THE FUTURE IS NOW By Edyn-Mae Stevenson
T
he saying can often be heard: “The youth are the future of our church.” In the Texas Conference of Seventhday Adventists, the rising trend of young adult leaders shows that youth are the present. Over the past few years, more and more young adults have stepped in to leadership roles, especially in their local Pathfinder clubs.
adults like Jose Leyva, former director of the Austin Oltorf Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church whose Pathfinder group is pictured above. “I knew I could handle it,” said the twenty-one-year-old. “I felt prepared and had plenty of ideas!”
Texas Conference Pathfinder Coordinator Marilyn Boismier said this increase in youth leadership is “deliberate in an indirect way,” mostly due to the conference’s promotion of the Teen Leadership Training (TLT) program. “We are hard at work,” Boismier wrote. “We hope to have every club in Texas participating in the program.”
“My leadership position was a huge influence on why I kept coming to church. I felt like I was needed.” Explaining his methods as director, Leyva said, “I heavily encouraged independence, letting them know how to overcome difficult circumstances and that God is present and all things can be done through Him.” After directing for almost three years, Leyva now assists with the Master Guide clubs.
The new Adventist Youth Ministries Training, or AYMT, certification is also at play in creating young leaders who are wellequipped and feel confident that they can do the job. This confidence shows in young
4 | THE FLAME |
Winter 2020
Twenty-year-old Robyn Foley took over directorship of the J.C. Wranglers for the
