This weekend was the United Reformed Church’s Synod of Scotland meeting.  For the last few of years Youth Forum for 12-16 year-olds has met alongside Synod.  This year, following FURY Assembly’s plea to highlight the plight of the Invisible Children of Uganda, Youth Forum spent the weekend considering how we could tell the story of children who are abducted and forced to fight.

Every night hundreds of children gather in towns because staying at home in the countryside at night is too dangerous.  The Lord’s Resistance Army abduct children, kill their families and force them to become child soldiers.

The issue, highlighted by Invisible Children, is one which shocked and moved us.  We were delighted that following the young people’s presentation Synod discussed and debated how they could help.

The Synod of Scotland resolves to encourage churches to investigate the issue of child soldiers, to raise awareness of their plight, campaign for an end to this inhuman practice and to pray regularly for these children, their families and their communities…. to make these invisible children visible.

We also heard a report that the project we highlighted last year, a leprosy colony in Malawi, has been successful in achieving some of it’s ambitions, a process kick-started by the Youth Forum highlighting the needs of the project to Synod.

It’s easy to think that the problems of the world are too big, too far away, and that we are too small to affect change.

This weekend has been a reminder that we can make change.  It reminded us that we can shine light into dark places.

Today was the end of What Do You Think? (WDYT?) and the beginning of General Assembly.  At WDYT? this morning we had a look through the report of the Youth And Children’s Work Committee and had a mock debate to see how the General Assembly works.  A coat stand was employed as the microphone and it was amazing to see how quickly people started treating it like a real mic, standing close and holding on to it as a comfort blanket!

After lunch we had a ‘break’ until General Assembly started at 3.30pm.  The break included creating a display of youth and children’s work and making sure everyone got checked back in and registered and stuff.

I decided it was my duty to make sure JB and LR got some well deserved time off so they were dragged kicking and screaming to the nearest golf course for 18 holes.  We played at Silveknowes on the banks of the River Forth and somehow managed to escape the rain which was falling all around us.  A good time was had by all I think.

Tomorrow sees the Assembly start in earnest with Youth & Children’s Work tomorrow morning.  I’m not allowed in the hall so I’ll be hanging out in the foyer watching the live feed on TV.  The most important thing for consideration tomorrow is my job title so check back to see it we get something shorter than Youth And Children’s Work Development Officer.  I do hope so.  That one doesn’t fit on forms!

T in the Park (Scotland’s amazing music festival) is also on this weekend so I’ll be watching/listening/wishing I was there too.  It’s online and on TV & Radio.  Feeder are on now rocking up a storm.

Tomorrow sees the start of the URC General Assembly.  This year’s venue is nice and close for me!  It’s Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh so I get to come home and night and sleep on my own bed which is always a bonus.

Assembly will debate 45 resolutions including a chance on Saturday morning to affirm the existence of the Youth & Children’s Work Training and Development Team, of which I’m a member, and with any luck shorten our job title!  The YCWT team (as we’re known) has been reviewed recently and this Assembly will discuss some of the recommendations of that review alongside a proposed ‘Vision for Youth & Children’s Work’ which I really like.

The early part of this week has seen What Do You Think? gather almost 40 young people from around the UK.  They come together to get to know each other before the General Assembly, read, study and discuss the reports and explore some of the big issues around the church and the world.  The FURY (Fellowship of United Reformed Youth) reps are usually the best prepared of all the delegates and this year is no exception.  They take their presence very seriously and I think show the church a great example.

You can download the book of reports from the URC website.

There is free wi-fi at the conference centre so I’ll try to keep you up to date with the highlights but I’m not a member of Assembly so won’t be allowed into the Assembly itself.  I, and all the other hangers on, get to watch on the overflow screen.

Maybe I’ll hang out with the Children’s Assembly instead.  It’s bound to be much more fun!!!

I’m off to URC Scotland Youth Forum.  It’s the first one ever and we’re looking at climate change.

You can follow our adventures at our Youth Forum Blog.

well… I’ve spent most of the morning working while people have been worshiping with a gospel choir, going to workshops and chatting.  It all seems to be going ok…

Morning. At least they tell me it is. I’m at FURY Assembly. It’s 9.25am. I’ve slept, a bit. Much more than lots of other people by the looks of it. I’m not great with not enough (at least 7 hours) sleep so events like this are always a bit of a challenge for me.Anyway, enough about me and my love of duvet time.

FURY (Fellowship of United Reformed Youth) have an Assembly every year in January. Young people from all over Britain get together for some worship, discussion, workshops and entertainment (and not sleep).I arrived at about 6.30pm last night after a nightmare 6 hour drive through the rain, fog and wind with my sat nav taking me an interesting little diversion through a lovely little village then back onto the main road again.

So, now that I’m here… what’s happening?Friday night saw some introductions, some worship (singing punctuated by ad-lib prayers), a chance to meet in regional groups and then in small groups to work out whether or not FURY Has Talent (more on that later). The evening finished off with a quiz and Mr Bean’s Holiday.So, so far it seems to be going ok in a random kind of way.

I’m going to spend most of the rest of the day creating a labyrinth for tomorrow morning (someone forgot to ask me to bring it!). Should be fun…