Youth President – Visit Opportunities, Neurodiversity, and Social Media

My name is James Carver, the Youth President of the Methodist Church for 2022/2023. I am writing to you today to share my warmest greetings and support to you and your churches and circuits.

The last few years have been tough, but we are slowly rebuilding and redesigning together; and I commend you all. To celebrate this work, I am hoping to visit congregations who have discovered new and unusual ways of worshipping and sharing these stories to inspire others and change the perception that all churches are dull! In addition, as someone who lives with ADHD and autism, I want to encourage churches in welcoming, accepting and accommodating people with neurodiverse conditions. Finally, as you know, the main aim of my role is to listen to, engage with, and represent children and young people in Methodist churches, youth groups, and schools. So, if any of this has got you thinking "I wonder if James would like to see this", please invite me along to visit you and your community.

I will also be working to re-develop the Youth President Social Media to reach a larger audience. Please share the pages with your young people to enable me engaging and hearing their voices beyond 3Generate.

It is tradition, I believe, at this point for the Youth President to finish on an inspiring quote from the likes of John Wesley, Martin Luther-King, or the Rev. Graham Thompson. Unfortunately, my memory is awful at remembering quotes without a trigger so I leave you with this. Young people are not the church of tomorrow; we are the church of today. If you engage with us, learn with us, and worship with us, Methodism will thrive.

With thanks and blessings,

James Carver - Youth President

YouthPresident@methodistchurch.org.uk