Thinking About Advent

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It seems like only yesterday we blessing backpacks at the start of the school year. And yet already the days are getting shorter, and it’s time to start making highways in deserts as we look toward Christmas. As we move into Advent, here are a few resources to help you and your young people explore this time of expectation, preparation, and incarnation.

Perennial favorites like the social media-based AdventWord (available this year in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole) and Thomas Mousin’s beautiful and simple calendar can help to engage parishes and enrich worship.

Musically-inclined young people, for instance, may enjoy Charlotte Greeson’ lesson plan for teaching Advent with hymns. And while you are there, check out the other Advent resources offered by the Virginia Theological Seminary’s Finding Faith.

Getting hands-on with Advent crafts is a powerful and meaningful way to engage with the season. Advent wreathes are a popular choice, and there are plenty of tutorials available, from the basic to the “gourmet.” Use this guide to help your young people organize a wreath-making workshop for the whole congregation. Putting some focus on the liturgy of the advent wreath—either by spending some time talking about the meaning of each candle or writing prayers to use when lighting the candles--can help young people engage with a recognizable symbol in a new, personal way.

Finally, some groups may want to engage with the idea of Advent in the context of the world and the present moment. Many of the advent readings (the first, second, third, and fourth Sundays are compiled on episcopalchurch.org) lend themselves well to discussions of current events. Prepare a list of questions surrounding the reading you choose, but allow the young people in the group to guide the conversation as you explore these Advent texts.

For example , the reading from Isaiah (week one) describes a future in which the word of the Lord has brought about a time of peace, when tools of war become tools of agriculture and violence between nations comes to an end. Talk about what kind of world your young people imagine. What specific things would be different, and why? What hopes do they have for the world?

In week four, the story of the Annunciation offers a great opportunity for young people to talk about what it means to be part of God’s dream for the world. The Annunciation is often accompanied by Canticle 3, the song of Mary, which highlights issues of injustice and inequality, and looks to God as an agent of desperately-needed change, a common theme in many of the Advent readings. Make space for the young people in your group to articulate the ways they see issues of power and oppression in their world.

Finally, since Advent is a time of expectation and imagination, remember to make space to “look East” yourself and imagine what a better world might look like.

Sacred Ground: A Film-Based Dialogue on Race and Faith

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Sacred Ground is a film- and reading-based dialogue series on race and faith. Participants will walk together through America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in the threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. It’s an invitation for small groups to gather to learn, share, and prepare to become Beloved Community.

“Sacred Ground is a time and opportunity to hear the story of our past with regard to race, to hear our stories of our pasts,” said The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. “By listening to those stories and hearing them, and then telling our own stories together, and then looking possibly at the stories of our very faith, somehow, from the travail and the reality of all of those stories may emerge hope for a new day.”

Built around a curriculum of powerful documentary films, videos, and readings, this 10-part series considers some of the major chapters of the United States of America’s history of race and racism. It focuses on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian American histories as they intersect with European American histories. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to challenges and divides in the present day – all with a deep foundation in faith and love.

While not specifically written for young people and youth groups, the material is accessible and relevant and can easily be adapted for your young people.

Created by Katrina Browne, producer and director of the documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, this small group resource is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. Sacred Ground is especially targeted to help white people talk with each other about racism past and present, their own racial identity, and the interwoven issues of class, region, and ideology.

Faith Lens: A Weekly Online Bible Study

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Every week during the academic year, our colleagues at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America publish a lesson plan based on the weekly lectionary readings and connecting the themes of those lessons with the events and issues our young people are dealing with each and every day.

Some weeks the connection is to a specific event, such as the fire last spring in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Other weeks, broader issues, such as climate change, gun violence, and rebuilding efforts in Iraq, are the focus. Always, the lessons encourage participants to look at scripture through the lens of our daily life--and to consider our daily lives with the help of scripture.

Each lesson includes a warm-up question, a story for context, discussion questions, links to the lectionary texts, a study of the Gospel lesson, suggested activities, and even a link to a weekly comic strip based on the readings. Many include links to YouTube videos and other resources to supplement the lesson.

