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By Erik Alsgaard
UMCONNECTION STAFF

There?s a movement energizing just under the surface of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, can you feel it?

There?s a movement of laughter, tears, eating, drinking, sharing, singing and witness centered on Jesus Christ, can you sense it?

There?s a movement growing in women and men 18 to 35 years old, empowering each other, worshiping together and becoming a family, did you know it?

The young adults are settin? the table for this movement, even opening a caf?, a Young Adult Christian Caf?.

'It?s exciting to fellowship with young adults that are walking in Christ,' said Renata Thompson, from Gethsemane UMC in Capitol Heights. 'Sometimes, it?s a lonely, lonely road. When you can come together ...in the young adult way, it?s very rewarding.'

Part of the Discipleship Adventure the Baltimore-Washington Conference has embarked on is connecting with other disciples. The YACC is all that and more.

Meeting the last Monday night of every month, the Caf? is under the leadership of the Rev. B. Kevin Smalls, director of young adult ministries for the conference.

'Every month, we try to have a different theme that we center the Caf? experience around,' he said. For February, the Caf? will touch on Black History Month. In March, it might be poetry. Or finance. Or relationships. Or work.

'Everything unique and relative to young adult life, we try to touch on that,' said Smalls, who was brought on conference staff in 2005 as a new ministry position. Already, his work is bearing fruit.

The young adults have a list serve of e-mail addresses that, at the start, had eight names on it. Today, there are more than 100.

'This whole Caf? thing started in March 2003, during a School of Christian Growth event,' said Thompson. 'The young adults all bonded and got along together and decided to continue it.'

President of the group is Ashley Hoover, from Hughes Memorial UMC in Washington.

'What I love about it is that it is an opportunity to share, to witness that Christ is real in our lives, regardless of where we?ve come from. I?m not in this Christian walk alone.'

The Young Adult Christian Caf? made its presence known during the recent Leadership Days training events. At all three gatherings, members of YACC taught classes on young adult ministry. At the Baltimore and Washington events, a quartet of talented singers, HIS 4, opened and led worship. HIS 4 is a regular part of the Caf?.

Albert Lewis, also from Hughes Memorial, sings baritone in the group.

'We?re been singing together for about three years now,' he said after the Feb. 4 training event. 'I?ve grown with these guys ... we?ve grown as brothers.'

Lewis and the other members of HIS 4 were ? and still are ? singing in the Hughes Intergenerational Singers group and, from time to time, they would get bored.

'HIS 4 actually started because I have attention deficit and in rehearsals, I would sing to keep myself occupied,' said Eddie Miller, another member of the group. 'We would sing together while everybody else was doing something else. It was a coping mechanism.'

What started small three years ago today sees the group performing and leading worship, not only for Leadership Days, but in many other venues. God has blessed their ministry.

HIS 4 is just one example of the fruits the Caf? is bearing. And members of YACC say it can be done in other places.

'To get it started, it all starts ... with the desire to get together,' said Miller. 'This is where we wrestle with God, where we praise God, where we worship God, where we encounter God. It amazes me that every time we get together, in some way, shape or fashion ? God is revealed to us.'

And, often, that means a lot of crying.

'We own stock in Kleenex and Puffs,' said Miller, 'and there?s no shame in it. We?re at a juncture in our lives where we?re too old for this but we?re too young for that. We?re just kind of caught in the middle. This group ministers to what we?re going through at this stage of our lives. It?s a blessing.'

You are cordially invited . . .

Many of the young adults in the Christian Caf? come from churches that have little or no young adults in their congregations, said the Rev. B. Kevin Smalls, director. The group, which emphasizes inclusivity and everyone being welcome, invites others from the Baltimore-Washington Conference to join. The Caf? is open the last Monday of every month. To find out where the Caf? is this month, send an e-mail to