Church Relations
Collaborating with You
Adventist Young Professionals (AYP) strives to be a collaborator and supporter of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s divisions, unions, conferences, missions, and local churches. Each month, a memo is sent via email to conference, mission, union, division, and GC youth/young adult directors to keep them informed of the plans and progress of AYP as well as to provide them with the opportunity to share feedback and council to the AYP leadership team.
Furthermore, AYP’s Director of Church Relations meets individually with 4-6 conference, mission, union, or division, youth directors each month to hear their needs, ideas, and feedback, and to strategically explore opportunities for AYP to collaborate in mission with the entities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
If you have any questions, please email Daniel Chandler, Director of Church Relations.
Memos
AYP sends periodic updates to church leaders. These memos are archived below for reference. If you a pastor or employee of a conference, mission, union, division, or the GC, please click here to be added to our church relations contact list.
Grace and peace, Ministry Colleagues,
As we prepare for the start of our 5th Annual AYP Convention this evening, I wanted to reach out with a few timely updates and reminders. Your support and partnership continues to be essential to the work we’re doing, and we remain committed to aligning with and uplifting the broader mission of the Church.
We kindly ask that you keep our team and all the hundreds of young professionals from across our global church family in your prayers as we gather to worship, grow, and lead together.
Gentle Reminder: 2026 Convention
As previously shared, our 2026 convention is scheduled for August 20–23, 2026. Please feel free to keep this date on your radar.
We’ll be sharing additional information with the public during the upcoming convention and will follow up with more formal communications as planning progresses.
Note that if you or your organization is interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at the 2026 convention, registration is now open at AYP.me/Sponsor.
Forward Thinking: 2027 Convention
AYP is committed to supporting the Church’s mission and strategic initiatives. In that spirit, we always share our proposed convention dates before finalizing contracts, to give church leaders the opportunity to raise any potential scheduling conflicts—especially with major young adult ministry efforts.
We are currently planning for our 2027 convention to take place August 19–22, 2027. This date has been reviewed with NAD Youth/Young Adult leadership, but we also wanted to give you the opportunity to provide feedback.
If you are aware of any major conflicts or concerns, please let us know by July 31, 2025
Thank you again for your continued partnership and leadership. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how AYP can better support the young adult efforts in your territory, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
With gratitude,
Daniel R. Chandler
Church Relations Director
Adventist Young Professionals
Peace and love family,
We are fully into the summer now and that means we are ever that much closer to the convention. Behold is going to be an exciting event that you don’t want to miss. An opportunity for young professionals from across the country to gather, to connect, grow, and be equipped for a new season of leadership and mission.
AYP 2025 Convention
With just weeks till the convention. I’d like to take this time to showcase some of the many sponsors and partners that will make this year’s event possible.
This year, we are partnering with NAD Adventist Community Services – along with Texas Conference & Southwest Region Conference ACS for community service initiatives in the Houston area.
In addition to generous support from AdventHealth and Adventist HealthCare – two leading health systems sponsored by unions within the NAD, we are also thrilled to welcome over a dozen denominational entities (NAD Stewardship, NAD Women’s Ministry, NAD Volunteer Ministries, Hope Channel International, Adventist Mission, Texas Conference Ministerial, Kentucky-Tennessee Communication, Union Adventist University, Southwestern Adventist University, Southern Adventist University, Walla Walla University, & Andrews University) as official sponsors/exhibitors of this year’s convention!
Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to welcome hundreds of young professionals to Texas for the AYP Convention.
Connect with Our President During GC Session
Our president, Tim Kosaka, will be attending the GC Session in St. Louis and would be thrilled to connect with you and to discuss ways for AYP to support your ministry endeavors. Please feel free to email President@AYP.me if you are interested in scheduling time to connect while at Session.
Formal Rollout of new Core Values and Strategic Plan
We would like to offer an exclusive peek into the board-approved version of our Core Values and Strategic Plan with you. This peek precedes the formal rollout to the public at the convention.
Please feel free to email Gerald Bedney, our VP of Strategy & Brand Development, with questions and ideas and please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this new season of ministry. Please also keep us in your prayers as we embark on this new season of ministry.
As the summer heats up let’s stay cool and allow our passions for Christ continue to blaze. We are overjoyed at all of the blessings that God has provided to AYP and the chapters. May he continue to bless us all.
Sincerely
Daniel R. Chandler
Church Relations Director
Adventist Young Professionals
Greetings,
The days are getting warmer and while summer is getting closer, so is Behold 2025! In just a few short weeks, young professionals from across the country will gather to connect, grow, and be equipped for a new season of leadership and mission.
The Convention is Right Around the Corner!
While this summer will be busy with GC Session, summer camp season, and so much more, I hope to see you a this year’s AYP Convention.
As I have mentioned previously, our breakout sessions this year will follow four tracks: Missional Impact, Relational Growth, Leadership, and Personal Growth and Development. Each of these will feature speakers who bring insightful, inspiring perspectives, and will help us all to become more effective young professionals for Christ as a result of our time together.
Some of our breakout speakers include:
Alex Bryan – President of Walla Walla University in College Place, Washington, USA
Dana Philossaint – CEO of MindCare, a faith-rooted mental health resource organization
Stephen and Felecia Lee – Partners in life and mission-minded creative duo
Clifmond Shameerudeen – Church planter and Director of the Center for South Asian Relations
With our two keynote speakers, Dr. Calvin Kim and Dr. Eric Walsh, these leaders and more will expect enriching discussions on topics like missional impact, leadership, personal growth and development, relational growth, and more.
As a reminder, a 10% discount is available for churches, conferences, and unions, and can be obtained by reaching out to Timothy Waters (Timothy.Waters@ayp.me) & CC Angela Hui (Angela.Hui@AYP.me). The cost of this discount is absorbed by AYP and is a gesture of our desire to support and collaborate with the Church at all levels.
Highlights from the AYP Senior Executive Strategic Planning Summit
From April 11–13, 2025, AYP Senior Executives gathered in Texas for a Strategic Planning Summit focused both on working through AYP’s present challenges and working to put together a vision of future possibilities. After five years of focus toward substantial growth, the team determined that AYP’s focus during the next strategic plan will be growth-oriented as well, but with an intentional eye toward long-term sustainability for the organization. As part of this effort, we look forward to unveiling refreshed Mission, Vision, and Values statements this summer.
One of our most pressing needs at the moment is volunteer support—especially at the senior leadership level. If you have ideas or recommendations for how we can strengthen our team, we’d love to hear from you! Please email our president, Tim Kosaka (Tim@AYP.me) with any suggestions of young adults whom you think we should consider for our growing leadership team.
Get to Know Daniel Chandler
Last month I briefly introduced our Director of Church Relations, Daniel Chandler. This month, I am excited to share a closer look at his story, his passion, and the important work he’s doing to strengthen the connection between young professionals and the local church.
Daniel Chandler is passionate about bridging the gap between young professionals and local congregations. A native of Jackson, Mississippi and a graduate of Oakwood University, Daniel now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where he co-leads the local AYP chapter.
In his role, Daniel partners with pastors, church boards, and conference teams to foster meaningful collaboration. His vision goes beyond simply finding meeting space for chapters—he works to ensure that young adults are fully integrated into church life. Whether it’s through co-hosted outreach events, leadership training, or financial wellness workshops, Daniel helps equip chapters with the tools, trust, and encouragement they need to serve alongside their local church communities.
His hope is simple yet powerful: that young professionals will bring fresh energy and real-world skills back into the church—and that churches will embrace and empower them in return.
I am blessed to have him on my team. Please lookout for future updates like this coming from him as our team seek to continue to keep you – our church leaders – informed of the activities and plans of AYP.
As we move toward this summer’s convention and beyond, we’re excited for all that God is doing through this community. As always, thanks to each of you for journeying with us — your support makes this mission possible!
Blessings,
Gerald Bedney
VP of Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
Hello Ministry Colleagues,
Spring is here, and so are new opportunities to grow together.
As we continue journeying through 2025, we are excited to share the latest from AYP — updates that highlight our mission in action and invite you to take part in the momentum. Whether this is your first time reading or you’ve been with us for years, I am grateful you’re here.
Working Together to Offer AYP Convention Discounts
Convention registration for the year is well underway, and we are pleased to work alongside churches, conferences, and unions to offer a 10% discount to support their young professionals!
If you or your organization would like to request a discount code, please email Timothy Waters (Timothy.Waters@ayp.me) and CC Angela Hui (Angela.Hui@AYP.me).
