Minneapolis, Minn.
Presbyterian News Service

The wait is over. The two winning videos in the ymiLIVE Video Challenge were announced today during the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s 219th General Assembly in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Presbyterian Foundation will establish a $25,000 endowment fund at each of the Presbyterian churches represented by these youth groups to provide on-going, financial support for their youth ministry programs.

The two finalists were from the following churches:

Calvary Presbyterian Church, Enumclaw, Wash.
Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, Kan.
 
The video challenge encouraged Presbyterian youth groups to creatively express their interpretation of John 7:38: "Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water," which is also the theme of this year's General Assembly. The youth groups then posted their videos on ymiLIVE's website. From May 1 through June 7, family, friends, and congregation members registered on the site to vote for their three favorite videos. The 10 videos with the most online votes determined the semi-finalists.

The General Assembly Youth Task Force, composed of 10 youth or young adult members and 5 adult members, voted on the 10 semi-finalists to determine the two winning videos.

Kelley Waint Thralls, chairperson of the committee, was delighted the committee was involved with this initiative. She commented to the committee members, "We have a wonderful opportunity to serve the young people of our denomination through this process. I hope you all are as excited about it as I am."

Tom Taylor, President of the Presbyterian Foundation, said, "I was really excited to see all the participation of youth groups for the ymiLIVE Video Challenge. From small to large congregations, I appreciate the time and effort that each group spent in creating a video and encouraging others to vote." He added, "Ministries that are focused on youth are vital to the future of our denomination. We know that funding youth ministries can be a challenge. However, we hope that through our example others will also create endowment funds to support this ministry for generations to come."

A vital part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Foundation cultivates, attracts, and manages financial resources of individuals and institutions to serve Christ's mission. For over two hundred years, the Presbyterian Foundation has served the Church in this capacity by exploring innovative ways to fund Christ's mission. The Presbyterian Foundation provides an opportunity for congregations, institutions and individuals to affect positive change in the world with their accumulated assets in accordance with their Christian principles and values.

The Presbyterian Foundation and its subsidiary, New Covenant Trust Company, N.A., stand as an enterprise of hope and service, shepherding charitable endowments, life income plans, trust and investment management accounts.