Gratitude for the Presbytery’s Support

Rock Hopping in Flat Creek

“I met some amazing people while at Montreat and made so many memories… memories that will never fade….”  –  MYC Participant

Dear Presbytery of Los Ranchos,

They say “Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”  But, that is not true about the Montreat Youth Conference (MYC) in NC.  St. Mark Presbyterian Church (Newport Beach) sent a delegation to Week 5 of the youth conference (July 20-27^th), which had the theme “Planting Peace.”  During our week, we heard powerful testimonies from our keynote speaker Rev. Ashley-Ann Masters and our preacher Rev. Damon Williams about the peace God plants in our lives.  This peace is called “shalom.”  We learned that God’s shalom is not like any other peace, but has the power to heal all of our brokenness, mend even the deepest divides humanity has created, and can reconcile us before our Maker.

Our daily keynote and worship services lifted up God’s peace in a way that young people could relate to and connect with.  And, our small group time gave us lots of opportunities to unpack these biblical lessons about peace with young people from around the US.  Each evening, during our back-home group devotion time, our delegates reflected on how God’s peace has transformed their lives and how they plan to plant peace back home.  So, believe me when I say that what happened at Montreat does not stay at Montreat.  What we experienced and gained from this youth conference cannot be restrained or contained, because each youth and adult is now anointed with God’s Spirit and empowered to share all the blessings of the Montreat Youth Conference with you (our presbytery) who helped support our trip – THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THIS OPPORTUNITY!

Thanks again, Pastor Hayes Noble