Rev. C. Anthony Hunt, executive director of the Multiethnic Center of the Northeastern Jurisdiction that sponsored the event. Weve learned that we have to be intentional, said Hunt who led the design team that created the event, Total Praise III: Gods Reality Call. We provide the space and the opportunity to ask the questions and ponder. Total Praise is just one component of the Multiethnic Centers Emerging Young Leaders Initiative, said Hunt. The biennial event, expected soon to become annual, premiered in 1999. This year, young African Americans were targeted, but other efforts have focused on Hispanic and multicultural gatherings of youths. Were committed to work with them over a period of time in helping them to discern and understand their calling, Hunt said. Our church is graying and our ministers are graying, he added. What were trying to do here in a small yet important way is to reverse some of those trends. Dashaun Gomez, 17, from Metropolitan Community UMC in Harlem, N.Y., attended the event to see how the workshops would be on how to become a minister, he said. He also wanted to find other ways to serve besides preaching in the pulpit. Kaiyra Greer, 22, a graduate student at Wesley College in Dover, Del., spent the weekend in deep reflection. Im here to get information I can use to minister to the youth at my church, she said, finding direction in the intense workshops and sermons. A number of past participants have gone on to enroll in and graduate from United Methodist seminaries. The Rev. Dorothy Watson Tatem, director of Urban Ministries in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, branded everyones palm with a temporary tattoo. Well pretend that this is a regular tattoo. You cant scratch it off because it has become etched i n the skin, and has become part of the fiber of the skin, Watson Tatem said. When youre tattooed on Gods hand you are a part of the fiber of the spirit of God. The Rev. Kevin Smalls, from Hughes Memorial UMC in Washington, preached a sermon titled, How to Protect Your Call. Enjoying youth is a good thing, he said. Drawing from personal experiences, he urged everyone to consider the consequences of their actions. Some places God wants you to go, you cant take everybody with you. You have to go alone, Smalls said.  Kimberly Hall Williams, a Wesley seminary student, reminded those gathered to be themselves in whatever God calls them to do. A calling is a process, she said. The Bible is your manual.
Williams urged them to accept whats in their hearts because, she said, Gods yes is bigger than your no. | 
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