North Carolina minister urges young people to activate a ‘newer, sharper vision’ for the church and beyond
by Darla Carter | Presbyterian News Service
The Rev. Dr. Amantha Barbee delivers a sermon Saturday during the Young Adult Advocacy Conference. (Photo by Darla Carter)
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — With a sermon infused with self-deprecating humor about her age, the Rev. Dr. Amantha Barbee encouraged attendees of the “Jesus & Justice” Young Adult Advocacy Conference to realize the power within them and to never let anyone look down on them because of their youth.
“Stand firm in the Word of God and don’t let anyone derail your passions for ministry, witness, mission and your outreach,” said Barbee, a Ministry Engagement Adviser for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). “You can change the world. You can change the future of the church and let me take it a step further today: It’s your responsibility to do so.”
Barbee, a North Carolina minister, acknowledged that elders sometimes can be dismissive of young people by saying things like, “When you get to be my age, you’ll understand,” and “You’re not even old enough to know about that. Give yourself some time, baby.” Likewise, young people can discount their elders.
But through anecdotes about her own attempts to master iPhone photography — a trial that exasperated her niece — and her mother’s past attempts to operate dial-up internet, which exasperated Barbee, the preacher demonstrated that people of all ages can and should learn from each other.
“You have a different vision, a different prophesy, if you will,” she explained to the young adults before her. “Your vision has been developed through a newer, sharper lens. That does not discount the vision of those older than you, but together, the vision is clearer. Together, we listen to and discern the Word of God. God spoke to 12-year-old Jesus. God can speak to you, and God can speak to me.”
Barbee spoke on Saturday, the second day of the conference, which is being put on by the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations at Union Presbyterian Seminary through Sunday. Saturday’s sermon was part of a full day of events that also included workshops, a panel discussion and greetings from representatives of various seminaries.
The conference, which is part of a series that began last year in Louisville, Kentucky, is designed to enhance young people’s advocacy efforts and to showcase the importance of advocacy in the PC(USA).
Flanked by the Rev. Christina Cosby, Ivy Lopedito addresses the Young Adult Advocacy Conference on Saturday. (Photo by Darla Carter)
“We are passionate about advocacy, and we are here to build that dynamic community in a place that we can learn from each other, that we can grow together, and that we can all inspire one another, of all ages,” said Ivy Lopedito, OPW’s Mission Associate. “Let’s equip ourselves to be agents of change in our communities and also beyond. Like Rev. Dr. Amantha Barbee said, let’s all keep showing up.”
Barbee also stressed the importance of being prepared. “I’m asking you to study, read the Word of God, love one another, and have your ducks so much in a row that when you go to the elders, your gifts cannot and will not be denied,” she said.
There are multiple advantages that put young people in a great position to get involved in advocating for causes they believe in, she said.
For example, “you can go to social justice rallies and stand on your feet for hours on end,” she said. Thanks to computers, you can “gather all the needed material in seconds. You can send a single text and have 150 people gathered in 45 minutes. You are with transgender students who are bullied every single day. You can even run a high-level background check on the new Sunday school teacher in minutes. These are very valuable gifts, and you can use these gifts to spread truth, faith, God’s word, equality and joy.”
Among the scriptures she highlighted was 1 Timothy 4:11-16, which says, “These are the things you must insist on and teach. Let no one despise your youth but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
Among the presenters during the Young Adult Advocacy Conference was the Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson, coordinator of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People. (Photo by Darla Carter)
Echoing that Scripture, Barbee urged the young people to study the Word, pursue their passion topics and carry themselves in a way that influences others. It’s also good to have a mentor, she noted.
“You can be a Christian leader in your circles by being the example,” she said, adding, “Don’t ever be discouraged by naysayers opposing your gifts. Find your Apostle Paul, who will speak for and with you, listen to you, support you, and teach you to be the leaders we need. … You’ve got the power. Use it.”
The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations are part of the Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
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