The lessons are designed to be suggestive rather than prescriptive, yet detailed enough to not require extensive preparation ahead of the lesson. Definitely worth checking out--or have some of your young people check out some of last year's postings , and advise you on whether they feel the lessons appropriate and relevant to your group.

Dismantling Racism Youth Curriculum

Dismantling racism is the work of a lifetime, and no single course of study will "fix" things. However, a well-designed curriculum with solid theology, good pedagogy, and useful materials can help jumpstart a conversation within a youth group and a church. This resource is one such opportunity.

The Office of Youth Ministry of the Diocese of Atlanta in partnership with The Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing have designed, printed and piloted a groundbreaking six-week Dismantling Racism for Youth Curriculum for grades 6 through 12. The first draft of the curriculum was completed in July of 2017 and piloted during the 17-18 school year in 8 parishes with over 100 youth in participation. After receiving feedback, course refinements were made and now, they are now ready to share our work with anyone and everyone.

In order to receive the curriculum, one must complete their "train the trainer" course, a one-day training by the curriculum writers and others experienced with the course.

We would be happy to bring the training to this diocese if there is sufficient interest in bringing the training here. To express interest in this possibility, contact the Rev. H. Mark Smith, Diocesan Youth Missioner.

Let us continue to be Christians that address tough issues

choosing love over all else.

-Easton Davis, Youth and Young Adult Missioner, Diocese of Atlanta

#MeToo Story-Gathering and Resources

In recent years, the #MeToo movement has attempted to open up conversations about sexual misconduct and the effect it has on all aspects of modern life. The church is by no means exempt from this conversation, so the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts has created a place for those who have experienced, witnessed, or perpetrated sexual harassment or abuse to share their story. This form, open to people of all ages, along with procedures for reporting sexual misconduct can be found at diomass.org/MeToo. The #MeToo task force has also provided informational posters intended for display in bathrooms, offices, youth rooms, and parish halls. Copies of these posters in English and Spanish can be found on the website.

You may want to use the diocesan #MeToo resources to introduce the topic of sexual harassment in your  Youth Group (or when the topic comes up even if you don’t plan on it). Additional resources that may be helpful include the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s series on preventing sexual harassment in schools, particularly the article on teaching consent at every age. In 2018, the House of Deputies published a Lenten series of reflections on #MeToo written by women in the church. The Litany of Penance for Ash Wednesday, which begins the series, is compelling and thought provoking, and could become a springboard for robust discussion (What is the misconduct here? What is wrong with this statement or action? What do you do when this happens?). However, please note the other reflections in the series deal with personal experiences of harassment and abuse, which may be difficult for young people to engage with in a safe and helpful way.

Most importantly, remember to listen to the young people around you when this issue comes up. Meet them where they are, and answer their questions with honesty and compassion. These are difficult conversations for everyone, but a culture of sexual misconduct hurts us all. An adult’s awkwardness about these conversations can encourage silence among our young people, and silence only upholds the status quo.

Finally, please ensure that all adult volunteers and employees in your Youth Ministry have access to the updated Model Policy for the Protection of Children and Youth and have completed all necessary Safe Church training.

These Are Our Bodies

These Are Our Bodies  is a new resource available through Church Publishing that helps us all have conversations about our sexuality within a faith community.The book is a theological and practical guide to conversation about the complexities of sexuality in today's world, grounded in the Episcopal tradition. This book includes the role of sexuality in our lives in all its dimensions as well as a practical guide to help inform church educators, clergy, parents, youth workers, or anyone who seeks to broaden their knowledge on this subject.

" There is an urgent need across the Church for faithful, honest conversations with young people about sexuality. Finally, we have the sturdy resource we need to hold them. Honoring the inherent tension between the beauty and the complexity of the God-given gift of human sexuality, These Are Our Bodies is written for real people with real lives. It invites parents and church leaders into the serious, hopeful work of integrating body and soul."

––Lisa Kimball, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning, Virginia Theological Seminary

This book also serves as the foundation for the  These Are Our Bodies  educational materials. Teaching materials and curricula are available for elementary students, middle school students, high school students, young adults, and adults.

