Youth and Spirituality

What St. John's Youth Groups ARE About

The entire St. John’s congregation wants youth to know they have inherent value as unique individuals and are loved unconditionally by God. We encourage them to develop a spiritual path, celebrate the joys of daily life, nuture ways to find peace and quite in their busy, demanding schedules, and give thanks for the many blessings in their lives. Through active engagement, an ongoing presence, and the development of a safe environment for the youth, the mentors foster peer leadership, opportunities for discussion, debate, and reflection on relevant social issues, and as strong commitment to promoting Christian contemplative practices, Sabbath, and time to linger in the internal exploration of their own identity.

What St. John's Youth Groups Are NOT About

One father said, "You know, I bet the reason kids don't like coming to church is because they know it's about us. They know that despite the outings and activities, the program is really about our desire to teach them to stay out of trouble." - Contemplative Youth Ministry, by Mark Yaconelli.

Youth group is not about safeguarding youth against the threat of drugs, peer pressure, consumerism, and sex, although we hope that's a byproduct. Youth group is not about relieving the anxiety of parents, but it does provide a safe place for teenagers. Participation is not guaranteed to get youth into the high school or college of their choice, but it may help them experience their higher education with more freedom and authenticity. Time will not be spent memorizing the 10 Commandments or Nicene Creed. It's not about avoiding popular culture, but about engaging in it as followers of Christ. Youth group is qualitative, no quantitative. It's about experience and expression, not doctrine and curriculum.

5th-6th Grade: X-PLORERS

Although this group falls under the Family Ministry umbrella, until we hire a new Associate, I am helping oversee this program. Many thanks to the fabulous team of adults and high school students who are working with this group on Sunday mornings. Special thanks to Jane Heath for serving as the lead teacher and visionary behind the curriculum which integrates Godly Play into a more age-appropriate framework, with expanded enrichment activities and new class routines. The intention is for the children to learn about our church and its faith traditions, to explore who he/she is, and create opportunities for intergenerational connection with other members of the parish through guest speakers, visits to other classrooms, and special projects during the year.

Kathy Thornton has volunteered to coordinate four special events for families of 5th-6th graders – a night hike this fall, a holiday gift wrapping project, a bowling tournament in the winter and an Earth Day work project in the spring. Contact Kathy for more details: voluto2@pacbell.net.

7th-8th Grade: Eagles & Rite 13

Youth in the 7th-8th grades meet on Sunday mornings during the 10:00 service, as well as on the second Wednesday evening of each month. This group is called the Eagles. Rite 13 is the name of the entire two-year program for this group, as well as the liturgy for 8th graders (see below). The Sunday morning and Wednesday night programs work in tandem, even though youth often can’t attend every meeting.

Kirk and Melanie Wollenweber, Ted Paff, and Rebecca Sullivan are the Mentors who join the group for the monthly night meetings. I am still looking for 2 adults to help me out on Sunday mornings – please volunteer!

When this group meets in our newly furnished Youth Room we spend time getting to know each other, laughing, praying, listening to music, eating, and playing games. We discuss scripture and current events related to (partial list):

• Self: Individual gifts, talents, and abilities; peer pressure
• Spirituality: Psalm 139, prayer, bible study, silence
• Sexuality: the difference between childhood & adulthood, gender
• Society: Music lyrics, social justice, outreach & service

At St. John’s we recognize two main rites of passage for our youth: Rite 13 and Confirmation (the latter is for high school students). We acknowledge that for 12-14 year-olds, the reality of their lives is that they have entered puberty and are leaving childhood on their journey to adulthood. This change and development is a gift from God and graduating eighth graders celebrate it with the entire congregation in the Rite 13 Liturgy. At this service, on Sunday, April 27th, they will be received into our faith community as young men and women. 

