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This year the
Presbytery of Cincinnati has had the honor of having Ben
Darby from Louisville, KY and graduate of Hanover College
join the ministry of St. John’s Westminster Union Church and
Washington United Church of Christ. Through the year, Ben
has discerned a call into ministry and will be seeking to
attend seminary in the future. Rev. Kathy Barlow
Westmoreland says, “This has been a good learning experience
that has begun to level the playing field between the
suburban and urban congregations.”
Ben has been
sowing seeds into many lives, particularly those of children
and youth. One could see Ben sowing seeds on the bus rides
to and from church, at Kids Café, Homework Club, Sunday
School, and youth group, on retreats and on the basketball
court, during youth led worship services, and at the Camp
Cupboard and Pantry. Ben prays daily that the seeds he is
sowing will fall on good soil and one day bring forth fruit.
The Cincinnati
YAV (Young Adult Volunteer) program is one of eighteen sites
in the United States and abroad. All the site coordinators
meet together once a year; the national site coordinators
meet a second time together and have monthly conference
calls. This year we have worked diligently to build a
community of support as we had a couple of new site
coordinators and a restructure in Louisville that brought a
new coordinator and staff into the General Assembly Council
Office of Young Adults and National Volunteers.
Those currently
serving on the Presbytery YAV oversight committee are the
Rev. Marsha Webster, Elder Gary Loomans, the Rev. Chip Hall,
and the Rev. Drew Smith. On the local and national level,
many of our discussions have been centered on the areas of
funding, publicity, recruitment, best practices, and clear
mission.
To date, one of
our presbytery’s young adults, Rachel Hosmer, daughter of
Rev. Jeff Hosmer will be serving in Denver, Colorado through
the YAV program, and Madeline de Breuil from Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania and soon to be graduate of Duquesne University
will be joining us in ministry beginning in the fall. The
YAV program is a great way for young adults to discern God’s
call and their place in the church and give a year of
service for a lifetime of change.
Joann Ashley |
