NASHVILLE, Tenn. July 16, 2018 – Discounted early-bird registration is underway for YOUTH 2019, the national gathering for United Methodist youth and their leaders next year in Kansas City that promises four days of discipleship, worship, Bible study, service opportunities and life-changing fun.
YOUTH 2019, with the theme Love Well, will feature big-name musical artists, excellent United Methodist speakers and many learning opportunities for youth grades 6-12 and their leaders. The event is sponsored every four years by Young People’s Ministries (YPM), a unit of Discipleship Ministries.
“The YOUTH event really is one of the best places for young people to grow as disciples as they experience the breadth and depth of the United Methodist connectional system,” said Michael Ratliff, Associate General Secretary at Discipleship Ministries and head of the YPM unit. “The intentional work with agencies and diverse groups who are part of the UMC make this time a treasure trove of discipleship experiences for youth.”
The event will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center & Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, July 10-14, 2019. For more information, go to http://youth2019.com.
Registration is limited to the first 8,000 youth and leaders. The early registration fee is $319 through Jan. 31. The regular price will be $359 from February through March, and late registration is $419 after April 1. To register, go to https://www.umcyoungpeople.org/register.
Youth who are rising 6th through graduating 12th graders as of the 2019-20 school year are eligible to attend. Adult leaders must be at least 21 years old or older, and preferably have a five-year age difference between themselves and the youth they are chaperoning.
Limited need-based scholarships are available from the Youth Service Fund and Discipleship Ministries. For more information, go to https://www.umcyoungpeople.org/scholarship-information.
“The YOUTH event is always exciting,” said Chris Wilterdink, director of YPM program development in the U.S. “Youth discover that they are part of something larger than their local congregation while they are exposed to some of the best speakers, worship artists and other youth figuring out what it means to be a Christian today.”
The Love Well theme, which comes from Romans 12:9-10, will emphasize that youth come from different places, with different backgrounds, lives and dreams, but that does not mean they are divided. To Love Well means people work together and live out what Scripture says, no matter their differences.
“Picture an arena full of thousands of young people expecting God to move among the people during worship,” Wilterdink said. “The anticipation of meaningful worship is really powerful, and I’m proud of our planning team building all of YOUTH 2019 with excellence, relevance and quality theology.”
YOUTH 2019 is the national gathering for United Methodist youth groups and their leaders. It happens every 4 years. This kind of event has happened since 1988 in the United Methodist Church.
In addition to the YOUTH 2019 website, up-to-date information about speakers, programming, schedule and more can be found on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/Youth2019), Twitter (@Youth2019), Instagram (@Youth2019) and Snapchat (umcyouth2019).
The mission of Discipleship Ministries is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, Discipleship Ministries is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, visit www.UMCdiscipleship.org, the Press Center at www.UMCdiscipleship.org/about/press-center or call the Communications Office at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 1726.
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