Recognizing the Visionary of the 2024 Southern Conference Youth Event

Written by Rev. Belinda Sledge

“Write the vision and make it plain,” says Rev. Edward Davis (D.Min.), Southern Conference Minister. These were the instructions given to Rev. Belinda Sledge as chair of the Southern Conference United Church of Christ Youth Event planning committee. This committee was made up of members around the Southern Conference who brought the vision of the youth event to life that was held in Virginia Beach, VA, July 23rd – 26th of this year.

You may remember the Winter Youth Ski Retreats sponsored by Blowing Rock Conference Center, the Summer Camps at Johns River Valley Camp sponsored by Johns River, the National Youth Events sponsored by the United Church of Christ National Setting and even the Regional Youth Events sponsored by the Southern Region of the United Church of Christ. However, you may not recall a youth event explicitly being shepherded by the Southern Conference United Church of Christ outside of all these other events mentioned, being solely responsible for the planning and financing at all, or if so a very long time ago. If this did take place before my time, I thank those who came before us to pave the way for what was to come!

The "Lock In" invite to youth was to acknowledge that God is still speaking, and so are our youth, and the call to prioritize youth again in the church had been heard. To that end, the Southern Conference United Church of Christ youth event was planned, with an open invitation for the Southern Conference youth and beyond to come experience the true meaning of the selected text for the event, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

You have heard many stories and have seen many pictures in the e-News about the 2024 youth event since it ended, and we plan to keep them going. The youth enjoyed their home away from home in either their hotel or Airbnb living quarters chaperoned by the adults who chose their living space for their time together. Many chaperones, the SOC women and planning committee members have been told, “I didn’t know it was going to be this fun and I can’t wait to come next year!” The youth loved that they got to enjoy the beach setting in the summer months. Some of these youth have even formed their own Bible study groups. I say, don’t you love it when God gives the visionary a plan to share and it comes together such as this?

I am grateful to say this 2024 Southern Conference Youth Event was declared as indeed the 1st Southern Conference Youth Event doing a “new thing” during the era of this leadership. At the Southern Conference Board of Directors meeting held on September 7th, the youth event chair, members of the youth committee on the Southern Conference Board of Directors and Southern Conference staff honored our Youth Event Visionary, Rev. Edward Davis (D.Min.), for sharing with the Southern Conference Board of Directors his plan for putting our youth first. The Board voted overwhelming to stand with him for this to be a two-year initiative.

Be on the lookout for plans for the 2025 Southern Conference Youth Event in the coming months so that all of our churches will have time to plan for next year.