YAYAM Leadership Retreat Travels to the Western Subregion
From January 18 to 20, the Western Subregion held their very first Youth and Young Adult Ministry (YAYAM) leadership retreat, which was hosted by the Bay Area Family Church. Youth, Young Adult, and Children’s Ministry leaders came from all over the Western Subregion and brought their core ministry teams for the opportunity to collaborate across their communities.
The retreat was led by Tiffany LaBrooy, the Western Subregional YAYAM Coordinator, who introduced the theme of the retreat as “Vitalize: Ourselves, Our Ministries, Our Subregion.” This was a fitting theme for the retreat as the participants were able to hear inspiring messages and testimonies from leaders such as Western Subregional Director Rev. Larry Krishnek, Mark Tengan, Rev. Kevin Thompson, Rev. Kazuo Takami, and various other speakers. Tasnah Moyer and Greg Couweleers were also able to share national updates following the first full year of YAYAM, as well as share upcoming opportunities and resources that will be available to youth and young adults this year.
The collaborative efforts during this retreat were a major success as communities were able to make plans for 2019 within their own communities as well as collaborate on subregional events and programs. The retreat ended with the participants attending the Bay Area Family Church Sunday Service, with a sermon by Tiffany in which she shared her testimony as a wife, mother, teacher, and her role as a leader and older sister to the youth in her community.