Following a series of meetings and listening events in 2017, a small group of youth leaders and clergy worked with staff from Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center to redesign the diocese’s Confirmation Retreats, which took place in February and March.
The planning group came up with three regional locations and opened enrollment at each, capped at 60 youth participants.
This is an amazing opportunity for our youth to observe leadership from across The Episcopal Church in action!
In this Mission Minute we'll see stories of how we have been listening with intention to our youth and their leaders – as well as some stories from our congregations showing how, even as we pause to listen, God is still out ahead of us.
It’s been six weeks since I started as Interim Coordinator for Youth & Young Adult Ministries on September 1, and I wanted to give an update on what’s been happening with this important ministry.
This past June, middle and high school youth from Calvary Church in Summit spent an exhilarating week on a “Youth Works” mission trip to Lynn, Massachusetts. Twelve youth and four adults worked five days helping young and old alike through several initiatives.
The first, “My Brother’s Table,” is a local soup kitchen serving over 100 families lunch and dinner. While the youth honed their kitchen skills and learned proper nutrition, they quickly realized the best part of the day was talking with the clients and getting to know them as individuals.
After the departure of the Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director Kai Alston in January 2017, Bishop Beckwith called together a group of individuals to help support the Confirmation retreat process. As these events were being held in March, the committee was tasked with designing the events in a short period of time, but we proved to be more than up to the task at hand.
Sometimes it is just best to say "yes" to the Spirit. I have found, fighting Her can often prove unhealthy on so many levels. A few months back I received a phone call from Anthony Briggs of Cross Roads asking if I would be the co-chaperone for a youth delegation to the upcoming Episcopal Youth Event. After listening for a bit, I declined and listed tons of reasons why I was unable to attend. After hanging up the phone, the Spirit was relentless.
In response to the departure of the diocese’s Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries, diocesan staff formed an exploratory team that includes parents, clergy, and youth ministers. This team spent the last few weeks listening to our youth and those who care for them.
Youth gathered in Essex Fells, and Oakland. Kids named mission trips and lock-ins amongst their favorite experiences. When asked about where they have experienced the Holy Spirit's presence, one youth replied, "When you are struggling and having a hard time, just thinking of God helps."
Over the past year, many in our diocese have been dwelling in the third chapter of Joshua. In this story, our spiritual ancestors, led by Joshua, are camped one side of the Jordan River. After spending forty years in the Sinai wilderness, they are preparing to cross the river into land that has been promised to them. Our Bishop shared some of his experience with this reading at our recent Diocesan Convention: “the passage invites me to make the connection between who we are as God’s people today with our spiritual ancestors who took great risks and discovered a divine hope.”