Wanting to bring a group to the convention? This 10% discount can also be combined with our group rate for additional savings!
Community Service Partnership with NAD ACS
I have already spotlighted our first-ever Leadership Intensive that will happen at this year’s convention, but that is just the beginning! Following the Leadership Intensive, our time in Houston will transition into local outreach in collaboration with NAD Adventist Community Services.
Together, we will make an impact in the community, and deepen our connection to ministry and mission in the process. Please visit AYP.me/Convention for additional information.
Mentorship Opportunities Available Now!
If you are a young professional yourself, or know of someone looking to grow in their leadership skills and receive personalized support, we are excited to announce that leadership coaching is now available! This one-on-one mentorship experience is designed to encourage professional growth, help to better navigate the challenges of young adulthood, and develop God-given gifts and talents to better glorify Him.
Want to learn more? Visit and share AYP.me/Mentorship.
AYP Welcomes Church Relations Director
I am excited to share that Daniel Chandler, who has been serving on our Nashville chapter and church relations teams, has been named AYP’s Church Relations Director. Having grown up in and around the church, Daniel brings a deep passion for seeing young adults connect more effectively with one another and more deeply with Christ. Already having been involved in the activities of our growing Nashville chapter, we look forward to seeing how the Lord continues to use Daniel’s unique skillset as AYP seeks to support and better engage local churches.
Stay Connected
I hope you have found these updates helpful and inspiring. If you have any questions, ideas, or want to get more involved, I would love to hear from you. Let’s keep building together!
Blessings,
Gerald Bedney
VP of Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Greetings!
I hope your year has continued to be blessed. As always, your support and prayers are appreciated, and I hope you are encouraged and inspired by the items we have shared below.
AYP Chapters Supports the Spirit of Pentecost 2025
As Adventists across the NAD works together toward Pentecost 2025, our AYP teams in North America are striving to support these efforts. Many AYPers are actively involved in their local church’s programs that are officially funded by the Pentecost initiative. Furthermore, our chapters are indirectly supporting these efforts through intentional, Christ-centered community and meaningful community impact that showcases the culture of Adventism toward the communities that Pentecost 2025 seeks to reach.
For example, our recently established Nashville chapter recently hosted a volunteer event in collaboration with a local non-profit that services those in need with essentials and hot meals. This impactful initiative was a true blessing for all those who were able to attend and provided community members a glimpse into the practical ways Adventists are positively impacting their community.
I invite you to learn more about our chapters and to connect with our executive director for missions if you have ideas for impactful outreach in your territory.
Strategic Pillars for 2025-2027
Our leadership team continues the process of planning for our 2025-2027 strategic plan. With prayer and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we are building our outline around a foundation of four pillar areas:
Spiritual Growth
Relational Connection
Leadership Development
Missional Impact
All of these components will be seen and practically underscored throughout our new strategic plan, and we are excited to see them come to fruition. If you have any questions or ideas for our leadership to consider as we develop this plan, please send me an email.
Mentorship Program & Leadership Resources Rollout
We are excited to offer mentorship resources to our members in partnership with GLC Coaching, starting this month with what we call micro-learnings! Micro-learnings are tools that provide insights into leadership styles, communication preferences, and other areas that play significantly into our growth as young professionals. These will act as part of the groundwork for our 1-on-1 coaching program that will be rolling out in the month of April. We are excited to see the impact they have and hear your feedback on them!
New Spiritual Gifts Curriculum
We are thrilled to announce the release of a new and free 30 day course on spiritual gifts – designed to provide a holistic approach to spiritual growth and leadership development by blending spiritual reflection, biblical study, leadership principles, and practical application.
Visit our website to learn more and feel free to share with anyone whom you feel it will be a blessing to.
I hope these updates to be informative and valuable. Please feel free to reach out to me at Gerald.Bedney@AYP.me if you have questions and/or ideas.
May God bless you,
Gerald Bedney
VP of Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Greetings,
2025 continues to bring new and exciting things here at AYP, and this month is no exception. On behalf of our leadership team, I would like to highlight three exciting new offerings. From pastors, to lay people, to young professionals, we have resources that we hope will be a blessing to all who take part. Hopefully you explore something that you are able to utilize to strengthen your sphere of influence.
Leadership Intensive
On July 18, 2025 – during the 2025 AYP Convention – we will have our first Leadership Intensive conducted by Good Life Coaching. Professionals with an expertise in areas including leadership that is transformational and impactful will assist young leaders with organizational and character development. Standard registration to AYP’s 5th annual convention includes the intensive – please encourage your young adults to sign up here!
Church Marketing Guide
Technology is strongly weaved in the fabric of today’s society and is being used to make the world a better place. The concept of local communities being benefited from the church’s use of technology is explored in our Digital Marketing Checklist for Growing Churches. We believe this free resource will be a great asset to pastors and lay people who want to strengthen their impact on the local community.
Mentorship Coaching
Young professionals interested in mentorship now have the opportunity with our new leadership coaching program. One of our goals is to provide 1-on-1 coaching that will support young professionals to reach their highest potential. Personalized coaching will be available, focusing on the development of excellence and growth amid the challenges and strengths of the young leaders. Please be on the lookout for more information about these opportunities or feel free to email me directly at Gerald.Bedney@AYP.me with any questions.
I hope that you found these updates to be informative and valuable. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions and/or ideas.
May God bless you,
Gerald Bedney
VP of Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Greetings,
Whether or not you have made resolutions this New Year, we all have so much to anticipate by God’s grace as we begin 2025. As usual in this month’s update, I would like to share three ministry highlights with you. I hope you are inspired and motivated by what you see – feel free to reach out to me at Gerald.Bedney@AYP.me if you have any questions or comments.
An inside look into our AYP 2025 Behold Convention
Our 5th annual leadership convention will be held July 17-20, 2025 in Houston, Texas, and our theme for this year is “Behold”, inspired by Isaiah 43:19. Our two keynote speakers for the event will be Dr. Calvin Kim, dentist and co-founder of ARME Bible Camp and F5 Challenge, and Dr. Eric Walsh, physician, administrator, and renowned speaker on Christian living and numerous other topics relevant to those living in earth’s final days.
This year, we will also be introducing four tracks for our breakout sessions:
- Missional Impact
- Relational Growth
- Personal Development
- Leadership
Each track will feature insightful speakers who bring thoughtful insights from their various areas of expertise. On Friday, July 18, we also plan to offer a leadership intensive. For more convention information please click here.
Affiliate News
We are partnering with Kettering Health Network to produce leadership content in 2025. We asked our AYP members what topics they were interested in and these are the top 3 that they chose:
- Working Across Generations
- Moving from Peer to Leader
- Finding Purpose In Our Work
Through valuable blog content and a planned series of workshops around these topics and more, this partnership will help our members to continue their professional growth journey in 2025.
Chapter Highlight: Boston
Great things have been happening in our Boston chapter and we want to highlight them!
Funds from the VersaCare foundation are being intentionally utilized to develop Christ-centered leaders.
The chapter hosted the Connect: AYP Boston Leadership Summit in November, welcoming Paulo Macena, Director of Leadership for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, as their Keynote Speaker. As a chapter still early in its development, the aim was for this event to empower and connect young professionals in the Boston area to a supportive community, helping to foster spiritual, physical, mental, and professional growth.
The chapter already has a follow-up event scheduled in a few weeks. More details to come!
Thank you for your continued prayers, support, and partnership as we work together to empower young adults for God’s kingdom.
Blessings,
Gerald Bedney
VP of Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Happy Holidays,
Thank you for being an integral prayer warrior and advocate of Adventist Young Professionals over the past year.
We are blessed to share that AYP has grown to over 10,000 members across 28 chapters in the U.S. and U.K., empowering young professionals to thrive in their faith and careers. I invite you to watch this video from our president, Tim Kosaka, to learn more about the impact over the past year.
As I do each month, here are a few updates from our team:
Leadership Coaching Program Coming in 2025
In early 2025, we will be formally announcing our brand-new Christian leadership coaching program which will roll out in the coming months and will be operated by Good Life Coaching, a company owned by David Kabanji, Vice President of Spiritual LIfe at Union Adventist University. Additional details will be rolled out in early 2025!
Convention Early Bird Ends December 31
Thank you for continuing to share the AYP Convention with your constituents! I just wanted to remind you that our early bird registration closes on December 31. If you aren’t familiar with the AYP Convention, I invite you to watch a recap of our 2024 event. I hope to see you at our 2025 Convention!
