It's really nice to be back in Boston, even though it's really hot here (compared to Seattle, that is). The
Pickett and Eliot house is as wonderful as ever.
I am here for the first meeting of the Youth Ministry Advisory Committee. This committee was convened to serve as an advisory body to the President of the UUA as well as review best practices in youth ministry and communicating a vision for vibrant youth ministry to the congregations. The committee is composed of three youth, three adults and two UUA staff people. So far, we have talked about what our history is as well as what we need to do to be effective as a committee.
This morning, we got a chance to speak with UUA President Rev. Peter Morales. He shared with us his vision for how this group will function. After brainstorming the many things we might attempt, Rev. Morales told us that we were ambitious, and gave us this piece of advice:
Balance practical recommendations with causing trouble.
By this he meant that we should make sure that what we recommend is reasonable, for example we shouldn't expect the association to allocate five million dollars for campus ministry, but at the same time to try and shake things up. If we don't cause a little trouble, we should try to be bolder. The metaphor he used was that we should "poke the bear". Of course, in this metaphor, he was the bear.
The group is pretty great. I am excited for the coming days and months. I really hope that we can make a positive difference in the lives of our youth.
