A Look at 2018-2019 Events Calendar
|
|
Check out the
2018-19 Year at a Glance
, a downloadable calendar with a host of offerings for your young people and your groups. BIg church? Small church? New group? Just a few kids? Whatever your circumstance, you will find something here to include in your programming plans.
Among the opportunities are our anchor events--the
Middle School Retreat
Nov. 16-18, the
High School Retreat
Feb. 8-10, and the
Preconfirmation Retreats
March 15-16 and April 5-6--all at the Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center in Greenfield, NH and all planned and run by the Diocesan Youth Council (see next article for more on that).
Also set for the coming year is a
Creation Care Day of Service October 13
on Cape Cod (see below); the return of
Las Posadas Dec 16
with the people of San Lucas, Chelsea; a program for teens dealing with the effects of addiction (their own and that of others) in partnership with Trinity Church, Bridgewater and their
Remembrance Service for those affected by Addiction January 27
; and a "
Lent Launch Lock-in" March 9-10
. Also in the works is another series of "shop talk" get-togethers for youth workers in September and October. Dates and details on these coming soon.
For more on all of these events, continue to check the
events page
of the youth ministry website, www.diomassyouth.org. If you are interested in assisting in the planning of any of these events, don't hesitate to contact our diocesan youth missioner,
the Rev. H. Mark Smith
.
|
|
2018-2019 Diocesan Youth Council
Applications Due August 15!!
|
|
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!!
If you are a clergy member or youthworker who knows a rising 10th, 11th, or 12th grader who would be right for this program, now is a good time to talk about this application with them. This flyer provides a good overview of the application process and calendar of the year-long commitment:
here.
The Diocesan Youth Council is a group of young people who represent the youth of the Diocese at Diocesan Convention. They plan and run Diocesan youth events and work to make the church a nurturing environment for the spiritual growth of young people in our Christian community. They seek to accomplish this through extending fellowship and hospitality with their fellow youth.
Learn more
.
|
|
Diocesan Youth Council Turns 20!
|
|
Save the date: November 3, 2018 in Hyannis, MA
The Diocesan Youth Council was first granted convention voice and vote at the 1998 Diocesan Convention, making the November 3, 2018 convention the 20th anniversary of this important milestone. At this year's Diocesan Convention, former Youth Council members and mentors from the recent and distant past will gather to share with Convention what they are up to now, what they still have to say to the church today, and to reconnect with each other.
A steering committee is now being formed and details will be available shortly. In the meantime, help us reach out to long-lost members and mentors--from a year ago, from five years ago, and from 20 years ago. The party just won't be the same without them. To help in the planning, contact
the Rev. H. Mark Smith
.
|
|
And brand new in Fall 2018, for 9
th
-12
th
graders
Faith in Action: Las Fronteras
in partnership with Episcopal City Mission
|
|
|
|
Based on the success of our powerful mission-focused pilgrimages to the borderlands through the Youth Leadership Academy, this new opportunity includes a year of site visits around the diocese to see Faith in Action.
|
|
At each site, participants will explore issues of security and hospitality, stranger and neighbor, discipleship and servant leadership, all while participating in community service projects across eastern Massachusetts and developing a community of faith and support among themselves.
The program will begin with an organizational meeting in October, and the year will culminate in the group’s pilgrimage to the US/Mexico borderlands in August 2019.
For details on applying to be part of the inaugural team of this new program, click on the link below, or contact
the Rev. H. Mark Smith
, the Diocesan Youth Missioner.
|
|
Cape Program Awarded by Church Home Society
|
|
The Rev. Laurel Deery, President of Church Home (center) presents the award to
Ms. Julie Lytle, Program Coordinator and Camp Director of Amazing Grace (left) and
Ms. Lisa Barr, Board Member of Amazing Grace (right).
|
|
At its annual dinner on June 20, 2018, the Church Home Society (Church Home) presented its annual William V. Tripp III Memorial Award to
Amazing Grace of Cape Cod Inc
., a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to nurture a positive and healthy future for children and families impacted by incarceration. The partnership, launched by St. Mary's, Barnstable, St. David's, S. Yarmouth, the Open Door Mission and others, is founded " to show unconditional love and a glimpse of a different life to children whose parent was incarcerated."
Church Home is a charitable, not-for-profit foundation which has been granting money to help youth since 1858. The William V. Tripp III Memorial Award is an “in perpetual” annual $10,000 award in memory of Mr. Tripp who was a long-time board member and whose family had played a significant role in the life of Church Home for several generations.
|
|
Resources for Youth Ministry
|
|
Nurturing Young Prophets
Lesson Plan Based on
General Convention Sermon
|
|
On Sunday, July 8, 2018, 18-year-old Andrés González-Bonillas preached at the General Convention Eucharist in Austin, TX. Sharing this 15-minute video can serve as an excellent discussion-starter for your youth group this summer or in the fall. In addition to a
video
of the sermon, the text is also available, in both
English
and
Español
.
The preacher opens with some remarks making fun of the generational disconnect every youth worker encounters. (“I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve picked up the phone and actually spoken to someone outside my family or close friends. I can however, count many, many, many, times that I have missed calls. And received voicemails. And left said voicemails unchecked...”) He then shares some reflections on "pure affection," words from the day's Collect.
In reflecting on the demonstration many Convention attendees were holding that day at a detention center in the region, he noted that "People see the actions of our new leadership and stare appalled and stunned, they say things like ‘un-American’ to describe it. I beg to differ." He then reminds us of the oppression and fear that have been in our nation’s DNA since before our beginning. Challenging us to confront these hard truths, he goes on to pray, "May our anger inspire and may it create something n
ew."
Quoting Ezekiel (2:1-5), he challenges us all to listen to the prophetic voices rising up in unexpected places. He then concludes by
noting the relational foundation of his own faith journey and our denomination, and urging us to do the hard work of reconciliation within our church, for the sake of the world.
Sharing this video with your youth group could be the springboard for an interesting discussion. What do they think about the preacher’s remarks? In what ways can they relate to his experience? In what ways is his experience different? This can lead to a discussion, or a whole curriculum, on cultural competency and dismantling racism. The sermon connects scripture and faith with the current events of the day. Does the church have any business getting into these matters? In the sermon, he lists reasons why he stays in the church. Why do your young people stay? And if they had the chance to preach to General Convention, what would they say? If they preached to your congregation, what would they say?
For more ideas, check out a lesson plan based on this video, written with the help of the preacher,
Andrés González-Bonillas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