Confirmation Resources

Confirmation Resources

My Faith, My Life: A Teen’s Guide to the Episcopal  Church, by Jenifer Gamber  

The Five Marks of Mission and what it means to be a disciple of Christ are a focus of this new version, which also models student-centered learning as opposed to teacher driven instruction. For teen study and confirmation preparation, this book can serve as a curriculum for helping teens discover Scripture, church history, sacraments, the meaning and practice of prayer, and what ministry means in the lives of real teens today. A framework for small-group gatherings for each chapter is included as a new section in the back of the book. To help in teaching, there is a fabulous website, www.myfaithmylife.org, which contains helps for leaders as well as pages for youth and parents with a special focus on spiritual practices.  A separate revised leader's guide is also available. 

Confirm not Conform (CnC), (youth and adult versions)       

This curriculum for the Episcopal Church discribes itself as “a confirmation program that emphasizes giving youth a choice and a voice and  giving adults a safe space to explore their questions and choices.” The program is divided into 16 lessons covering a variety of topics and also includes plans for field trips and a weekend retreat.  Although teachers are needed for the class, the youth program also includes mentors, parents, and the entire congregation in the faith journey of those seeking confirmation.  Pricing is on a sliding scale based on parish attendance.  Please note that there is a confirmation service included in the program which will need to be adapted for use in a deanery-wide confirmation setting.
 
I Will, With God’s Help, by Mary Lee Wile

I Will With God’s Help for youth and adults is based on the Baptismal Covenant. It offers meditative, prayerful sessions that invite participants to share their own faith journeys in the light of Episcopal tradition. A leader’s guide, adult journal and youth journal for grades 8-12 are available.  A “mentor’s guide” helps in a program designed for more one-on-one mentoring rather than large classes. The sessions in the Leader's Guide can be completed in a traditional six- to twelve-week program, or adapted to contemporary innovations, such as an intense confirmation retreat or conference. Those using longer two- or three-year preparation programs will also find I Will, With God's Help ideal for immediate preparation for the sacrament. The activities are flexible and can be used for youth, adult, or intergenerational preparation programs. I will, With God's Help encourages ongoing support from the whole parish community and includes creative suggestions for congregational involvement. (Amy Cook says, "My experience is that this curriculum usually works best with older youth, and would need to be adapted for most junior high groups.")

Living Water: Baptism as a Way of Life, by Klara Tammany                       

"A must-have book for every parish priest!" This book is divided into eight sessions around baptism and the baptismal promises with plenty of extra material on how best to use the sessions. “Sessions” are so full of prayers, scripture, readings, and activities that it can be used as reference material only or as the basis for a complete lesson.  Loaded with resources, Living Water can be used in preparation for baptism, confirmation/reception, or reaffirmation of faith (although it is “not intended as a complete program of preparation for confirmation/reception.") Though written initially for adults, with some adaptation the sessions can be used in an intergenerational setting, or with children and/or youth.  Resource lists help link books, movies, and other media and ideas to each of the chapters.  The emphasis is on spiritual formation rather than academic knowledge. An excellent resource!

Confirmation Curriculum for Jr. High Young People, Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, 2005 (An adult curriculum is also available)

The Diocese of Alabama has offered the church a great gift in their FREE confirmation curriculum that they share on their website. These 21 lessons cover the areas of Christian Faith, Episcopal Identity, and Responding to God’s Love. They are well written and easy to use. There is a version for adults as well. 

Other Resources for Confirmation:
Resources at Forma:  https://www.forma.church/youth/

Do a search in www.buildfaith.org and there are several articles:  https://www.buildfaith.org/?s=confirmation

Special Note: these resources are provided and updated by Amy Cook, formerly of the Diocese of Massachussetts and now Working Group Head for Faith Formation in the Episcopal Diocese of California. 

Nurturing Young Prophets: A lesson plan based on the July 8, 2018 sermon at the General Convention Eucharist.

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.

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.