Updates on Team Growth & Development
I am thrilled to share that the AYP team continues to grow and that as we close 2024, we are now a team of nearly 200 young adult volunteers from across 5 continents! If you know of young adults interested in volunteering with AYP, please encourage them to visit our website.
A recent addition to our team is Samuel Nikuze as Director of Business Development. A member of the West-Central African Division, Samuel resides in Hawaii where he works for Adventist Health. He holds an undergraduate degree from Asia-Pacific International University and an MBA from La Sierra University.
I hope that this month’s updates are inspiring and insightful to you! As usual, if you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to email me at Gerald.Bedney@AYP.me. I’d kindly ask that you CC Jessica.Bolden@ayp.me to ensure your message is recieved and responded to in a timely manner.
Blessings,
Gerald Bedney
Assistant to the President
Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Greetings,
As we approach the end of the year, we are excited to share some important opportunities for partnership and engagement with Adventist Young Professionals (AYP). With your support, we can continue to serve and empower over 10,000 young adults in our global community.
Expanding Our Board of Directors
As AYP continues to grow, we are seeking to expand our Board of Directors to serve as an advisory body to the leadership team. We deeply value cross-generational collaboration and believe that mentorship from experienced leaders will greatly enhance our ability to lead this grassroots ministry. If you know of any individuals who may be a good fit for this role, we welcome your recommendations. Please email Tim Kosaka at Tim@AYP.me with your recommendations.
Partner with AYP in 2025
In 2024, AYP partnered with nearly 50 organizations across various focus areas, welcoming a record number of conferences, unions, and denominational entities. Sponsorship offers a meaningful way to engage with young professionals while supporting AYP’s mission. Here are some examples of how sponsors have creatively utilized their sponsorships:
The North American Division’s Adventist Community Services team gathered young adult perspectives on relevant service opportunities and built a lead pipeline for focus groups.
The Columbia Union used their sponsorship to collect feedback from young adults, shaping their e-newsletter, website, and magazine.
The Kentucky-Tennessee Conference promoted a new podcast aimed at inspiring members for missional impact.
To explore or share 2025 sponsorship opportunities, visit Sponsorship Opportunities . We invite you to partner with us in this impactful ministry.
3. End-of-Year Giving: Supporting AYP’s Mission
As we look toward 2025, we are prayerfully seeking to raise the necessary funds to continue serving young professionals through AYP’s various initiatives. We ask that you keep our ministry in your prayers. If you, or anyone you know, would like to contribute to our mission, donations can be made at Support AYP .
Thank you for your continued prayers, support, and partnership as we work together to empower young adults for God’s kingdom.
Blessings,
Gerald Bedney
Assistant to the President
Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Greetings,
I hope this email finds you well. For our team at Adventist Young Professionals, this month is especially exciting because October 20 marks our 5th anniversary as a ministry. Over these past 5 years, we have been blessed to serve 10,000+ young adults from across the globe. We look forward to how God will use our team over the next quinquennium.
Reflecting on 5 Years of Ministry
As AYP celebrates 5 years of ministry, our founder and president, Tim Kosaka, recently shared his reflections on this ministry milestone. I invite you to read it at AYP.me/Blog/5th-Anniversary.
AYP Chapters Now Serve Young Professionals Across 28 Cities
Over the past few months, I have shared about an array of new AYP chapters being launched. I am pleased to share that AYP now facilitates a presence across 28 major cities across 9 unions in North America and the United Kingdom. Thank you for supporting the young adults in your territories. Please find a list of AYP chapters below:
Over the next 6 months, our team plans to work diligently in helping each of these chapters to thrive as they work together in ministry alongside area pastors as well as many of you. AYP’s next cohort of new chapters will be our Spring 2025 cohort which will aim to welcome a dozen new chapters and bring us to our strategic goal of 40 AYP chapters by summer of 2025.
Your Invitation to the 5th AYP Convention
Whether you are directly supporting an AYP chapter in your territory or praying for the ministry from afar, I want to thank you for your continued partnership and support. I also want to make an appeal to you! If you have not had the chance to experience AYP for yourself, please consider joining us for our 5th AYP Convention.
While this is just one of the 100+ events AYP hosts each year, it’s a powerful weekend of spiritual nourishment, discipleship training, and leadership development. It’s a weekend filled with powerful intergenerational networking – one where lifelong connections are forged and where ministry synergy sparks action amongst the young professionals of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Thank You
Thank you for your prayers and support over these 5 years. I look forward to working together in mission over this next quinquennium as we count down the days to Jesus’ soon return.
If Adventist Young Professionals is still a bit new to you, I invite you to watch this 70 second video to learn more about the mission and ministry of AYP. I also invite you to send me an email at Gerald.Bedney@AYP.me with any questions, ideas, or collaboration opportunities.
Blessings,
Gerald Bedney
Assistant to the President
Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Hello,
I hope you are doing well. As is the case each month, I would like to share three highlights that I hope is insightful and inspirational to you. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Mission Trip Serves Washington DC
A few weeks ago, a group of 2 dozen AYPers gathered for the third Adventist Young Professionals mission trip in Maryland/Washington, DC. The project was made possible thanks to funding support from the Columbia Union of SDA. During 6 days together, participants restored a local Adventist church and shared Christ through practical outreach in the community. Read more and watch a video recap at AYP.me/Blog/MissionTrip/DMV.
Fall Chapter Cohort Welcomes 4 New Cities
This week, AYP formally kicked off our fall chapter cohort. Our quarterly cohorts prepare young adults for lay-led ministry within their local city and in collaboration with area churches. For our fall cohort, we are pleased to welcome young adults from the following cities:
AYP Welcomes Chief of Staff
Finally, as AYP continues to grow, we are pleased to announce that our global leadership team is growing with the addition of a Chief of Staff.
AYP is happy to announce that Kimberly Peart has accepted to serve in this role. Peart resides in Texas and works as a sofware engineer. She is an active leader in her local church. In this new role, she will serve as our global director of operations and provide strategic leadership to our senior leaders.
I hope these updates are helpful to you. If you have any general questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
May God bless you,
Gerald Bedney
Assistant to the President
Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Greetings,
I pray all is going well as many of us recover from a busy week at the International Pathfinder Camporee. Our leaders enjoyed connecting with many of you during their time at Gillette.
As our team does each month, below are three updates from our Adventist Young Professionals team. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if AYP can be of support or assistance.
Maryland Mission Trip Is Around The Corner
We are just 2 weeks away from our next AYP mission trip – heading to the Washington, DC area – and will be serving a Potomac Conference church plant focused on engaging young adults in suburbs of Washington, DC. We are appreciative to the Columbia Union for making this project possible through their financial partnership.
As we prepare for 6 days of missional impact, please keep our team and participants in your prayers. If you know anyone who would like to join this trip, please encourage them to learn more and sign up at AYP.me/MissionTrip. Please contact Toya Wolfe (Assistant to the President for Mission) with any questions or comments.
Explore Our New 2024-2025 Theme
As we embark on the 2024-2025 season, we’re excited to introduce this year’s theme “Behold“. Deeply rooted in the concept of renewal and transformation, our theme is inspired by Isaiah 43:19. Please explore our theme guide and contact Toya Wolfe (Assistant to the President for Mission) with any questions or comments.
New AYP Chapters
We are thrilled to welcome 9 new chapters to the AYP Family. Over the past couple months, our leadership team has connected these new leaders with the conference youth directors in their areas. We are excited for our chapters to continue to be a strong collaborator and supporter of our conference and churches across the regions we serve. Please find a list of our new chapters below and contact Gabriel Saldana (Assistant to the President for Programming) with any questions or comments.
I hope these updates are helpful to you. If you have any general questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
May God bless you,
Gerald Bedney
Assistant to the President
Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Good Morning,
Over the weekend, Adventist Young Professionals hosted its 4th annual convention – welcoming more than 550 young professionals from across North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific.
The gathering was a sincere blessing for all who attended, and we were thankful to welcome a number of General Conference & North American Division departments/entities as both exhibitors and sponsors. I would also like to share a link to an article about the event, and hope it provides you with a glimpse of how God worked powerfully through this gathering of young professionals committed to saying I Will Go and impacting the world Together in Mission for Jesus!
We are excited for all that God will do through AYP in the year ahead, and hope you will join us for our 2025 AYP Convention. Registration for the conference is now open at AYP.me/Convention and booth/sponsorship information is now available at AYP.me/Sponsor.
Feel free to reach out to me anytime with any questions or ideas you may have. AYP looks forward to continuing to support the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the months and years to come!
