So proud of my youth group! They led the church in worship yesterday. They read the Scriptures. They wrote "sermonettes" and shared with the congregation. Two of them composed a little prelude for electric guitar and keyboard. They did a "word collage" with Merle at the mixer where he mixed their readings of various Psalms and words about God, then we played it for the Offertory. They ushered, they collected offerings. One of them got drafted to count the offering afterward. One of them lead us in Prayers of the People and he adlibbed the part where we include the prayers that came up just that day. Gosh. I am sure I have forgotten something. Merle and I were so exhausted with the coordinating and directing that we each took a 3 hour nap after church while trying to watch DVDs.
I believe that getting youth involved in worship at an early age is so direly important to their staying connected to God as they get older. No matter what happens in their lives, even if they become Muslims or Catholics or born-again Christians... youth group is to teach them that God is personally involved in their lives and they can have a personal relationship to the sacred. This worship leadership was the first time any of them have done it and when I look at the photo I took of them after the service, they were all smiles! It's a positive challenge to their self-esteem. I know. I had to do that once or twice a year for the four years that I was a youth group member in Burke, Virginia. It's the reason why I am still a Christian. I recently located my youth group leader from back then and she was totally stoked to hear from me. Hope we might become good friends.
There is one young lady in the church who has been attending a youth group meeting at a nearby Baptist church, although she is an Episcopalian. Unfortunately, we really wish she came into our group, but she goes to theirs because she has some friends over there. However, I am sad because her mother told me that some of those "friends" have started bad mouthing her through Myspace.com and texting her calling her horrible names. Some youth group! I have thought about calling her and just offering my listening ear. I don't want to call and say..."Your mom told me about things lately... " but I do think just a call could be good for her self-esteem. She doesn't open up very easily, but then, neither did I at that age. But if I called her and said, "Hi... I have been thinking a lot about you lately and wondered how you are?" Then do a little probing just to see what she brings up.
My professor of New Testament Greek taught me a lot about caring for people. He took the approach that said, "you can catch flies with honey," but he thought more in terms of leading horses. The idea that you can't get a horse to do something it wants to do if you force it... is definitely similar to how we lead our fellow human beings. Paul has talked in Romans about how he evangelizes - that he wants to make his fellow Jews "jealous" of what he has in the Lord. It's not a mean-spirited jealousy either, but a sort that attracts people with the heart, not the brains. Before we can get people to put themselves on the line, to walk the walk of discipleship, we have to make it something that moves them, heart and soul. They nee to WANT to do it and to BELIEVE that it is a good thing to be. People are not horses, but they do have hearts and souls that need to be fed.
I have also been thinking about a brother and his younger sister. The sister recently joined the youth group. They do everything they possibly can do to needle each other to the point of hitting each other in the head and stuff. This is going to be problem for the group if they don't cut it out. They both seem hyperactive and they have also experienced some major issues at home, including her having been molested by another member of their family. And her brother was the one who finally reported it because he found out. However, they act out towards each other with the rest of the group and the group gets disrupted by their mistreatment of each other. I am proud of the brother for havng done the difficult thing in reporting his sister's molestation. But now, I need both of them to grow beyond their ways and learn some new forms of communication.
I also hope for this youth group to form a covenant relationship for the year. I am going to make this public and promote it on our youth group website, in our youth room at the church, and announce in worship sometimes. We need to ritualize it when we finalize it so that we will all remember and respect it. The youth group absolutely must be experienced as a "safe place" for all of them. I want for us to approach it as such and I am thinking of introducing it to the group as a way to make it a "safe space" for them, since I know deep down in everyone's heart, we need/desire such a space, even when our own homes don't always feel that way.
Okay, that's probably enough for now. On a last note, I am thankful to God that Sunday went as well as it did! I am proud of Merle for everything he did, with his musical and recording talents, and I'm kind of proud of myself for all that went into making it a success. While the kids did the hard work of writing, practicing, thinking and playing music, I think Merle and I should be proud that we organized and inspired them as we did. But, in the end, I thank God that my prayers were answered on this one!
This is Amy. Over and out.
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