Taking a flier on Triennium has paid off for a Florida pastor
by Alan Cummings, Silver Springs Shores Presbyterian Church | Special to Presbyterian News Service
The Rev. Alan Cummings
WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana — In 1980, I was serving on the Youth Committee in the Presbytery of Cincinnati. We heard about this Triennium event that would be held at Indiana University. We didn’t know much about it, but a group of youth and adults stepped out in faith and we went.
It was simply an awesome experience. The Rev. Dr. Joan Salmon Campbell was the music leader and the following fall she was doing a program at one of the traditional black churches in Cincinnati. A group of white Triennium participants showed up to hear her.
The moderators of the five Presbyterian denominations that put together that first Triennium were there and we all stood in respect as they entered the stage to speak. But more importantly, the youth saw that the leaders of our faith traditions thought it was important to be there to support youth ministry. Professor Bruce Rigdon spoke about baptism. Somewhere I may still have the cassette tapes of his plenary sessions.
Most importantly, that first Triennium energized our local youth ministry programs. Some of the youth and I became active with the Synod Youth Task Force and led two synod-wide youth conferences. We expanded our youth ministry programs in the presbytery with youth events and became a resource for churches.
I was wrestling with the call to ministry, and so I entered Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1982. In 1983, I was one of the leaders to lead the pre-Triennium synod event called LIFE and I attended the 86, 89, 92. and 2013 events. One of my youth, Will, was on the design team for the 1989 event. All three of my children have attended and my daughter now provides leadership for the event.
Indeed, the seeds were planted in 1980 and those seeds have grown as evidenced by my ministry in the church.
The Rev. Alan Cummings is pastor of Silver Spring Shores Presbyterian Church in Ocala, Fla.
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Categories: Youth
Tags: 2019 presbyterian youth triennium, rev. alan cummings, rev. dr. joan salmon campbell, silver springs shores presbyterian church
Ministries: Youth Ministry