May God bless you,
Gerald Bedney
Assistant to the President
Strategy & Brand Development
Adventist Young Professionals
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Greetings,
I pray all is going well as we embark on the summer season. As I do each month, below are three updates from our Adventist Young Professionals team. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if AYP can be of support or assistance.
New Chapters
Over the spring, our team worked with young adults from three metropolitan areas to prepare for the launch of our next cohort of chapters. Church leaders within these areas were connected with and consulted. We are pleased to formally announce the launch of AYP chapters in:
Over the next few months, our programming team under the leadership of Gabriel Saldana – Assistant to the President for Programming – will work alongside these and our other existing chapters to support a successful launch and continued growth.
Furthermore, our team is working with young adults in cities where AYP previously had a chapter or community to revitalize ministry within these areas.
Across all cities that we serve, we remain committed to working in close collaboration with each of you.
Mission Trip to Miami
Over the Memorial Day weekend, AYP hosted its second AYP mission trip in collaboration with the Southeastern Conference of SDA. The weekend included restoration on a local Adventist church and school as well as canvassing in nearby communities. The trip welcomed young adults from the NAD and IAD. Please find a report on the trip and feel free to view photographs from our time in south Florida.
Our fall mission trip will be hosted in collaboration with the Columbia Union of SDA and will serve a local church plant in Maryland. Visit AYP.me/MissionTrip to learn more.
Convention Update
Finally, I’d like to share one final update on the 2024 AYP Convention which is expected to bring around 500 Adventist young professionals together for a power-packed weekend.
Our website has been updated with additional information about the weekend’s activities, speakers and more. We are looking forward to a partnership with ADRA International as our attendees participate in outreach to launch our weekend together.
Please keep our team in your prayers as we approach the final stretch before this event. Also, here are a few additional things to keep in mind:
- We continue to offer a 10% discount code for any SDA conference/union wanting to make this discount available to your young adults. Please email Angela.Hui@AYP.me to request.
- Our group discount provides 12 tickets for the price of 10 to help churches save money when bringing their young adults. Across the division, we are seeing an increasing number of churches financially supporting proposals from their young adults to attend the AYP Convention.
- AYP is currently hosting a flash sale that ends tomorrow at sunset. Individuals who purchase their ticket between now and then will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card!
I hope that these three updates are inspirational to you. As usual, if you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Have a blessed week,
Xander Roper
Church Relations Manager
Adventist Young Professionals
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Greetings,
As camp meeting, summer camp season, and so much more approaches, we hope your May is going well. As I do each month, below are three updates from our Adventist Young Professionals team to you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if AYP can be of support or assistance to you in any way.
AYP Convention Discount for Conferences/Unions:
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and sponsors, we are happy to once again provide SDA conferences and unions with a 10% discount code to help make the 2024 AYP Convention financially accessible to your church members. Below are the details:
Church entities can request their discount code by emailing Angela.Hui@AYP.me
AYP will cover the cost of this discount as a tangible token of our desire to support our conferences/unions
Discount code can be combined with group rate discounts to help local churches seeking to save money by bringing a group
Remember that the 2024 AYP Convention with David Asscherick is just 2 months away and prices go up soon, so if you are interested in this complimentary discount code, please email Angela.Hui@AYP.me as soon as possible.
2025 & 2026 Convention Update:
As some of you may already know, our 2025 AYP Convention will return to Houston, Texas, on July 17-20, 2025. We are thankful to the ongoing support of the Texas Conference and are pleased to continue bringing this event to Texas. 2025 will be our first year to make this event a 4-day event.
As our team begins looking to 2026, we are looking to move the event from July to August. This shift will save money for our attendees and will add a buffer between this event and other major events (ACF Institute, ASI, Summer Camp, etc.).
Earlier this year, our president, Tim Kosaka, met with Tracy Wood (NAD youth & young adult director) to discuss moving the event to the weekend of August 20-23, 2026. Dr. Wood affirmed this decision and ahead of finalizing contracts, we want to take a moment to share this date with each of you. If you have major concerns about this date change, please email Tim@AYP.me. Otherwise, we hope you will save the date for both our 2025 and 2026 conventions.
Leadership Update:
Finally, I am happy to share that over the past 2 months, our AYP team has grown from roughly 70 people to over 120 people. With this growth, our leadership team is also growing and we are pleased to share taht Gerald Bedney, who previously served as our director of strategy, has been named Assistant to the President for Strategy & Brand Development. In this expanded role, he takes on oversight of AYP’s marketing & communication functions along with IT, church relations, and strategy.
As mentioned earlier, I hope these updates are of value and interest to you. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact us at info@AYP.me.
Have a blessed week,
Xander Roper
Church Relations Manager
Adventist Young Professionals
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Greeting,
I pray this email finds you well. I’d like to thank you for your ongoing prayers and support towards AYP. As usual, below are three AYP updates for you. Please feel free to email me at Xander.Roper@AYP.me with any questions.
Miami Mission Trip:
After a successful mission trip to Los Angeles last year, AYP is quickly approaching our next mission trip which will serve the Miami, Florida, region on May 22-27.
Registration for the mission trip opened up just a couple weeks ago and is now nearly full. If you know any young adults interested in serving alongside us, please encourage them to visit AYP.me/MissionTrip to sign up. A recap from our last mission trip is available here!
Washington DC Mission Trip:
I also wanted to let you know to save the date for our next mission trip which will head to the Washington, DC area on August 28-September 2, 2024. We are very appreciative that the Columbia Union plans to provide a grant to make this trip possible.
Our team is currently working to finalize a school/church in needs of restoration support and plan to pair this aspect of the trip with missional outreach in the nation’s capital. Please keep our team in your prayers. If you are based in the Columbia Union and know of a DMV-area church/school that could benefit from AYP’s support, please email our Mission Projects Coordinator at Claudia.Suarez@AYP.me.
AYP Convention Breakout Speakers:
With the 2024 AYP Convention now under 100 days away, and as our planning nears completion, we are thrilled to introduce a dynamic panel of breakout speakers.
These presenters represent an array of backgrounds and will share perspectives around our 2023-2024 theme. Your partnership in sharing this discipleship training conference with your constituents is greatly appreciated:
- Costin Jordache – VP of System Strategy & Brand Development, Adventist HealthCare
- Daniel Pino – Pastor, Texas Conference
- Felicia Lee – Director of Women’s Ministries, Northern New England Conference
- Justin & Sheree Kelly – Adventist Educators, Southwest Region Conference
- Michael Ann Whitcomb – Licensed Professional Counselor
- Stephen Lee – VP of Marketing, GYC
- Tom Grove – Associate Director of Ministry & Evangelism, Texas Conference
- Xav Handfield – Motivational Speaker & Leadership Expert
- And more!
New Communication Director:
Lastly, we are thrilled to introduce our new AYP Communication Director – Cassidy Miranda-Chavez!
Cassidy joins our global leadership team from Michigan where in her day job, she serves as marketing director of the Center for Youth Evangelism, overseeing the marketing and communications for the organization that puts on the International Pathfinder Camporee.
Blessings,
Xander Roper
Church Relations Manager
Adventist Young Professionals
Facebook | Instagram | Web
Greetings!
I pray this email finds you well. I’d like to thank you for your ongoing prayers and support towards AYP. As usual, below are three AYP updates for you. Please feel free to email me at Xander.Roper@AYP.me with any questions or suggestions.
New Chapter – Atlanta, Georgia:
As AYP surpasses 10,000 people from around the world, we are pleased to announce the launch of our newest chapter – AYP Atlanta. This newest chapter is by Christina Norris who works as associate communication director for the Southern Union of SDA and is a graduate of Southern Adventist University.
Furthermore, we are currently in conversations with young adults interested in launching chapters in Cincinnati, Seattle, Portland, and Chattanooga! Please keep our team in prayers as we continue to grow and collaborate together in mission. If you know a young adult who would like to launch a chapter, they can visit AYP.me/LaunchAChapter to get started.
Resources for 2024 AYP Convention:
We are now just four months away from another powerful AYP Convention in Houston, Texas. With David Asscherick as our keynote speaker, we anticipate this event to welcome 500+ from around the world. A collection of resources are now available to help you share this event with your young adults. If you have any questions, please let us know:
Event Resources:
- Church Outreach Guide
- Promo Video (90 Seconds)
- Powerpoint Slide
- Poster with QR Code
- Flier/Bulletin Insert
- 4×6 Invitation Card
Keynote Speaker Resources:
Attendee Perspectives:
AYP Library:
Finally, I wanted to let you know about AYP’s newest resource – the AYP Library which features a growing collection of resources to equip young professionals in their faith, life, and career. If there’s a book that you’d suggest we add to the AYP Library, just let us know. We’d appreciate your suggestions!
