STEP: STudent Ecumenical Partnership

Sharing a Share 2010 story

Jake Joseph This year my birthday was again at a church event! Last year I turned 21 at the United Church of Christ's General Synod, which turned out to be my favorite memory from that summer. This year I turned 22 at the Share 2010 event hosted by the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP), and it was the best memory from this summer. Even though I had to leave this great event early on Wednesday afternoon instead of Friday, I was still impressed by the spirit of hope, joy, and service that flowed throughout the event. The goal of STEP and Share 2010 was to create bridges and national community between the college-aged leadership and ministry teams in the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (DOC).

The week started with a frantic and fun planning team preparation day and the standard meal that we all look forward to at Blue Mesa, a local restaurant. It was as amazing as I had always heard it would be. There was a small fight between the UCC's Meredith Jackson and the DOC's Kristen Walling over some Guacamole. It ended well with them sharing the guacamole &$0151 which is just what should have happened given the title of our conference.

The week turned into the ultimate celebration of our unique faith traditions and our unity in the world as Christians and as optimistic young adults with vision for a better world. The top leadership from both denominations addressed some difficult questions and spent some serious time dedicated to our questions and concerns. We also laughed and worshiped God until late at night when we were so tired from laughing and worshiping that we all quickly fell asleep in the Texas Christian University dorms we were staying in. We had unique worship services let by the capable and gifted people at University Christian Church, a DOC church known locally as UCC.

One of the coolest things that we did in Fort Worth was our community outreach "mission trip" component. Unlike other similar events at other conferences, we made it into a real intentional experience. Catholic Charities, the Samaritan House, and the food bank all were thrilled to have our hands and hearts for the day… preceded by what we were promised was the best BBQ in Texas.

STEP just had the best events in its recent history, and we are not about to let the momentum stop there. As a member of the STEP team, I am already looking forward to getting started on planning the next Share event.

Jake's previous stories:

All will be well

The ties that bind

Jake Joseph is a member of the STEP Leadership Team and a member of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Fort Collins, Colorado.



		Sharing a Share 2010 story This year my birthday was again at a church event! Last year I turned 21 at the United Church of Christ's General Synod, which turned out to be my favorite memory from that summer. This year I turned 22 at the Share 2010 event hosted by the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP), and it was the best memory from this summer. Even though I had to leave this great event early on Wednesday afternoon instead of Friday, I was still impressed by the spirit of hope, joy, and service that flowed throughout the event. The goal of STEP and Share 2010 was to create bridges and national community between the college-aged leadership and ministry teams in the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (DOC). The week started with a frantic and fun planning team preparation day and the standard meal that we all look forward to at Blue Mesa, a local restaurant. It was as amazing as I had always heard it would be. There was a small fight between the UCC's Meredith Jackson and the DOC's Kristen Walling over some Guacamole. It ended well with them sharing the guacamole &$0151 which is just what should have happened given the title of our conference. The week turned into the ultimate celebration of our unique faith traditions and our unity in the world as Christians and as optimistic young adults with vision for a better world. The top leadership from both denominations addressed some difficult questions and spent some serious time dedicated to our questions and concerns. We also laughed and worshiped God until late at night when we were so tired from laughing and worshiping that we all quickly fell asleep in the Texas Christian University dorms we were staying in. We had unique worship services let by the capable and gifted people at University Christian Church, a DOC church known locally as UCC. One of the coolest things that we did in Fort Worth was our community outreach "mission trip" component. Unlike other similar events at other conferences, we made it into a real intentional experience. Catholic Charities, the Samaritan House, and the food bank all were thrilled to have our hands and hearts for the day… preceded by what we were promised was the best BBQ in Texas. STEP just had the best events in its recent history, and we are not about to let the momentum stop there. As a member of the STEP team, I am already looking forward to getting started on planning the next Share event. Jake's previous stories: All will be well The ties that bind Jake Joseph is a member of the STEP Leadership Team and a member of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Fort Collins, Colorado.