Five young adults and youth--"our hope and our future, said co-lay leader Eugene Williams--told the conference lay members what gives them hope and how God works in their lives now.

The laity session on June 14 at Northern Illinois Conference featured the insights and testimonies of five youth and young adults. They described where they find hope and how they use their gifts to share hope in Christ with others.

Milan Christian, a college student and member of New Hope United Methodist Church in West Chicago,  noted that in an uncertain world, "church creates places where people feel welcome."

"Life is not easy,  but God is always working. There have been seasons in my life when faith has not always been easy, but I have experienced God’s grace in many ways,"  he said. 

He sings in the choir, which he experiences as a gift from God.

"I started singing last year," he said. "God doesn’t hide what God brings out. Singing is my way of worshiping God because God is right there."

Vanessa Cisneros is a member of La Gracia de Dios in Alsip, where she is a youth leader and is part of the praise band. She urged the lay members present, most of whom were older adults, to continue to nurture leadership in youth--"because that person may be your future pastor."

When asked if youth can mentor young adults, she said that "there is so much we are able to do. We have experience in this time. So many times have we heard, 'You are too young.' But we need to accept different points of view. The body of Christ needs to use all of its members. Youth are able to do things with the help of our leaders and older adults."

Vivian Porrez, a high-school sophomore who is a member of Resurrection UMC in Chicago, said that seeing the church come together at Annual Conference gives her hope for our future.

"Almost everything in our world is divided, it seems. But my church provides a place where people are united in Christ."

Joshua Hayag  is the audio-visual director at  Christ UMC in Rockford and supports young-adult ministry as well as serving as part of the young-adult praise band.

"I would start with saying that I cannot do it without Jesus, so my hope is there," he said. "I would like to celebrate the hunger and thirst of the next generation to seek God and truth. Spending time together and with the word of God, that is where I see hope."

"God has called me in every season of my life," said. "The Holy Spirit is always leading me." 

Arunima Sudhakar comes from First UMC in LaSalle and is the children's ministry leader at Trinity UMC in Wilmette. She is a student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and is also studying physical therapy at North Central College.

She finds hope in the opportunity to nurture children in a world that is divided and "puts people down."

"Children have so much positivity and love," she observed. "It is inspiring to see it in this next generation."

She would like to see the church provide young adults more opportunities to speak as they did at this laity session. She also urged more intergenerational ministry opportunities, such as the Interfaith Bus Tour earlier this year during which youth and their parents and other adults in church came together to visit houses of worship of other faiths. 

"Hope is contagious," she said. She encouraged those present to "think of who you got hope from and whom you can give it to."