2025 Presbyterian Youth Triennium Recap

2025 Presbyterian Youth Triennium: “As If We were Dreaming”

Photos courtesy of Craig Barth, Casey Carbone, Steve Gaden, and the Tri-Presbytery Participants

By Craig Barth (Morristown), an Adult Advisor for the Highlands Triennium Delegation

I had the distinct honor and pleasure to be part of the Adult Advisory Team from the Highlands Presbytery, accompanying the eleven teens and youth who attended Presbyterian Youth Triennium (PYT), held in Louisville, Kentucky. From July 28-31, approximately 3000 youth (including approximately 60 international teens), young adults, adult advisors, and local support staff descended upon the Kentucky International Convention Center and its surrounding hotels. This was a time of fellowship, learning, service, forming lifelong connections, spiritual growth, and perhaps most importantly, having fun!

We were not alone on our journey! Highlands’ youth were part of a larger delegation with Hudson River Presbytery and the Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey (PNENJ), 46 of us in all. Our delegation name was the Shining Lighthouses from Matthew 5:16, led by Rev. Justin Warner of the First Presbyterian Church of Rutherford. We even had a delegation song, “My Lighthouse,” as well as matching delegation pins, shirts, and book bags to find another and identify themselves to the wider community.

Although we were supposed to arrive in Louisville on Monday afternoon, July 28, a bus company error meant that we did not arrive in Louisville until Tuesday morning.

Presbyterian Youth Triennium Logo and Delegation Logo

Nevertheless, on Sunday night Adult Team Leaders, including Highlands’ own Mae Martella and Steve Gaden (both from the Presbyterian Church of Morris Plains), made lemonade out of lemons by quickly pivoting and starting our tri-Presbytery team building. Kudos to the Morris Plains Church for sharing its sanctuary, fellowship hall, and youth room, and to Steve Huston, PNENJ Co-Leader, for his behind-the-scenes bus-wrangling! My role, both in the Community Groups, as with the entire PYT, was as a floating assistant, in support of the Tri Presbytery Adult Advisors. And I was one of a dozen adults who participated in the sixty voice Triennium choir!

In Louisville, we were greeted by a PYT hospitality team. The hospitality teams, Presbyterian Youth Workers Association, and local support staff were sufficient in number, strategically placed, and oh so kind. Pastoral guidance and support staffing was ample and appreciated.

The Kentucky International Convention Center was a perfect venue for the Triennium. There were plenty of meeting rooms, ball rooms, exhibit halls, and a huge worship arena at our disposal. It was safe, secure, and most importantly, air conditioned! Since PYT had the entire Convention Center for those three days, indoor Frisbee and volleyball games were encouraged!

The worship services, like all denomination-wide worship, were spectacular and inspiring. Each service proclaimed a facet of the PYT theme,“…As if we were dreaming.” Sermons were led by Co-Moderator Rev. CeCe Armstrong (“Born To Dream”), Former Moderator Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow (“Collective Dreaming”), Rev. Peggy Jean Craig (“Facing our Nightmares”) and Rev. Jerry Cannon (“Wake Up and Dream”). I was impressed with both the intellectual and spiritual maturity of the sermons, which seemed to be absorbed by the teens. Most notable to me was the closing commissioning worship in which the PYT staff “imposed” adhesive glitter on our foreheads and charged us to “be God’s glitter to the world,” a meaningful variation on the Ash Wednesday liturgy.

Community Groups met every morning after breakfast; in our case this was our Tri-Presbytery group. The purpose was further team building and “checking in,” punctuated by a well-crafted time of Dwelling in the Word using scripture from worship the night before. Again, I was most impressed with our teens spiritual maturity and perceptiveness.

For Triennium Worship and Other Information

Chillin’ and Assembling Hygiene Kits for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Part of the greater PYT curriculum, were twenty-three different “Interest Groups,” where our teens had the opportunity to learn how God is at work in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the world. Interest Group topics included “Painted Prayers,” “God Wants You to Play More Board Games,” “A Church for All Colors of the Rainbow,“ “Dreaming Tomorrow, Together,” “Knowing Your Rights —Immigration,” and “Out of Chaos, Hope: The Work of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).” These Interest Groups, as well as meals and recreation times, gave our teens an opportunity to get to know others at PYT

What would a Presbyterian conference be without a mission project? Immediately following worship, we assembled donated toiletries into personal health and hygiene bags destined for PDA‘s Ferncliff Distribution Center. Important hands and feet lessons for the youth.

At the same time, and adjoining the PYT programming, was “The Young Adult Service Track,” giving Presbyterian young adults ages 19-25 one of two tracks for deeper engagement: learning how to turn their dreams into realities by learning from others who have done just that, or engaging with the inner workings of Triennium through service. We had one young adult from our Presbytery who attended that program.

I deeply appreciate the sponsorship of my home church, the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, and our Presbytery and Synod for their support in my attending this enlightening experience. Thank you also to the Highlands Presbytery Young Leader Formation Team, and the impromptu meal providers. The connections and friendships made between and amongst the adults and youth will endure for years to come. Thanks be to God and the Presbyterian Youth Triennium.