Love EYE!
It felt like a scene out of some spaghetti western, standing out in the middle of nowhere waiting for a train with a small group of young people, most of whom were just a year or two younger than me. As the train approached about halfway down the line of train cars was a group of youth with their heads out the window cheering us on. That train car would become my home for two days as this group of youth from as far away as California with their advisors made the sojourn to outside Chicago for the first ever Episcopal Youth Event, aka EYE.
Growing up in a small town and a small church and going to camp, as I recently shared, opened me to a whole other world. Meeting and establishing what has become life long friends from all over the Pacific Northwest was a game changer. Yet attending that first EYE exposed me to an even larger world. Within minutes of arriving on the campus of the University of Illinois I met people from every corner of the United States. And the next thing I knew I was leading a small group of youth from places like Bismarck, Brooklyn, Laramie, LA and New Orleans.
The program, worship and music were incredible and certainly beyond anything that I had ever experienced. All of it was incredibly creative and completely inspiring. However, unquestionably what was most transformative was sharing the experience with folks from so many different contexts and cultures. Many of the people I met at that first EYE became life long friends and colleagues. Most notably, Fran McKendree, my soul brother and partner in collaboration for decades before his passing.
I have been blessed to attend EYE (which happens every three years) including this last week in Baltimore. Through the years I have taken different groups of young people, been on multiple design teams planning the event (including with my sons) and hosted the gathering in Minnesota when I was fortunate to serve there as Bishop.
Through the years EYE has become incredibly diverse on all levels including youth coming from many parts of the world. This has only deepened the impact for the participants in experiencing the breath and depth of contexts and cultures. This exposure, in my experience, establishes a significant appreciation and respect for the ever increasing diversity in our world.
And…there is nothing like the energy of being in the midst of a thousand plus young folks and their advisors from the cornucopia of God’s creation singing and dancing in harmony…always transformative…always leaves me feeling incredibly blessed and so hopeful!
Love EYE!