Blessings,
Greetings!
I pray this email finds you well. I’d like to thank you for your ongoing prayers and support towards AYP. As usual, below are three AYP updates for you. Please feel free to email me at Xander.Roper@AYP.me with any questions.
New Mentorship Program:
I am enthusiastic to share that AYP will soon begin pairing young professionals with seasoned professionals for mentorship. Mentors will be vetted by our mentorship team and verified for fit based on the goals of each individual. The hope is that this program equips AYPers to lead in their area of work, life, and ministry – following God’s calling according to their talents and gifts!
To learn more and refer potential mentors, please visit AYP.me/Mentorship. If you have any questions or ideas for our mentorship program, please email Pierre Monice – Assistant to the President for People and Culture.
New Chapters:
In continued growth for AYP, I’m delighted to share that we are launching two new AYP chapters. One in the important Los Angeles/Loma Linda, California area, and the other in London, England – our first international chapter. As shared in the past, AYP chapters connect, engage, and equip young professionals across a metro area’s many churches and serve as a pipeline that activates and engages young professionals with local churches. These two new chapters join with our existing ones to remain committed to work in close collaboration with each of you! If you have any questions about our chapters or how to launch one in your territory, please email Gabriel Saldana – Assistant to the President for Programming.
Development of 2024-2025 Theme:
Finally, while the 2024 AYP Convention is still months away, our team is beginning the process of planning for the 2024-2025 season. For those of you who aren’t aware, we are currently in the midst of a 2 year strategic plan. In the 2024-2025 season, we will continue to work towards the strategic objectives of this 2 year plan and will refresh our focus with a 2024-2025 theme.
Our theme guides everything from our resources to our annual convention. Our 2024-2025 theme – which will be announced in the summer – will be Behold. A cross-functioning team of AYP leaders are currently developing this theme with a collection of 12 focus areas, key verses, accompanying books, and more. We invite you to keep our team in your prayers as we prayerfully plan for the season of ministry ahead! If you have any questions about our theme development process, please email Xiomara Perdomo – Assistant to the President for Mission.
I hope these three updates are exciting and informative to you! Always remember, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Let us continue the work in faith this new year!
Blessings,
Greetings!
I hope your start of the new year has gone well thus far. It’s exciting to think about what this year may have in store for us all. I’d like to personally thank each one of you for all the support, prayers, and mentorship given in 2023. Thank you also to everyone who has financially supported AYP. Your donations continue to be pivotal in advancing our mission as we enter into the year 2024. For the first time this year, here are 3 quick updates that I hope you find informative and of interest!
Introducing AYP Communities:
I am excited to share about a new AYP concept: AYP Communities. Different from our chapters and groups, communities locally connect young professionals in areas where there is interest in an AYP chapter, but no formal team to formally launch an official chapter.
Communities provide the benefits of AYP to young professionals in needed localities while also increasing the organization’s exposure in this phase of growth. Through a community, our team builds relationships with conference and pastoral leaders prior to hosting any AYP gatherings in the area and promotes existing church initiatives to our local AYP network.
I’m happy to share that AYP will be starting new AYP Communities in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Miami. We remain committed to work in close collaboration with each of you and to work closely as we identify leaders and plan programming in your territories.
Pre-Registration Now Open for Miami Mission Trip:
AYP is putting its faith into action by preparing to go to Miami, Florida for a second AYP mission trip! During 5 days together, young professionals will participate in a restoration project, outreach projects, and impactful worship. Beyond making a missional impact in Miami, young professionals will have the opportunity to experience the sights of SoFlo alongside new friends from across North America and beyond! I am excited to see the continuation of this event after our first mission trip in California last year.
Please encourage your young professionals to pre-register at AYP.me/MissionTrip. Once registration formally opens, these individuals will be provided first access to the event which we anticipate will sell out.
Recap of the 2023 AYP Convention:
In 2023, AYP held its annual convention in Dallas, Texas with the theme, “Thrive: The Next Level”. Young professionals raved about the conference and its opportunities to grow spiritually with powerful devotionals, professionally through networking opportunities with businesses and peers, and personally with breakout sessions about relationships and marriage. A new recap video is now available here!
AYP is committed to providing experiences that elevate young professionals in and outside of the organization. We look forward to the next conference welcoming David Asscherick, July 19-21, 2024 in Houston, Texas.
I hope these three updates are exciting and informative to you! As usual, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Let us continue the work in faith this new year!
Blessings,
Greetings!
I hope your holiday season has been going well. It’s hard to believe that another year is almost over. Thank you to each and every one of you who have supported us through your prayers and mentorship this year. Thank you also to everyone who has financially supported AYP. Your donations have been pivotal in advancing our mission over the past year. For the final time this year, here are 3 quick updates that I hope you find informative and of interest!
Leadership Team Expansion:
I’m pleased to share that our leadership team is growing with a new cabinet-level role, the Assistant to the President for People and Culture. This role will oversee AYP’s HR functions (recruitment, volunteer engagement, mentorship, and compliance) and will help AYP operate and grow strategically in alignment with our mission. I’m very excited to share that Pierre Monice has accepted our invitation to serve in this new capacity. Pierre resides in Chicago and brings an abundance of experience. He’s served in numerous HR functions and currently is president of a major hospital in Chicago.
Convention Update:
While we are still 6+ months away from the 2024 AYP Convention, tickets are selling fast. In fact, registration has doubled since this time last year! We are excited that David Asscherick will be our keynote speaker for this 4th annual convention, and we are thrilled to welcome an ever growing array of breakout speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors. As a reminder, the early bird rate ends December 31, so if there are young adults in your territory interested in attending, registering before the new year will be the best option. If you would like promotional materials to help share this event with your constituents, please email Xander Roper, AYP Church Relations Manager.
New Chapters & Our Commitment Towards Collaboration:
Finally, as AYP continues to grow, I’m thrilled to share that we are launching new AYP chapters in Raleigh, North Carolina and Newark, New Jersey. As I have shared in the past, AYP chapters connect, engage, and equip young professionals across a metro area’s many churches and serve as a pipeline that activates and engages young professionals with local churches. These three new chapters join with our existing ones to remain committed to work in close collaboration with each of you!
I hope these three updates are exciting and informative to you! As usual, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. If we don’t connect between now and the year’s end, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Blessings,
Greetings!
As we head into the holidays, I hope you are doing well. If this is your first time receiving my monthly Adventist Young Professionals update, it is a pleasure to connect!
The past few months have been packed and I want to thank you for your ongoing prayers and support. As I share each month, below are three AYP updates for you.
Community Calendar
The AYP Community Calendar continues to serve as a hub for young professionals to discover service projects, social events, Sabbath schools, vespers, and mission trips in their area! Many of your churches actively use this space to engage young adults in their area. Google has even awarded us a grant to help drive web traffic to this resource.
We want this to be a FREE resource that you can use to engage our 7,500 AYPers and to inform them about your conference/union/division events and gatherings that are of interest to them. Please feel free to submit any relevant program at AYP.me/Events/Submit and we’ll happily help to spread the word.
Chapter Feature – AYP Orlando
AYP operates chapters in urban centers across North America. I invite you to hear directly from one of our chapter leaders regarding the blessing he has experienced through AYP!
If we don’t already have a chapter in your conference’s urban center(s), we’d love to collaborate. Please feel free to visit AYP.me/LaunchAChapter or email Gabriel Saldana, Assistant to the President for Programming, for more information.
AYP Blog – Invitation
AYP offers an array of resources for our thousands of subscribers. Our blog serves as a hub of inspiration and information. I am pleased to share that in 2024, we would like to expand our resources by partnering with you!
We are excited to extend an invitation to our conference/union/division leaders to share perspectives and inspiration with our members. Whether this is through a single devotional or a monthly column on topics such as stewardship or evangelism, our goal is to provide young professionals with relevant content that inspires and equips them for mission!
Many of you have told me that you struggle to get young professionals to engage with your current communication channels (ex. union magazine, e-newsletter, etc.). We are here to help! Please feel free to email Xander Roper, Church Relations Manager, for more information about this opportunity!
I hope you find these three updates informative and of interest to your work and ministry. As usual, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Hope you have a great rest of your week.
Greetings!
I hope this email finds you well. The past few months have been packed and I want to thank you for your ongoing prayers and support. As I share each month, below are three AYP updates for you.
