I couldn’t really imagine that a group of people who might otherwise consider themselves different would come together to a place a like this, on a night that had become almost unfamiliar. The Oregon Young Adult Night of Worship was, at least for me, a yearly celebration of community that brought those near and far to the Holden Convention Center for a few hours of comfortable hellos and good music. It had been almost three years since we last knew what this felt like, and we could not have made a more poignant example of why we need community in the post-COVID world.

The inspired voice of Markis Zarate made us remember that worship is more than a reflection on God’s good graces, but a shared prayer that young adults are still here and still need God’s good grace in our lives. Pastor Jose St. Phard taught us to worship ourselves out of the traumas of our past and be already thankful for the promises of our future. In a night filled with inspiration we found ourselves greeting our friends who had recently left us for higher education and journeying with those who were about to leave. For a church body who believes that we are the future of the movement we chose to make it clear that what makes us move is community, Christ-centered fellowship, and good food. We hope to be back in this heavenly place next year with strangers and friends who keep reminding us of what heaven might be like.

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