RYC begins

The title is a little misleading… The RYC has existed since before I took the position, and I hope it will go on long after me. I am Ray Swavely, the new director of the Ramona Youth Collaborative. There is a lot to say, but here is a little bit about my spiritual background. I was raised in the Methodist Church and would consider that to be my theological foundation. Growing up until middle school, I did the “normal” churchgoing things: attend Sunday school, be a part of an elementary-age after-school group, and then youth group. In 8th grade it was time for me to do confirmation and become a full member of the church. I went through the class, but when it came time to be confirmed, I made an active choice to not confirm my faith. During this time, “Church” in general was fighting and struggling with the idea of inclusivity and acceptance of our LGBTQ+ neighbors, friends, fellow church members, and loved ones. This and some other reasons were why I chose to not be confirmed. I did not agree with the idea that an entity could be hypocritical towards its basic belief, “Love your neighbor.” Instead, I chose to be the best person I could without “church.” A pivotal moment for returning to my faith was through a simple gesture my senior year: an invitation to go on a mission trip to Idaho. I disliked the trip and did not have a good time, but what I saw was that change had happened. On the trip I witnessed a shift from when I had left to something more welcoming and inviting to all. With this, I started to warm up to the idea of religion in general again. I did ultimately get confirmed as an adult alongside a good friend of mine, Chris. While Methodism is my theological foundation, the idea of unconditional love is my faith foundation. As said by Jesus himself, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35).” Is this easy? No, as I've learned from my own many mistakes or shortcomings, but I do believe that by instilling this into the next generations, we can help be the change we want to see in Ramona, “The Church,” and the world.