Event Highlight – Minneapolis Fall Retreat
AYP Minneapolis recently hosted their first weekend retreat near Lake Superior in northern Minnesota! The weekend focused on the importance of cultivating rest, and provided AYPers with an intentional opportunity to rest and reconnect with Christ and each other.
Our Minneapolis chapter is currently hosting a weekly book club and will be organizing a personal finance seminar for members of the community next month! This is an example of just one of our many communities across the NAD. Please keep our chapters and groups in your prayers!
Save the Date for Our Spring 2024 Mission Trip
Save the date! AYP will be hosting its next mission trip on May 22 – 27, 2024 in Miami, Florida. This trip will once again be operated by Build and Restore International. Details will be shared in the next couple of months. In the meantime, I invite you to view the recap video from our mission trip to Los Angeles.
Pray For Us As We Prepare for 2024
AYP is impacting the lives of young professionals each and every day. This year, we were blessed to expand our emphasis on mission and engage Adventists and non-Adventists alike!
As we head into the holiday season, we need to raise $25,000 towards the ministry’s operations in 2024 and we are asking our members to consider giving just $10 per month. As a self-supporting ministry, we don’t accept tithe and rely on the generosity of individuals of all ages who believe in our mission. I invite you to please keep us in your prayers – especially in regards to our upcoming fundraising season.
As usual, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Hope you have a great rest of your week.
Greetings!
I hope this email finds you well. The past few months have been packed and I want to thank you for your ongoing prayers and support. As I share each month, below are three AYP updates for you.
Mission Trip Report
Our first AYP mission trip was an incredible blessing! Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. To see how God worked through the experience, please read a report on the trip and view photographs from our time in the Southern California Conference.
If you are interested in having AYP’s next mission trip in your conference, please send an email to Claudia.Suarez@AYP.me and Xiomara.Perdomo@AYP.me.
2024 Convention Speaker
We are excited to share that David Asscherick will be the keynote speaker for the 2024 AYP Cultivate Convention. Please join us in praying for God to lead all aspects of the upcoming leadership convention.
Our team is currently working to select breakout speakers and a worship team for the event. If you have any recommendations, please email Alberto.Mares@AYP.me. We’d love to hear from you as we finalize invitations over the next few weeks.
Leadership Transition
Cinthya Molina, who serves as an assistant to the president overseeing strategy, will be departing from the AYP team at the end of this month. While we are sad to see her leave, we are thankful for her ministry service over the past year.
We’re also excited to welcome Gerald Bedney as Director of Strategy! Based in Chicago, IL, Gerald works in business development for AdventHealth and currently supports Cinthya and the strategy team. He’ll be taking leadership over our strategic plan and will work with AYP’s 70+ team members toward effective ministry focused on Christ’s mission.
As usual, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Hope you have a great rest of your week.
Good Morning Youth Directors,
Over the weekend, Adventist Young Professionals hosted its 3rd annual AYP Convention – welcoming hundreds of young professionals from across North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
This global gathering was an impactful blessing, and I want to say thank you to each of you for your prayers, partnership, and trust over these past few years. I wanted to send you a press release about the event hope you will take a moment to read and share how God worked powerfully through this weekend.
For those of you who have not heard, registration for the 2024 AYP Convention is now open at AYP.me/Convention. I hope each of you will be able to join us in Texas, USA for our 2024 AYP Cultivate Convention.
Blessings,
Dear Youth Directors,
I hope your summer is going well. As I do each month, here are a few ministry highlights from the past month. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, feedback, or ideas.
Convention – Final Reminder
The AYP Convention is just two weeks away and I am excited to share that we have as many people signed up this year as the last two years combined. We are so appreciative to each of you for helping to spread the word and for your ongoing prayers and mentorship. Please keep our team in prayers as we make the final preparations, please pray for the presenters and contributors who will be sharing their talents, and please pray for each and every person who will attend. If you know anyone who would like to attend but still has yet to register, I invite you to encourage them to sign up as soon as possible.
Mission Trip
It’s hard to believe that our first mission trip – Cultivate LA – is now just 7 weeks away! We have just a dozen spots remaining for this impactful weekend in the Southern California Conference. Please watch/share our promo video for more information and encourage your young adults to sign up before the trip fills!
Introducing Gabriel Saldaña
As we embark on our 2023-2025 ministry strategy, I am pleased to introduce you to Gabriel Saldaña who has joined our team as Assistant to the President for Programming. In this new role, he will lead our chapters and groups directors and support me in AYP’s relationships with each of you. I look forward to each of you having the opportunity to meet Gabriel in the coming weeks and months.
Cultivate: Rhythms of Christ
Finally, on August 1, we officially kick off our 2023-2025 theme – Cultivate: Rhythms of Christ. I previously shared an overview of our theme, but wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with an advanced copy of my collections of Presidential Perspectives for the 2023-2024 season which will be released each month on our newsletter and blog and which will guide the other content pieces deployed during the month.
Blessings,
Dear Youth Directors,
As we approach the summer camp season, we want to extend our thoughts and prayers to all of you. We hope that your recruitment efforts have been successful, and that logistics and camp sign-ups are going well. Our team is also praying for divine appointments this summer. Please convey our well wishes and prayers to the rest of your teams.
In this email, I would like to share some important highlights from the past month. I encourage you to reach out with any questions, ideas, or feedback you may have.
Round Table:
We want to express our gratitude to those of you who joined us for our first AYP Youth/YA Directors Round Table. For those who were unable to attend, we have recorded the session for your convenience. If you are interested, you can view the recording by clicking here.
Our aim with this round table is to create meaningful and practical spaces for our leaders to hear your ideas and perspectives, and for you to help shape the direction of AYP’s ministry. As we plan for our next round table, we value your input on how we can make this experience more relevant and meaningful for you. Additionally, please let us know if there is a particular day of the week and time of day that is most convenient for you.
Convention:
It’s hard to believe that we are just over a month away from the 2023 AYP Convention. We sincerely appreciate each and every one of you for spreading the word about this event with your pastors and young adults. These next six weeks are crucial as we finalize details and encourage young professionals to sign up!
We kindly ask for your prayers for our team and for everyone attending the Thrive Convention. Please ask God to lead those who need to be there to sign up. Furthermore, please inform your pastors and young adults about our efforts to make the convention affordable and accessible to all young professionals.
Consider sharing our convention media kit with your stakeholders so they can gain a better understanding of the impact this convention will have on the lives of their young professionals:
- Powerpoint Slide
- Promo Video (45 Seconds)
- Flier/Bulletin Insert with Event and Speaker Information
- Information on Discounts, Promo Codes, and Group Rates
Additionally, we invite you to visit our blog and Instagram page to witness firsthand how God is using this ministry and the AYP Convention to impact lives for the Kingdom. If your schedule permits, we encourage you to sign up at AYP.me/Convention and join us in Texas!
Team Growth:
We are thrilled to announce that the AYP team is growing. We have introduced a new leadership role – the Assistant to the President for Programming – to strategically coordinate our groups and chapters. We are delighted that Gabriel Saldana will be joining us in this capacity. Furthermore, under the leadership of Stephanie Carlson, we have launched our presence in Denver, Colorado. Stay tuned as this chapter grows, and as we continue to establish additional chapters and groups across the AYP network.
Cultivate Theme:
Our team is actively working on solidifying the theme for the 2023-2024 year – Cultivate: Rhythms of Christ. This theme will guide our resource content, programming, and convention. It will consist of 12 sub-themes that will be reflected in blog content, conversation columns, podcast episodes, and convention breakout sessions. We value your input and invite you to view the attached document and share any feedback or ideas you may have.
We hope these updates are relevant and of interest to you. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or ideas you may have.
Blessings,
Dear Youth Directors,
Hope you are doing well. As I do each month, below are a few AYP highlights for you:
AYP Advisory:
This is a friendly reminder that our first youth director advisory call is this Monday, May 15 @ 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT. As previously shared, this advisory will provide an opportunity for our youth and young adult stakeholders to share ideas, feedback, and questions that will help shape the future of AYP. Please sign up for the Zoom link.
New Chapters:
I am happy to share that in the next couple weeks, we will announce the launch of AYP chapters in Atlanta, Georgia, Denver, Colorado, and Boston, Massachusetts! If you are interested in launching an AYP chapter in a major city center within your conference, please visit AYP.me/LaunchAChapter and reach out to me so we can begin the process together.
