NCYC 2014…. What an experience. The Name for NCYC this year was
‘YURORA,’ which in the Dharug language means Passionate. We are called by God
to be passionate about our faith and to share it with others. Wow lots to think
about, during our week in Sydney.
We drove to
Sydney, in a coach, with 30 young people, ranging in age from 16-25 years. What
an amazing group of young people they were too. The first night we were hosted
by the Cootamundra Uniting Church, who warmly welcomed us and allowed us to use
their hall and facilities.
The next day we headed the short distance to Sydney,
with our bus breaking down on the way, we arrived at Circular Quay at lunchtime
and spent the early afternoon sightseeing. The weather was beautiful. At 3pm we
boarded a ferry for the trip up the Parramatta River to meet our bus, which
took us to our accommodation for the week. We stayed in the Northmead Uniting
church hall, where we set up our sleeping gear and enjoyed an amazing BBQ,
provided by the congregation. We also had portable showers, provided by the
NCYC Commmittee, which was a treat!
Each day we
travelled the short distance to the site of NCYC, which was in the Tara
Anglican School grounds and the Uniting Churches Centre for Ministry, in
Parramatta. Plenty of space and lovely surroundings. Quite a steep walk to some
of the electives, so we were very fit by the end of the week. The Electives
were many and varied and everyone had the opportunity to select what they would
like to attend. They were held each afternoon. Each morning we were involved in
a Community gathering, then met up for a Worship time. The worships on offer, were
quite different and we could change, if we wanted to try another type of
worship.
We all enjoyed Pirate Church, which was very different from what we
are used to in Church, and it was invigorating! We were very well fed by our
coach cook, Janette, and met up each mealtime, to connect with our bus group. It was like catching up with our family and I felt it was a very important time
of the day, to make contact with the kids. In the evenings we enjoyed a variety
of bands, on the main stage, with different music to offer, amazing poets and
opportunities for the kids to present something they wanted to perform.
NCYC is
a very cultural event, so it was wonderful to experience all that these groups,
from across Australia and beyond, shared with us. My role at NCYC was as a
Chaplain, which involved me being available to assist the young people, if they
wanted to talk about anything, and also to help them if they were having any
concerns with directions or the day’s plans.
Steven,
Leanne and myself, thoroughly enjoyed the NCYC experience and would like to
thank all of the Wangaratta congregations for supporting us to have this
opportunity. We are very fortunate to be able to enjoy many occasions to share,
with other members of the Uniting Church in our Presbytery and with other
churches, in our local communities. I encourage you to take up these
opportunities as they arise, as there is always something new we can learn and
ponder.
- Anne Turnbull
