I Am Human Relations Day

Brennen D. Boose, poet and youth coordinator at Hamburg First United Methodist Church in Hamburg, Arkansas, became empowered through the JustUs Youth network, a community of young community developers, supported through Human Relations Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Brennen D. Boose)

Imagination, 

You'll need it for this one,

Lets take a trip,

Please excuse the minor dips,

Gaps, 

You see I only have 500 words to get you there and back.

Imagine God's grace, oh the beauty,

Being placed on a young man's face,

Golden child, no that's not the case,

Speeding through life at a lethargic pace,

Searching for relevancy he finds it in the most obvious place,

The church.

A program empowering youth in the technical skills of video production,

Managed to uncover a business mind, 

Coupled with a technical talent of rare kind,

And yet its greatest accomplishment was the discovery of a place inside a church,

The United Methodist Church

A new way of worship, 

Different from his own, 

He struggles to understand its purpose,

Yet, he rests assured whatever God has for him it will be worth it.

Now imagine a shy little guy,

Standing in front of a crowd of gazing eyes,

Stomach curling and twirling, still his spirit is at an unusual high,

God speaks through him, Breathing life into a room

Not one eye dry, 

Yes, the young, the old at the altar they lie,

God controls his being, out of body, he stands by,

In awe and amazement, he became a leader in worship,

Harambee, bringing it all together,

All the things he heard from his mother,

Exposure to the side of himself that was better,

A freedom in worship, no burdens, light as a feather.

The discovery a place where its was JustUs Youth,

Ahhh relevancy, 

He begins to expose others to his truth,

In himself he realizes everyone should have these opportunities,

From state to state he travels the nation,

Shining light on the power of his disgruntled generation,

Empowering youth to work in compilation,

Instead of revolting and stirring up more strife and hatred,

Training and being trained in the intricacies of Gospel of Jesus Christ,

Yet he still searches for purpose,

Not satisfied with who he was, 

He embarks on a journey, a path that would make anyone nervous,

Self exploration.

What starts out as an eight-week journey away from home,

Turns into a two-year voyage… alone,

Out into the deep he is thrown,

No life jacket, it's time to swim on his own,

Engulfed by the water he thinks there's no place like home,

He feels God's love and as He whispers, you're never alone,

Changes in his members,

Erase what he remembers,

Of a young man that he knew in June, It's now December,

Such a short timespan but God has given him time to expand,

Now he teaches youth to Break Free from the expectations and limitations,

Put on them by man's hands.

Such a wonderful story,

All to our Father for His Glory,

He looked down on earth and found one young man to be worthy,

Me,

I promise I have done nothing to deserve it,

And the praise and honor all goes to Him, I would never pervert it,

Please realize I am but a small pawn,

In His amazing plan and purpose.

That we all can be a part of on this day,

by the way, Thank You for your generosity in the past and on today.

Know that I, Brennen D. Boose, am the image which your gifts portray.

I AM HUMAN RELATIONS DAY.

Brennen is a leader in the JustUs Youth and the Community Developers movement, a part of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Human Relations Sunday funds this movement. This Sunday is a special opportunity for United Methodists to celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day weekend through giving to Human Relations Sunday. Learn more about the Community Developers program and Human Relations Day.