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A Vocational Conference for Young People of Color June 1-4, 2009 |
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Campus Ministries Conference June 24-27, 2009 |
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Young Adult Festival General Convention 2009 July 9-14, 2009 |
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Internships Engage Young Adults in the Church by The Rev. Jason Emerson, Resurrection House, Omaha, NE On March 9th-11th, the directors of eight young adult internships gathered with other church leaders as part of research being done by Trinity Church Wall Street. These internships started emerging independently of each other about two decades ago. They are having a profound impact on the communities they serve and the church as a whole. Alumni have gone on to ministries both lay and ordained, but almost uniformly they have become leaders, young leaders in the church. In a day and age when young adult engagement in church is low, these internships are a corrective counterbalance to that trend. They are at the forefront of a movement by young adults to love their neighbors as Christ commanded. These programs are life changing. I am an alum of the Resurrection House internship in Omaha, NE and now serve as both the Rector of the Church of the Resurrection, which founded the program, and the director of Resurrection House. I can say, from personal experience, that the nine months I spent in Resurrection House working in a parish, advocating with Nebraskans against the Death Penalty, undergoing spiritual direction, and living in intentional community made me a better person, a better husband, and eventually a better priest. Resurrection House focuses on discernment as well as service. Through the program I not only discerned God's call for me, I also developed habits that continue to feed my ministry and my faith life. My experience is in no way unique. At the meeting in March we learned from the national director of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps that the divorce rate among their several thousand of alumni is 4%. That's way below the national average and below the average for Roman Catholics. Furthermore, it is quantifiable evidence that service internships change lives for the better and for the long term. These internships now exist almost church wide. We have recently begun forming a coalition called the Episcopal Service Corps. This year we have shared a common application process and website. We are meeting in June to concretely form more ways that we can work together to feed the movement. More information about the Episcopal Service Corps can be found at www.episcopalservicecorps.org and more information about Resurrection House can be found at www.cor-episcopal.org . |
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A Season of Unity by Allie Townson, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo, NY Lent for the 20s&30s Group at St. Paul’s Cathedral is an especially meaningful and significant time. In the first year of its formation, the season of Lent laid the foundation for a strong, successful 20s & 30s group through the shared experiences of fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, attending every service, meditation and musical offering during Holy Week, and spending two days cooking and decorating in preparation for the parish reception after the Saturday evening Easter Vigil. For many of us, it also transformed Lent from the Lent of our childhood, marked only by the giving up of something, into a much more meaningful time and a true preparation for Easter. In the years since that first Lent, the group has marked the season in various ways, through book studies, through participating in the Cathedral’s Lenten programs, through our own personal disciplines, but always together. We have continued with the traditions of fasting, being present throughout Holy Week, and putting on the Easter Vigil reception, and the group has continued to thrive and grow. We have also found that new members consistently identify their first Lent with the group as a true turning point in their lives, and often as a time when they discovered a renewed, deeper, more mature faith. While the group has welcomed and integrated new members over the years, the tight bonds of the group can sometimes make it difficult for newcomers to get involved. Over the past year the group has been blessed with many new members, and we wanted a way to help integrate those new members into the group. What better way than to conscientiously invite them into the group’s Lenten traditions? It was from this that the idea of “Lent Buddies” was born. Each “older member” of the group was randomly assigned four to five “new members” as their Lent Buddies. From there, it has been up to each older member to decide whether to get together with their Lent Buddies as a group or individually, and whether to attend Cathedral events, do outreach, or just get together for a cup of coffee and discussion. Our hope is for an even stronger presence during Holy Week, more hands in the kitchen during the Easter Vigil reception preparation, and a meaningful Lent and joyful Easter for all of us, both this year and in the years to come. |
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Making Connections by Ashley Miller, Seattle University “What exactly is the point of this weekend?” my friend Heather asked me as she drove me to the airport at 6:30am Friday morning so that I could go to the Prov 8 student, chaplain & young adult gathering in Tempe, Arizona. At that early in the morning I didn’t have an answer for her, but upon my return Sunday night, my heart full and my enthusiasm for the church rekindled, I had a hard time narrowing down all reasons I went to the gathering. Part of it is the community. We spent just 48 hours together, but we grew close, learned from one another and had fun together. Rarely do we get a chance to be with such a diverse group of young adults from around the Western United States, and connections are built which last lifetimes and bridge very distant communities. It’s quite a unique opportunity. A number of participants are in the process of discernment to determine if they are called to ordination and had the chance to eat dinner together to talk about where they each are in their journeys. This was a unique opportunity for a very special group of young adults who often feel somewhat isolated in their discernment back home, but who found love, support, and understanding at the gathering. Part of it is the lessons learned. The theme of the weekend was Liturgical Choreography and Prayerful Action. It may surprise some to know how passionate young adults are about the way we worship – I know I was – but I had conversations with a number of students from several states about what they like and dislike about the various services offered at their home parishes, what works well and what doesn’t, and how that impacts how they act out their faith in their lives. I know how I like to worship (I prefer a more high church approach, which I know can be off-putting for some) and it was so affirming to hear others my age with the same opinions. It was equally enlightening to encounter those with different feelings in an open and welcome atmosphere where we could just talk about what we think, why we think it, and what it means for our faith journey. Thanks