High School Group

Social Justice

We are focusing specifically on social justice issues during our Sunday morning meetings. This came about as a result of the July issue of Vanity Fair Magazine. That issue of the magazine focused on Africa and was guest edited by Bono, the U2 bandleader and social activist. The magazine had 20 different Annie Leibovitz covers with such celebrities and world leaders as Desmond Tutu, Brad Pitt, Bill & Melinda Gates, Maya Angelou, and George Bush. The articles ran the gamut from reporting on the AIDS crisis and political strife, to reports on the good news about progress in government, health, and social systems, as well as what’s happening in the music and literary scenes. 

Vanity Fair sent me 50 free copies of the issue which we then mailed to the high school youth to read over the summer. Connie Granger, Peter English, Kate Reeser, Tom Raith, and I met with the group for dinner at the end of August to discuss their reactions to the magazine. The result? The high school group felt that one of the key reasons atrocities were happening throughout the world is the fact that people just don’t know about them. They are eager to inform the public and to meet that goal, the group is currently inviting representatives from various organizations such as the Save Darfur Coalition and GAIA to speak with them. The youth want to produce videos to air on YouTube and they want to host forums at St. John’s.

My hope is for the youth to see church as a relevant place that 1) actively promotes, supports, and engages in social justice issues and activities, 2) provides intentional, sincere, and safe platforms and space for them to voice, develop, and test their own opinions, and 3) points, in constantly subtle and occasionally overt ways, to God as the center of #1 and #2.

Service

I have received requests from several parishioners, representing various committees and age groups, to engage the youth in service opportunities both within the parish (in-reach, practical care, Tour de Noel, Rummage Sale, etc.), as well as outreach (hands-on projects, Episcopal Church events, and trips). I know that youth are interested in participating in these activities, to be active in the full life of the parish, and for many of them, completing community service hours is a school requirement. My challenge is that I cannot coordinate all of these opportunities and if I forwarded an email every time I received information about one of these opportunities, the youth would flag them as “spam.” I am trying to call together a team to coordinate this aspect of youth ministry so it integrates with what the larger parish is doing. If this area of ministry and volunteerism is your passion and you’d like to be involved, please let me know.

Confirmation

An informational mailing was sent to all parish families of high school students describing our new confirmation program: Confirm not Conform (CnC), and then Fr. Chris and I hosted an evening meeting in September to further describe the program. Registration for this year’s class has now closed and I am thrilled to report that I will be working with 13 youth to take an innovative approach to helping them build their own spiritual lives.

CnC is focused on helping young people ask the tough questions and search out the answers. Through innovative classroom work, field trips, a weekend retreat at Bishop’s Ranch, mentor relationships, participation in liturgy, and the challenge to do a whole lot more than just learn a few facts, CnC lets kids take real responsibility for understanding their faith and its power. When they do – when they see the church and faith as something that truly belongs to them, rather than something they’re forced to accept – it builds a bond that lasts.

The CnC program concludes with a special liturgy of celebration called iConfirm. During this service the congregation recognizes that the youth have taken responsibility for their own spiritual lives and the youth, in turn, accept that responsibility. Class participants share the bible passages they have memorized and teach on them. It is a service of great emotion and power and, traditionally, a party for the youth follows the service – one to which they invite their friends and families. Youth are also invited to go to Grace Cathedral a few weeks later for Confirmation: an adult affirmation of their Baptismal vows.

All Youth:

Other Nights

Sunday, Nov. 18 - High School movie night "Jesus Camp." Grab your friends and meet us in the Youth Room for pizza, the movie and a post-movie discussion.

Wednesday, Nov. 28 - Lecture at Dominican Univ. followed by dessert at the Van Gessel's. Free admission to hear Melba Pattillo Beals, on of the Little Rock Nine, who braved violent resistance to the integration of Central H.S. in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.

Sunday, Dec. 16 - Author talk followed by dessert with St. John's parent Rick Krueger. Author Sylvia Boorstein talks about her new book "Happiness is an Inside Job." Book Passage, Corte Madera. 2 pm.

Friday, Dec. 21 - High School movie night "The Golden Compass." Meet at the theater to watch this movie and then have dessert and a discussion. Bring a friend. More details coming soon.

For further Information, please contact:

families@stjohnsross.org(Family Ministry Team)

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