African-American youth are impressed with church's mission focus, inclusiveness

By ENS staff, July 15, 2009 [Episcopal News Service -- Anaheim, California] Meeting the Presiding Bishop, exploring the exhibit hall, serving as lay eucharistic ministers and visiting with church leaders were just some of the agenda items for a group of 11 young African Americans visiting General Convention under the auspices of the Office of Black Ministries.

The young people, ages 14-17, are participants in the S.O.U.L. (Spiritual Opportunity to Unite and Learn) leadership conference, which for the first time in its 10-year history is being held concurrently with General Convention.

"The S.O.U.L. Conference equips black youth and young adults with the tools to grow into visible leadership positions at all levels within the church," says the Rev. Angela S. Ifill, program officer for black ministries in the Episcopal Church's evangelism and congregational life center. "We work to mine our youth's existing leadership abilities and nurture their sense of belonging, not only in their local churches, but at the [wider] Episcopal Church as well.

In addition to convention activities, the teens are engaging in spiritual formation, including Bible study; witness and study legislative processes; complete a group project on domestic poverty; and participate in leadership skills training. They also took part in a spiritual formation workshop that focused on the importance of dreams and poetry.

"When I listened to our guest speakers, who shared with us their visions of mission and justice, I had an epiphany that the church is not just a religious body, but a mission-focused and conscious entity," said Angelina Sanchez, 17, a member of St. Thomas' African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Philadelphia. "As a youth leader at my home church, I now have the confidence and skills to develop a program that has the potential to impact the lives of people at my church and my larger community."

"I am not an Episcopalian," said Emuna Rajkumar, 15, of Orlando, Florida, "but my experience at the S.O.U.L. Conference has helped me to form an opinion that the Episcopal Church seems to be one of the most inclusive churches I have experienced. At the exhibition hall, we were able to ask questions and participate, in a safe space, while witnessing the visible examples of the church's open-minded approach to the world."

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