Youth Leaders Commissioned

Having successfully completed the three year Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP), twelve young leaders were commissioned at a service at Church of the Resurrection in Hamilton. Bishop Michael and the Reverend Bill Mous joined with the program leaders, Mary Gordon and Nancy Millar, to affirm the call to ministry in the Church and service in to the world that these young adults have both realized and nurtured. 

One of the participants, McCallum Armstrong of St. John the Divine, Cayuga, offered this moving reflection about his experience:

Three years ago, I joined the YLTP program. Filled with doubt, I began a journey; a journey that I wasn’t too sure of - three years seemed like a pretty big commitment. Back then, I wasn’t sure if it was my “thing” but this journey took me places I never would have imagined. It took me to new locations, new states of mind and furthered me in my faith.

Three years ago, I was unsure of where I was going in life. I was scared of what lay ahead. I had no clue, no plans for the future.

And then I changed.  The process of change in YLTP is both rapid and slow. The immediate effects are plain to see; a boost in happiness and self confidence. The long term effects are truly where the importance lies, however. Self esteem and motivation are instilled in you, and you feel uplifted. I began developing positively, as a person and a member of a community. Thanks to this amazing program I have become confident, courageous and capable. I have become a leader.

The Youth Leadership Training Program is a three year leadership training opportunity to equip youth people to take an active leadership role within their parishes and communities as as group leaders, committee members. It runs for three consecutive years during the March Break, Sunday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon.  There is an application process - with an annual deadline in January - and once accepted into Year One (with 12 youth), youth are automatically registered for Years Two and Three.