Sr. High Youth Pilgrimage to Memphis

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Sr. High youth of BUMC are invited to participate in a Pilgrimage of Pain & Hope: Memphis, January 15-17. It was will be an experience you will not forget. It is amazing and one of the best offerings of the Youth Ministries of Belmont UMC.

We will begin stepping together and preparing for the experience this Sunday at UMY (September 26). Over the next couple of months you will have three UMY nights dedicated to getting our hearts, minds and spirits ready for the experience. All youth who want to participate in the weekend, need to be at the programs. However everyone will benefit from the UMY offerings, so you should come even if you don't think you will make the pilgrimage in January.

We will pray with our feet and listen with our hearts as we have honest conversations about "otherness" and what it means to be followers of Christ in a society that still finds ways to separate based on race, economics, nationality, religion and other particularities that make us unique.

It is an experience of trusting God and being lead. You will not know the schedule, what we will do or how the experiences will be shaped prior to going. Even throughout the weekend you will be asked to trust your leaders for the weekend and do the hard thing of participating (being present in the moment) and not anticipating what comes next. Know you will be cared for, your needs will be met and you will never forget your weekend in Memphis with some of your Belmont UMC family.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow."

Albert Einstein

Together we will do three main things:

1. Learn & remember our common story of race in the USA (the pain & the beauty)

2. Reflect on the present realities that divide and are still very present today

3. Hope for, imagine and intentionally move towards something new for ourselves and the generations to come.

As Christians, we are a story people. Stories form and shape who we are, how we see ourselves & others, and how we understand the world around us.

Join us as we remember one of our formative stories in the USA and the church's continued struggle again social injustices that divide. We will figure out together how we can continue being people who meet the challenge to witness to Christ's peace, justice and love through our words, actions, relationships and thoughts in a global society.

You will need to sign-up to participate by Sunday, November 7, with Lindsey Grissom (lindsey@belmontumc.org).

"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. "

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.