We are going to start a brand new UU congregation by and for young adults. Many have toyed with this idea over the years, but after talking with HP Rivers (a minister in all by confirmation) they laid out an inspiring vision for where YARN can go next. 

 

Alright, HP, why should YARN start a church?We know as religious educators and pastors that the most important phase of faith formation is when in middle and high school, and we actually do a really good job working with that age group. Yet when people turn 18, we drop support. This is where most of our young adults lose touch with their home congregations. Young adults move, their schedules change, their needs change and their lives change. So while our religion has been trying and failing for years to figure out how to get more young adults into the church, we turn this around and ask what if we build a church for them? - HP Rivers

 

Okay but what are the practical reasons to start a church? 

YARN has been able to sustain itself the last few years but we are hamstrung by our current set-up. We are functionally a program of the UU San Francisco congregation, which worked when we started YARN but now limits what we can do. Creating a church will free us from our current restraints and unleash us to create a truly transformational young adult movement within UUism.

Wait, YARN 3.0? What about versions 1 and 2?

Alright, time for a quick history lesson:YARN Beta aka the Young Adult Ministry Initiative. YAMI was created in 2019 by Joe Chapot while working at UU San Francisco. Thanks to funding from the UU Funding Program he was able to spend a year working figure out what was going on with UU young adult stuff writ largeYARN 1.0 aka The Quarantine Years. When COVID happened and we were all locked inside YARN was uniquely positioned to organize and care for the global UU young adult community. We exploded in popularity, organizing dozens of young adults and creating many powerful ministries to help us survive that terrible time.YARN 2.0 aka The Wilderness Years. Post lockdowns has been challenging for YARN. First many people wanted to get away from online experiences once they could which drained time and attention from YARN. We hired the amazing Carol Maciel to be our Community Director and have done what we could with limited resources. This experience illuminated how constrained we were are with our current arrangementYARN 3.0 aka The Church Era. Thanks for the inspiring words and prophetic visions of HP, we now have a new direction to go!

 

Cool, so what needs to happen?The details are sparse but basically all the following needs to happen in the next yearTalk to and enroll stakeholdersCreate organization model with staff and ministersDevelop and enact financing plansComplete all the paperwork involved in starting a churchOpen our virtual doors and begin this new era.

 

Most Important WE NEED YOU!

Does the idea of a congregation that is available everywhere, that follows people through their young adulthood, and serves them with ministry that is uniquely focused on the needs of people in this lifestage sounds amazing? If so, we want you to join our work. There is tons to do and right now it would be impossible for Carol, Joe, and HP to do it themself. Congregations are created when enough UUs come together and build new structures for themselves. We have the leaders, we have the community, now is the time to make this huge leap into the unknown.But I dont have a lot of time and space…We get it and we ask you to set aside your worries. Our leadership team, Carol-Joe-HP, are here to organize people and bring together many people with many skills, abilities, relationships, and talents. We will find a way for you to help that works for you!Wait I’m not a young adult?DOESN’T MATTER. There are always ways people beyond their 30s can contribute to YARN. You can start by making a donation, sharing about YARN with your congregation, and signing up for our newsletter. As our work develops we will continue to announce ways people can contribute. If you are ready, or at least genuinely curious to get involved in this work, then email yarn@uusf.org or send a message to Carol or Joe on Discord, Facebook, or some other platform.