Strategic Plan:
At our Spring 2023 board meetings, AYP’s Board of Directors approved our strategic plan for the next two years (2023-2025). In this next season of ministry, we will focus on continued growth of communities. Additionally, we will expand our emphasis on missions and outreach and will launch new resources to equip young professionals to actively share Christ and to actively integrate into loving Adventist churches. I invite you to read more about our strategic plan’s pillars, goals, and objectives.
Mission Trip Update:
Registration for the AYP 2023 Cultivate Mission Trip in Los Angeles, California, is now over half full. If you have any young adults who might like to participate in this project, please encourage them to register as soon as possible. As a reminder, AYP Convention attendees will receive $50 off their registration costs. If you have any questions, please feel free to email the assistant to the president for mission at Xiomara.Perdomo@AYP.me.
Convention Discount Opportunities:
With just 6 weeks until standard pricing for the 2023 AYP Thrive Convention wraps, I wanted to let you know that we will be running a 48 hour flash sale next week on Monday and Tuesday where anyone who uses the code AYP20 will be able to get $20 off standard priced tickets.
Please feel free to share this with your young adults and pastors so they may be blessed by this powerful discipleship conference. If you have any questions about the convention, please feel free to email our convention director at Jazzmine.Bankston@AYP.me.
As I wrap my monthly update, I invite you to read a recent article from the Southwest Union Record about how God is working through AYP. I also invite you to visit AYP.me/Blog for a collection of testimonies, devotionals, and resources that I hope will be a blessing for you!
As usual, please reach out with any questions or ideas. I hope to see you this Monday, May 15 for our AYP Conference Youth Director Advisory.
Blessings,
Dear Youth Directors,
Hope you are doing well. As I do each month on the 15th, below are three AYP highlights for you:
AYP Advisory:
I’m happy to share that your registration for our first youth director advisory call is now open. Happening on Monday, May 15, 2023 @ 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT, this advisory will provide an opportunity for our youth and young adult stakeholders to share ideas, feedback, and questions that will help shape the future of AYP.
This advisory will initially meet bi-annually and will consist of a brief ministry update followed by a virtual roundtable where AYP leaders will listen to you! Please sign up for the Zoom link.
Mission Trip Registration Now Open:
I’m pleased to share that registration is now open for AYP’s first mission trip at AYP.me/MissionTrip. This 5 day trip will be in California and will focus on restoring a local Adventist Church and providing outreach to the community.
The trip costs just $200 (including meals and lodging) and we are happy to provide a 25% discount to young professionals attending the AYP Convention. We appreciate your support in spreading the word about this upcoming opportunity.
Convention Discount Opportunities:
We are now just over three months away from the 2023 AYP Thrive Convention! Thanks to each of you who have been helping to spread the word. We recognize that budgets are tight – both for conferences and young adults – and are pleased to share several ways we are working to make the convention more accessible.
CONFERENCES: We are happy to share that we will provide a discount code to conferences seeking to promote this event to their stakeholders. This will cost nothing to you as we truly want to provide you with opportunities to offer your young adults. An example of something similar is our partnership with Southern Adventist University which will make the convention more accessible to their alumni – we would be happy to work with you to make the event accessible to your stakeholders. Let me know if you’d like to discuss this opportunity further.
CHURCHES: As previously shared, we are making group rate tickets available (12 tickets for the price of 10). Please let me know if any of your pastors would like this for their churches.
INDIVIDUALS: Finally, for any young adult who still cannot afford their ticket, we have a limited number of scholarships that are being made available on a needs-basis. It’s our goal that money is not a hindrance for anyone.
As I wrap my monthly update, I’m excited to share that our chapters and groups continue to thrive and grow. Currently, we are in the process of preparing the launch of chapters in Boston, Atlanta, and Denver. We look forward to continuing to work with you to launch and grow communities that support your ministry toward young adults and empower them to grow together in Mission.
Blessings,
Dear Youth Directors,
As we approach the start of spring, I hope you are doing well. I know a lot of you are crisscrossing the country recruiting summer camp staff and praying for traveling mercies as well as success in your recruitment. It was a pleasure to see many of you a couple weeks ago at NAD advisories and I look forward to keeping in touch.
As I do each month on the 15th, below are three AYP highlights for you:
AYP Advisory
During my presentation at the NAD, I shared our plans to launch an AYP advisory to provide a space for our youth and young adult stakeholders to share ideas, feedback, and questions that will help shape the future of AYP. This advisory will initially meet bi-annually and will consist of a brief ministry update followed by a virtual roundtable where AYP leaders will listen to you!
Our first advisory will be Monday, May 15, 2023 @ 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT. If you are interested in joining this, please RSVP. While this invitation is only being distributed to youth/YA conference/mission/union/division/GC level leaders, you are welcomed to invite pastors, lay people, or other department leaders from your conference. We simply ask that each person RSVPs so we are able to plan accordingly.
WhatsApp Chat for Young Adult Leaders
In addition to this advisory, I am pleased to share that AYP is launching a WhatsApp chat for Adventist pastors and youth/YA directors to be able to share ideas with each other and with AYP leaders on an ongoing basis. You are invited to join Young Adult SDA Pastors and at your dispersion, share this chat within your conference/mission/union/division.
Strategic Planning Season
Each spring, our President’s Cabinet journeys through a season of planning for the future. Included in this process, is the development of our theme/focus, a series of cross-departmental strategic goals/objectives/benchmarks, and actionable methods to successfully implement the strategic objectives within the context of the theme and organization’s mission overall.
As I shared at NAD advisories, our 2023-2024 theme will be Cultivate and will focus on helping AYPers integrate their work and life journey in Rhythms of Christ. Under the leadership of our Assistant to the President for Mission, Xiomara Perdomo, an AYP Taskforce is developing a series of 12 focus areas within this theme which will guide our resources and events in the year ahead. Simultaneously, our Assistant to the President for Strategy, Cinthya Molina, is leading cross-departmental discussions to develop a plan that puts these mission-focused goals into action.
I hope these updates are helpful to you and look forward to hearing from you with any questions or feedback.
Blessings,
Happy February Youth Directors,
Hope you are doing well. January has been a blessing for AYP and has been met with an array of productive meetings, a number of new team members, and several new partnerships. Our team is also hard at work developing our theme and strategic initiatives for the 2023-2024 year as well as in beginning the planning process for our 2024 convention happening July 19-21, 2024. Below are a few highlights I wanted to bring to your attention. Please reach out with any questions!
New Chapters
This past month, we launched two new chapters in Austin, Texas and Houston, Texas! Both are located in areas with large clusters of young professionals and our leaders are looking forward to making a positive impact in these communities. Visit
AYP.me/chapters
for a full roster of AYP chapters and email
Mechee.Cherine@AYP.me with any chapters-related questions.
Convention Speakers Update
I’m happy to share that we have finalized our roster of breakout speakers for the upcoming AYP convention. The individuals below will join us. Ben Lundquist – sharing perspective and expertise that will equip attendees to thrive for Christ.
- Ann Roda, VP for Mission Integration & Spiritual Care at Adventist HealthCare
- Michael Gibson, Senior Pastor, Keene SDA Church
- Shawn Johnson, Author, Speaker, and Generational Consultant
- April Snyder, Pastor for Discipleship, Keene SDA Church
- Stephen & Felicia Lee, Past Co-Presidents, ASI Young Professionals
Please stay tuned as more information about their breakout session tracks become available, and visit AYP.me/convention for more information. If you have any questions about the convention, please e-mail Mark.Antonio@AYP.me.
AYP Chaplain
AYP has welcomed a number of new team members over the past month and has filled a brand-new chaplaincy position that will focus on providing spiritual care to our team members and leading a team that develops programs and resources for the global AYP community. I’m pleased to share that Pastor Kayla Goodman – an alumna of Southwestern Adventist University who is currently at Andrews University for seminary – has accepted the invitation to serve in this role. Stay tuned as she acclimates into her new role and feel free to reach out to her at Kayla.Goodman@AYP.me.
Please continue to keep AYP in your prayers and please continue to reach out with any ideas or questions. We are here to support and collaborate with you as we work together for Christ!
Blessings,
Hello Youth Directors,
I pray you are doing well during these first few weeks of 2023. In my first monthly update to you, I want you to know that our team continues to keep you in our prayers and looks forward to collaborating in ministry during the year ahead. Below are a few quick updates:
Our Partners
As we embark on a new year, we are thankful to the organizations that make this ministry possible. Included in our family of supporters for 2023 are the Texas Conference of SDA Young Adult Department, ADRA, Kettering Health Network, and Hope Channel International. Many more denominational and supporting organizations equip the ministry of AYP as vendors, sponsors, and advertisers. If your department or conference is interested in partnering financially with AYP, please let me know.
