General Assembly 2000 Event 461
To those familiar with Unitarian Universalist Youth Worship, it will come as no surprise that participants in Sunday Night's All General Assembly (GA) Youth Worship were challenged, enriched, and strengthened by their attendance. An overflow crowd of youth and adults were centered and brought to silence by candles, incense, and a chime.

A youth service is not a left brain event, so what follows are your reporter's impressions. Those impressions included a meditation on power and choice, and reflections on our power as individuals, as groups, and our power to change the world. That power manifests in many ways, including singing. Through singing our sacred space was deepened, by two complementary songs that flowed from one side of the room to the other, ultimately exchanging places.

Strength and power are complementary, and strength and power acting together can create beauty. We were invited to meditate on our strengths and the challenges we face, and then to meditate on the challenges faced by those around us. Focusing on our strengths we broadened our focus to the shared struggles around us, and from that received support for our individual struggles.

Finally, we were invited share a strength with the group, by writing it on paper and throwing it to the center of the room. United by a closing song, we each left with a new strength, contributed by someone else in the service.

Your reporter carries with him "Listening Without Judging."

Reported by Jordan Young.