Thinking About Mindfulness: Supporting Resiliency in an Anxious World

A growing body of research supports what any of us working with young people already know--that our young people are experiencing increasing amounts of stress.   More importantly, a growing body of evidence supports that increased time on smartphones is part of the problem. Well, smartphones are not going away, but as you consider how to shape your program and relationships with your young people this year, here are a couple of articles that offer some simple but powerful steps we can take to help counteract the stress our kids are suffering under.

A recent Washington Post article, "Teens are more stressed and anxious, but they don't know why...," stresses the importance of what many youth workers already value, the power of personal connections. The essay, written by a psychologist on a suicide hot line, also includes several excellent links to other resources on talking with young people about serious mental health concerns.

More attention is also being given to the value of mindfulness and meditation. Pediatrician Dr. Dzung X. Vo maintains Mindfulness for Teens, a website of resources for young people interested in increasing their mindfulness skills. While Dr. Vo's approach is secular, these tools can easily be adapted in developing a spiritual practice to help young people build up their resiliency by strengthening their connection to God through Christ.

Faithfully Facebook: A Lesson Plan and Social Strategy for Youth Ministries

Facebook is and will be for a while, the dominant social network in Youth Ministry. It can be a great tool to communicate with teenagers and to collaborate on teams.  However, with anything there can also be pitfalls.  We have seen rampant hacking of Facebook accounts, cyberbullying through Facebook, and many people who posted something that they intended to be seen by only a few people.  

This lesson was developed by Randall Curtis, Ministry Developer for Young Adults and Youth for the Diocese of Arkansas, and a national leader in using social media as a tool for ministry. The lesson serves as a tool to help you talk with your young people about issues around Facebook and faith, and it offers a set of suggested practices for youth ministers who use Facebook.

Video Discussion Starter: Youth Voice and Engagement in the Church

Two interviews from a recent General Convention are great tools to start a dialogue within your church--among your young people and between youth and adults--about the extent to which young people and their full involvement may be encouraged and discouraged in your parish.

Megan Lightcap (St. Paul's, Natick) and Michelle St. Francis (Trinity Church, Concord) attended General Convention as observers thanks to support from the Mass. chapter of Episcopal Church Women (ECW).  While there, they maintained a video blog, and two of their entries included interviews with the two youngest deputies from the Massachuetts delegation:  Sarah Neumann (20, from Church of the Redeemer, Lexington) and Sam Gould (26, from St. Paul's, Brookline).

In the interviews, Sarah and Sam talk from their experience as young leaders seeking and finding their voice in the church today.

The interviews are included in a video available free online>> 

After viewing the two videos with your youth group, have a discussion:

• To what extent are Sarah's and Sam's experiences in wanting to be involved in the church governing bodies similar and dissimilar from your own?

• To what extent are their experiences with being taken seriously by others in the church similar and dissimilar from your own?

• What lessons have Sarah and Sam learned about what it takes to be heard as a young person in the church?

• In what ways does our parish encourage young people to "step up" and share the work and responsibility of our life together?

• In what ways does our parish discourage young people's voice?

• What advice might Sarah and Sam have for our young people? For our vestry?

• What suggestions do you have for how we can do better as a youth group and as a parish to encourage more youth voice and engagement in the church?

This could be a great discussion at your youth group meeting.  Could also be a great start to having a broader conversation between young people and your vestry, or perhaps as a format for a Sunday forum open to the entire congregation.

Thinking About Sanctuary: What Youth Leaders and Young People Can do for Immigrant Families

People around the diocese are thinking about how to make their parishes into safe sanctuaries, especially for those families and individuals who are being targeted by homeland security. This list of resources for youth leaders and youth groups can help you think about what your parish can do to help this effort:

1.) A “Know Your Rights” handout for young people and families, in English and Spanish.

This is for undocumented people and their allies who are worried about an Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) raid on a home or workplace. This guide assists the creation of an immigration raid family plan for your family or for another family in your congregation or community.

2.) A guide for educators and school support staff published by the American Federation of Teachers

This is a longer document that includes tools and resources to help protect and prepare youth and families. It tells you how to defend the rights of undocumented students. Church members may know about the 2011 policy memo that says ICE agents should refrain from conducting enforcement activities in churches. This is the basis of the so called, "sanctuary movement." You should know that schools, hospitals, and public demonstrations are also protected spaces according to this memo.