AYP Blog
Each month, on the same day I email you my monthly update, I share a devotional thought with AYPers from across the globe. This, and many additional stories, are included in the AYP Blog. Our blog features inspirational insight and stories for and by Adventist young adults, and I invite you to explore and share these stories!
Mission Trip
AYP is planning its first domestic mission trip in partnership with Build & Restore International. The project will be August 31-September 4 in the Los Angeles, California area and will be filled with a variety of opportunities to positively impact SoCal for Christ. More details will be available soon!
Engaging Our Youth Directors
We continue to be blessed by the conversations our team is able to have with leaders from across the Adventist Church. This month, we are meeting with the youth directors for the Trans-European Division, Chinese Union Mission, and a number of local conferences. Please keep AYP in prayers as we continue to explore opportunities to support the work of the Adventist Church in collaboration with our conferences, missions, unions, and divisions.
Thank you,
Hello Youth Directors,
Wishing you many blessings this holiday season. I wanted to take a moment to provide you my monthly AYP update. Additionally, I want to let you know that we have developed a new resource for Adventist Church youth directors and will be building in additional content over the months ahead. Please check out the page, view the updates below, and let me know if you have any questions or ideas.
Chapter/Group Update/Invitation:
We recently launched a new chapter in Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as two new exciting groups to engage and empower young adults. I invite you to learn more about these and many more groups at AYP.me/groups; please encourage your young adults to consider starting their own AYP group by visiting AYP.me/StartAGroup. Below are overviews of our newest groups!
Adventist Entrepreneurs, led by Vitaly Lim, founder of AdventTech – creator of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church Sabbath School app, is a brand new space for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to network, share ideas and more through Christ-centered friendships.
The AYP Prayer Room creates a space for you to join AYPers from across the globe every day in prayer, praise, and community as you surrender each day to Christ and thank Him for His multitudes of blessings in your life.
Conversation Columns & Convention Update:
In January, we will be launching a new monthly resource – Conversation Columns – focused on engaging young adults through meaningful and insightful conversations about topics that are relevant and important to them. Under the editorial leadership of Pastor Jazzmine Bankston, these columns will be centered on our convention theme – Thrive: the Next Level and will help young adults prepare their hearts for our time together in July.
As we approach the end of 2022, I wanted to remind you one final time that there are just 2 weeks remaining for your young adults to reserve their tickets for the early bird rate of $84.99. Furthermore, please continue sharing with your pastors about our 12 for the price of 10 church group rates.
Fundraising Update:
As I conclude, I just want to thank each of you who have donated to Adventist Young Professionals this holiday season. I know you have so many causes to support and I appreciate your support to AYP. Together, we have raised nearly $10,000 for AYP and in the last few weeks are prayerfully aiming to reach our goal of $24,000. To read testimonies about the impact AYP is having on young adults and to learn more about the projects that donations will support in 2023, visit AYP.me/give. Thank you for your continued prayers, advocacy, and support.
Hello Youth Directors,
I hope you are doing well. Is there anything I can be praying for you about? I have been blessed over the past couple months to connect with around 30 of our youth directors across the division and have loved hearing your strategies and plans as we explore how AYP can best support our conferences and churches. Yesterday, I visited Lincoln, Nebraska and was blessed to connect with our Mid America Union leaders!
For those of you whom I have not yet had the opportunity to connect with, please do reach out at your convenience. I’d be happy to find a time to connect and explore how AYP can best support your initiatives! As I share each month, below are three things I wanted to keep you in the loop about!
End of Year Giving Season
Between now and the end of the year, our team is hard at work raising funds to sustain and grow the ministry next year. Thank you to those of you who donate to AYP, your personal contributions are such a huge blessing. As I’ve been asked by some, I want to let you all know that AYP does NOT accept tithe, we strongly encourage all to give to their local church before supporting the ministry of AYP. With this said, if you know anyone who might like to make a gift to AYP, please encourage them to visit AYP.me/give to make a donation of any amount. We truly appreciate all who believe in this cause. Please check out a video that shares how God has blessed us this past year!
Convention Update
I am excited to share that Pastor Ben Lundquist, Oregon Conference Young Adults Director, will be the keynote speaker for the 2023 AYP Thrive Convention. Details are being finalized, so stay tuned as more information becomes available! As a reminder, tickets are discounted to just $84.99 till December 31. Furthermore, our group discount enables your churches to reserve 12 tickets for the price of 10! Please encourage those you think would be interested to click here to reserve their discounted tickets! For international attendees seeking a visa letter, please have them email Jazzmine.Bankston@AYP.me.
AYP Talking Points
Finally, a number of you have requested talking points to help you accurately share AYP with your administrators, pastors, and young adults. I’m happy to share a PDF (attached) that provides an overview of the ministry as well as fun facts/ways to get involved. This is meant as an internal document to help our friends/team members share the ministry and I hope it is helpful to you. I’d ask you to direct members of the public to AYP.me/about for our public overview.
As usual, please feel free to reach out with any questions or suggestions. Also, please continue to utilize our community calendar to share your conference’s and churches’ young adult gatherings with AYPers,
Hello Youth Directors,
Over the past month, our existing 10 chapters have continued to grow. Our San Antonio, Texas chapter hosted their first gathering last week and in the next few weeks, we will be establishing our newest chapter in Anchorage, Alaska. If you are interested in exploring how an AYP chapter can be established within your conference or union, please let me know so we can schedule a time to connect.
A goal of mine is to pair each of our 50+ team members with 1-3 seasoned mentors who can mentor them as a follower of Christ as well as a leader on our team. We are looking for mentors who can provide guidance in ministry programming, fundraising & development, marketing & communications, strategy & mission integration, recruitment & volunteer engagement, and ministry leadership. If you or someone you know would be interested in mentoring an AYP leader, please let me know so I can get you introduced. We greatly appreciate your consideration.
Conversation Column
Our team is beginning to explore how we can equip our chapter and group leaders as well as AYPers across the AYP network with a relevant and interactive resource that can drive intentional conversations. The goal is for this to become a monthly resource that any young professional can use to lead a vespers or Bible study amongst their fellow young professionals. We have a Texas Conference pastor serving as a mentor/editor of the project, but if you have ideas for topics that you feel would benefit young adults in your territory, please let me know.
I look forward to hearing back from you with any questions or suggestions. As a quick reminder, please continue to utilize our community calendar to share your conference’s and churches’ young adult gatherings with AYPers.
Thank you,
Hello Youth Directors,
With a number of recent leadership transitions across the division, I wanted to take a moment to re-introduce Adventist Young Professionals (AYP) to you.
AYP has now grown to a community of over 6,000 Seventh-day Adventist young professionals. Through online resources, local chapters, and an annual leadership convention, we help young adults build their community and discover opportunities to advance their faith and career. Our goal is to engage each AYPer in their local church and to be a resource and collaborator to you and your team.
Hearing Your Needs
I met with Pastor Tracy Wood earlier this summer and at his suggestion, we have begun meeting with the various NAD union youth directors. I appreciate the many mentors I have gained through this process and we continue to gain insight into how AYP can be a collaborator and supporter of our conferences and churches. I am looking forward to continuing these conversations and am especially excited to join both the Columbia Union and Mid America Union for their youth director advisories this fall.
AYP Community Calendar
We recently launched a community calendar to help churches and conferences build awareness for their young adult focused events. AYPers actively use the calendar to discover in-person and virtual gatherings that enable them to build community, grow faith, and serve others. Please feel free to share your conference’s events (via the red button on the page) so we can help build AYPer’s engagement with your young adult events. Please also feel free to share this resource with your fellow department directors and conference pastors.
Thrive Convention
Tickets for AYP’s 2023 Thrive Convention are quickly selling and our team is already working hard to plan for the leadership convention. We are very appreciative to the Texas Conference Young Adult Department for their financial support for the third convention in a row. I wanted to let you know that AYP is offering a group discount to help churches seeking to send their young adults to Thrive 2023. If you would like more information about this group rate, please email our convention director, Mark Antonio.
As I have shared with many of you, our leadership team is committed to collaborating with you in advancing the work of our Church. In the season ahead, I plan to provide more frequent email updates to better involve you in the development and growth of AYP, and I invite you to reach out anytime with your questions, concerns, or ideas.
Thank you,
Partner With Us
Your support towards our Mission Projects Fund enables AYP to equip young professionals across the globe toward their missional calling.