In John 17:20-21, Jesus prays that His disciples would be one. We are called not only to be unified with people in our individual churches but with all believers.

Today, RP youth have been blessed with many opportunities to be one with their brothers and sisters across the nation and the world. Many of them have proven that they are not limited by time and space (time zones and presbytery lines), and are making an effort to spend time not only with other Christian youth from their congregations and presbyteries, but also with those from other presbyteries. This “inter-presbytery mixing” is an encouragement to RP youth who are serious about being one.

Unity among RP youth has been brought about by various means. The most obvious one is the International Conference. Simply knowing that there are other young people across the nation and the world who share your faith is an encouragement, but to talk, play, study, and sing with them is even more amazing.

A more recent trend has been for RP young people to attend retreats outside of their own presbytery. Last year, a carload of Alleghenies Presbytery youth went to the Great Lakes-Gulf Winter Conference. A few months later, a carload of Indiana youth went to the Alleghenies Sprinter (that’s spring + winter) Retreat. A couple of Pennsylvanians joined the ECHO mission trip over the summer. Over the past several years, our denomination has also begun programs such as the Theological Foundations for Youth Program (TFYP) and the International Youth Leadership Training Conference (IYLTC). These are conferences that allow youth from across North America to come together and receive training for future service and leadership in the church. I have seen these programs stir the hearts of young people, not only to love Christ and His Church but to love their brothers and sisters as well.

Here is what some of the youth of our denomination have to say about all of this mixing:

“When people from one presbytery go to an event sponsored by another presbytery, it is one of the greatest things that young people from our denomination can do. It gives youth a greater sense of unity and exposes them to new people and differing viewpoints. Ways to do this are participating in mission trips, retreats, or conferences hosted by other presbyteries. I have grown greatly in my spiritual walk by participating in the Great Lakes-Gulf Presbytery’s mission trip to ECHO in Florida, and the Winter Conference.”

—Bethany O’Neill (North Hills, [Pittsburgh, Pa.] RPC)

“Having friends in other presbyteries has been an encouragement for me just because there are very few youth in my church and even my presbytery; so it is really nice to have even more good friends outside of the few other youth members who I see all the time. Also it is a great encouragement to know that, say, someone in Kansas is praying for you. That is honestly a really nice thing.” —Kathryn Paar (Cambridge, Mass., RPC)

“The following effort to describe the blessings of communion with youth from other presbyteries simply does not do justice to the reality of it. Keeping in touch with friends I’ve met at such functions as the International Youth Leadership Training Conference and the Theological Foundations for Youth Program has not only allowed me to know how to pray for these brothers and sisters in Christ as they seek to glorify God in their lives, but also has provided fellowship with people that live states and countries away! The unity we experience with Christians across the world is a good and perfect gift that ‘is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.’ Thanks be to God!” —Shawn Cowley (Minneola, Kan., RPC)

The editors of this column are very excited to see these trends. We see the youth of our denomination viewing the Church as something more than perhaps their own individual congregations or presbyteries. This is one of our greatest desires for this column. As you read the testimonies of other RP youth and the goings-on of various presbyteries in our denomination, we hope you are encouraged to be involved in the life of the church, to be in contact with other youth, and, above all, to have a desire for oneness.