Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs

April 26, 2013

Being Schooled

With the enticement of pizza and pop, the youth group gathered to talk with us about how to support and strengthen the Latino community.

We learned a lot – the need for bilingual materials, desire for resources on the sacraments and saints, and the absence of culturally relevant primers on The Episcopal Church that they could give to family and friends. But they also schooled me in ways of being community.

This teaching wasn’t delivered lecture-style or with PowerPoint but rather in the interactions of the youth group, the way they respected each other, cared and supported each member.

From this evening, I learned some important lessons in building community, especially among young people.

Acceptance: This group included the college-bound senior who plans to study aeronautics and a worker at the local recycling center. Some were students of the area high school; others attended charter or trade schools. But the accomplishments and concerns were treated with equal respect and interest.
Leadership: The group intentionally cultivates leaders. As some of the members introduced themselves, they called themselves leaders. The organizers were in their early 20s and grew up in the group. It was clear that nurturing and supporting leaders of all ages was a priority – that teaching and mentoring young people as leaders was a significant part of the ethos of the group. There was a created a sense of ownership and accountability to each other and to the church. They weren’t just part of a youth group – they were leaders in the congregation. Their voices mattered.
Flexibility: Most youth groups seem to target a specific age group – middle school, high school, college-age, etc. And in some ways, it makes a lot of sense to group people by age and maturity. But the youth group at this church doesn’t have an age limit. A lot of the youth bring their younger brothers and sisters – their parents are working, and they are the caregivers for the siblings. If the youth group didn’t let the younger kids come, then the older ones wouldn’t be able to make it either. This group understands the needs of its community – and is willing to be flexible and responsive.

In a time when lots of adults are hand-wringing about the future of the church, these young people are living in it. Now I just need to figure out how to put that in a pamphlet.