to workshops about alternative music for liturgy and exploring the meaning behind the traditions and the pageantry, we went back to our home parishes with new ideas to try, new ways of understanding the traditional liturgy, and hopefully an increased connection to God – lessons which can be applied in our daily lives. Part of it is the setting. Each year a different part of the province hosts the gathering, highlighting the unique ministries being fulfilled there. At St. Augustine’s, some had the chance to help feed the homeless, something that church community has been engaged in for several years now. Others visited Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix to walk the labyrinth there, praying the Stations of the Cross depicted by modern art pieces built around the brick labyrinth. Although I have seen many worship spaces throughout the world in my life, all beautiful works of architecture with stunning art inside and out, few have facilitated such a strong connection to the Holy Spirit for me. Mostly, Prov 8 is a chance to broaden and deepen my level of spiritual connectedness with God, finding new ways to see faith and worship through the support of people my age. It is a chance to go into retreat for a weekend, to leave behind the stressful monotony of college, work and endless obligations to explore faith and its practice with other young Episcopalians. It can be hard sometimes to drag oneself away from daily life because college, work, and obligations are important and fulfilling in their own ways, but I came away from this experience refreshed in my exhaustion and connected to God, ready to do some good in the world. And that feeling, Heather, is what is the point of the Prov 8 weekend. |
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Called by Vanessa Riutta-King, Diocese of Southwest Florida “I have called you by name, you are Mine.” This verse from the book of Isaiah is the very center of an Episcopal young adult ministry called Vocare. The root of the name, “to call” or “to be called,” is the focus of weekend discernment retreats across the country geared toward the fulfillment of young adult potential. Between the ages of 19-30, young adults are consistently struggling with where God wants them in this world and how they should get there. This search is the heart of the Vocare ministry. On March 26-29, 2009, the Diocese of Southwest Florida hosted the annual Vocare International Conference at the DaySpring Episcopal Conference Center in Bradenton, Florida. This conference gives Young adults a variety of opportunities to network with one another and to attend workshops designed to enhance active Diocesan Vocare programs as well as to help those who wish to begin holding Vocare retreats. At the conference, young adults are also able to create relationships with one another through worship, music, activities, and so much more. This past Conference was a wonderful success and the young adults present were able to come together and really acknowledge the importance of this ministry within the Episcopal Church. God was so present and really blessed this conference to uplift past leadership and prepare the way for new leadership (this was an election year and there were many tough decisions to be made). The Vocare ministry has been so blessed with those who have strived to continue its success. With the continued work of the Vocare International Steering Committee and all Dioceses actively participating in Vocare, we are confident this ministry will continue to grow and reach those young adults in this world who are struggling and looking for spiritual discernment. As a member of the Vocare International Steering Committee, I believe it is our goal to enrich, uplift, encourage, and prayerfully support all active and inactive Dioceses. By continuing to help strengthen and build the Vocare community, we are answering the call that God has for all of us to share His word and uplift one another through Christian love. For more information about the Vocare ministry please visit vocare.org. |
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Mentor: Origins & Possibility by The Rev. Miguelina Espinal, Pastoral Leadership Search Effort The Greek storyteller Homer tells of Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. In this tale, Odysseus asks his friend Mentor to watch over his son, Telemachus, while he goes off to fight in the Trojan War. Mentor, as a faithful friend of Odysseus, stays in Ithaca and serves as Telemachus’ tutor. The story says that Mentor was wise, sober, and loyal. On the other hand, Telemachus was just entering manhood. "Mentoring" is one of the oldest forms of influence, and, when made proper use of, can serve as a powerful tool in helping people explore, articulate and achieve personal and professional goals and visions. A mentor is a guide, a listener, someone who cares, someone who has been there, someone to help you set goals and strategize how to accomplish them, A mentor is not a savior, a therapist or a foster parent, yet the role of a mentor is priceless. In my personal life and discernment process, it has been very helpful to me to connect with other ’s people wisdom. I have been blessed with friends and clergy who care and listen. Their mentorship and support has impacted my life and ministry even as it has enabled and encouraged me to make a difference in the lives of others. In a church context, mentors are not limited to those who guide and counsel people to help them discern wether or not they are called to ordained ministry. We all need and seek guidance in the many facets of our lives. Mentors can help you to explore and discern how your gifts and talents might fit a particular ministry. They can help you to seek a deeper relationship with God, and they can also help you deal with the concerns, doubts and fears of daily life. Mentors are not meant to tell you what to do, but to be there for you, listening, caring and asking the right questions, for which you are encouraged to seek your own answers utilizing their wisdom and experience to broaden your perspective. If you don’t have a mentor to walk with you in your spiritual journey, I strongly encourage you to seek one out. The most important consideration when choosing a mentor is to look for someone you can respect, a person who you see as living in harmony with their beliefs, someone you could disscuss sensitive issues with and trust that they will handle them with confidentiality, someone who knows how to listen and is not afraid to challenge you, someone who will inspire you to reach your full potential. I am sure you have people around who fit the description above. Seek them out! If you would like asistance in seeking out a mentor I encourage you to look online and connect with a mentor through the Pastoral Leadership Search Effort Mentors program. PLSE Mentors are young adults and adult leaders in the Church who have experience working with young people, or who have experienced life and leadership in a variety of aspects. They are willing and open to listen, share their experiences, help you to explore your calling and purpose in life and most of all to care for you! Find a list of PLSE Mentors at www.episcopalchurch.org/plse or email Miguelina for more information. We are called to journey in community, I encourage you to follow that call and seek a guide, a friend, a mentor. |
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