Youth President Addresses Methodist Conference

In her speech to the Methodist Conference the Methodist Youth President, Thelma Commey, has spoken of the decision to change the format of this year’s 3Generate, the Methodist Church’s Children and Youth Assembly, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last November more than a thousand children and young people gathered in Southport for the event. Plans to increase the size of 3Generate and for it to be held at the NEC in Birmingham have been postponed, with 3Generate moving to a new format focused on year-round, local engagement to be called  3Generate365.

Thelma spoke of mixed emotions at the necessary changes: “My sadness is conflicted with great excitement because, as the Children, Youth and Family team, we recognise that this presents us with a very unique opportunity. We have chosen to see this year as a gift to further our work with local churches.”

3Generate365 will be launched in September as a year-round process to recognise and respond to the prophetic voice of children and young people and for that voice to be heard within the planning, delivery and development of the new 3Generate.

Thelma also presented the 3Generate manifesto to the Methodist Conference. The manifesto is the result of conversations and workshops that took place at 3Generate last November. The manifesto is a resource for local churches and forms part of the ongoing engagement with churches and groups to encourage discussion and action across generations and to help direct the work of the Church on relevant issues.

This year’s manifesto focuses on the life of the Church and the Church’s position within the world. Among the subjects raised are to ensure that God is in the Church’s conversations and to ensure that the Church is kind, helpful and respectful and working towards being inclusive and welcoming. The manifesto also calls for the Church to be better resourced to support mental health issues, particularly issues that young people face, and for more churches to be eco-friendly with the Church challenging those in power on issues of climate change, poverty and peace