Young People Find Global Connection in Dublin

Derek Goodrich (back left) in Dublin with Bishop Saenz and fellow young adults and youth from the Horizon Texas Conference.

In mid-July, 10 members of the Horizon Texas Conference, alongside 600 other young adults and youth from across the Methodist connection, convened in Dublin, Ireland, for the Global Young People’s Convocation (GYPC), a gathering that highlighted young people’s connectionalism, collaboration and what it means to provide a United Methodist witness.

Despite being a quadrennial event, GYPC had not taken place since its 2018 meeting in South Africa, and because of this, the planners greatly underestimated interest and initially planned for only 300 attendees. As registrations continued to grow, last-minute hotel arrangements became necessary, which turned out to be a great problem to have. Young people's commitment to our denomination and its ministries was on full display throughout the convocation, with participants representing 15 different countries.

The daily rhythm of GYPC included morning worship, lunch and breakout groups, and those breakout groups were my favorite part of the program. Participants had the opportunity to learn from a variety of speakers and panels, with topics and formats that ranged from instructional to conversational. Sessions explored the history of young people's movements in The United Methodist Church, pan-Methodist relations and discerning a call to ministry. The most conversational breakout group I attended was an open-question panel with four United Methodist bishops, where participants asked memorable questions about the bishops' spiritual practices, the future of our denomination, and the ongoing debate over the use of generative AI.

Each day at GYPC concluded with worship and Holy Communion. With a global witness present, the liturgy and songs were offered in several languages, and because members of the worship team were part of the Uniting Church in Sweden, many of our songs were sung in Swedish. The Lord's Prayer was prayed each night in the native language of the bishop presiding over the service, while attendees were encouraged to pray it simultaneously in their own native languages, further emphasizing the international connection.

Moving forward, the connections I made at GYPC will be vital to my ministry. While attending, I met a clergyperson serving full time as a chaplain at a summer camp, my dream job, and I also connected with several people who live just 20 minutes from where I will be attending seminary this fall. Those relationships are a reminder that our connection serves us in meaningful ways, and I couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity to attend GYPC.

Derek Goodrich is a certified candidate for ministry and will be attending Princeton Theological Seminary this fall.