3.) A sample school board resolution defending access to education for every child.

This is for parishes who are considering lobbying their local school boards and committees to establish their schools as safe zones.

4. Ten myths about immigration.  

Misperceptions about immigration and immigrants are common. Here are a few of the most frequently spread misconceptions, along with information to help your students separate fact from fiction.

5.) Supporting young people from immigrant families.

In addition to a catalog of resources and information, the Teaching Tolerance website includes a host of lesson plans for a range of ages on immigration, changing demographics, and social justice. Easily adapted for a Sunday School or youth group event or series.

Thinking About Programs

Are you thinking about adding new structure to your church youth program this fall? Whether you are creating something new, or fine-tuning well-established programming, here are some thoughts to help steer your planning, adapted from resources offered by Elizabeth Barker Ring, a consultant for formation and leadership in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine:

1.) Keep flexibility in mind. Your curriculum should serve as a helping-hand in the process of forming and asking open-ended, invitational questions. The process of making and asking of questions together helps young people build a community of trust with each other.

2.) Be mindful to places where you can center your programs in prayer. Think of prayer as an invitation to youth to lay what is on their hearts and minds on the table without needing to discuss it. The prayer can stem from a piece of scripture from the lectionary, or an invitation to some shared action in the community.

3.) Start with whatever is on the hearts and minds of the youth; this way they can respond to you confidently from the fullness of their faith.

Our Favorite Sites for Youth Workers, Youth Leaders, and Families

cultureandyouth.org
This website, the result of an ongoing partnership between Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Boston's Emmanuel Gospel Center, seeks to serve youth ministers, mentors, and other youth workers at the grass-roots level and hopes to encourage discussion of rather than division over complex and sometimes controversial issues.

Among the resources on the site is a vast "Infopedia" of articles on everything from depression and immigration to sexting and white privilege.  The articles include information on a given topic plus discussion questions and implications for action.  The site also includes links to other regional, national, and international organizations and informational clearinghouses.

Working with Youth on the Autism Spectrum 
The Rev. Rebecca Black has developed some training materials through her work with Rhythms of Grace.  Her hope is to help prepare churches to work with youth on the Autism spectrum.  For a sample of the materials available check out at the "Tips for Youth Group Leaders" and "What Churches Can Do".

BuildFaith

Buildfaith.org, a product of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary, contains a wealth of articles and resources on Christian education and formation for children, young people, and adults. Articles are written by ministers, lay and ordained, in a variety of settings, and are thoughtful, helpful, and well-organized.

Youth Specialties
A website designed for predominantly evangelical/ large church Youth Ministers, it hosts a huge amount of information-- some of which will be applicable to Episcopal Churches, and some of which will not be. However, there is some good information out there, especially if you have a large church youth group.

Episcopal Church Resources

New Model Policy for Safeguarding our Children & Young People
In April 2018, a task force of the Episcopal Church released an updated "Model Policy for the Protection of Children and Youth" . The group also wrote a " Model Policy for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults ." This work was launched in 2015 by a resolution of General Convention, and over the next 2 and a half years, experts and practitioners from around the country worked on the update.

Digital Communication and Social Media Guidelines
Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and updated in 2017, this document provides guidance to clergy and congregational leadership in their use of digital/electronic technology and social media.

TED Talk Lenten Study
This curriculum was developed by the Diocese of Massachusetts Office of Youth Ministry and isn't just for Lent, but instead can be used during any 5-session program in which you want to use engaging TED Talks and Scripture to invite youth (and adults) to wonder about what God is asking from them.  Download HERE.

Episcopal Church Youth Ministry
Information, resources and news about youth from the denomination (formerly known as the 'National Church').

d365.org
Daily devotions set to music, with reflections and questions suitable for youth and adults!

My Faith, My Life
A guide to the Episcopal Church for teens and their families and mentors. Great resources, reflections and information about upcoming workshops-- the basis for the website is the book, My Faith, My Life, which has been used for Confirmation curricula.