Angie's Youth and Young Adult Ministry Blog

Rhubarb

Rhubarb. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground with this vegetable. Fruit. Whatever. Those who love it really love it. Those who hate it really hate it.

Anyway, it's rhubarb season (in case you didn't know). And rhubarb season only means one thing for me: pie. Rhubarb pie. Not rhubarb/strawberry pie. Not even rhubarb cream pie. Just simple, old fashioned rhubarb pie. The kind grandma used to make.

4 cups of rhubarb (hand picked from your own backyard or borrowed from a friend's yard). 1 cup of sugar. 1/4 cup of flour. Toss is all up, put it in a pie crust, top it off with a butter/flour/cinnamon mixture, throw it in the oven and in 45 minutes you have instant memories--transported back to a simpler time when people actually picked things to eat out of their own yards, where pies were commonplace at the dinner table (before calories and points were calculated on an hourly basis), when neighbors would drop by just to say 'hi'--no agenda--and we had time to sit down and have a cup of coffee with those we love and care about. No rushing. No cell phones. No e-mail. We shared our highs and lows daily, in person. What a great idea.

Share your highs and lows with someone you care about today. Ask them about theirs, too. It would only take about fifteen minutes and would greatly improve your relationship. If you can do it over a piece of rhubarb pie, all the better.

Confirmation Retreat 2006

Our end-of-the-year confirmation retreat has come and gone...and it was great! Lots of memories. Little sleep. Skits. Worship. Singing. Learning about ourselves. Learning about God. Making decisions whether or not to be confirmed into the church. Laughter. Tears. Late nights around a bonfire. Early mornings overlooking the lake. Friends. Food. Good times.

Check out the photos in the photo album!

And while I'm bragging...

My bonus-son (Paul's son) Ben just won Best of Show at a local art show. Actually, he won two Best of Show awards: one from a group of his peers (from area high schools) and one from the professional artists judging the show. This is the piece that won the awards--an oil self-portrait.

Very cool.

Prom Night

I'm not old enough for this. It was just a few years ago that it was me getting my hair done, getting dressed up, and dancing all night at my high school prom. And now, it's my daughter's turn. Here we are--I'm dressed for a weekend at camp for confirmation retreat and she's dressed for prom.

Time flies. She's a great kid. And growing up so-o-o-o fast.

Retreat Weekend

My favorite time--confirmation retreat--is here! And it looks like a beautiful weekend, too. Tonight, all of the eighth grade confirmation students and their adult guides will take off for Pilgrim Heights Retreat Center where we will spend the next day and a half laughing, praying, climbing (a ropes course), eating, learning a little more about ourselves, worshiping, and making the decisions whether or not to be confirmed. It's the best weekend of the year.

Keep us in your prayers!

Marriage Prep

I have five weddings coming up in the next few months. As a part of pre-marital counseling, I encourage couples to read, "The Hard Questions: 100 Essential Questions to Ask Before You Say 'I Do'" by Susan Piver. If you are married--or thinking about getting married--see how you and your significant other answer these questions. The answers might surprise you!

1. How much money do we earn together? Now? In five years? Who is responsible for which portion? Now? In five years?

2. How much money is in our checking account(s) right now?

3. What kinds of purchases must be jointly decided upon?

4. If one of us doesn't want to work, under what circumstances (if any) would that be OK?

5. When, if ever, do we want to retire? How would we like to spend our time after retirement?

6. Am I affectionate enough with my partner?

7. What if one of us is attracted to someone else?

8. Who is responsible for cooking? Grocery shopping? Cleaning up after cooking?

9. Are each of us happy with the other's approach to health? Does one have habits or tendencies that concern the other (i.e.: smoking, excessive dieting, poor health, etc.)?

10. If we have children, what kind of relationship do we hope our parents will have to their grandchildren? How much time will they spend together?

11. What holidays and events do we feel are important to spend with our family of origin? Do we have special celebration? If so, what is involved and where are celebrations held?

12. Will we have children together?

13. Will we raise our children with any particular religious or spiritual beliefs? If so, how will we do this? Will we give our children a religious education or expect them to participate in religious rituals? What will we teach our children about big issues such as God? Birth? Suffering? Death?

14. Do we share a religion? Do we share a spiritual practice?

15. Will we be buried? Where? If not, what do we want to have happen to our bodies?

Buy the book to read the other 85 questions. It's worth it.

Easter Madness

The rush, rush, rush to get ready for Holy Week has stopped. The bulletins are printed. The readers have been secured. Rehearsals have taken place. If it's not ready by now, it's not going to be ready.

So I've stopped, too. Stopped doing anything but resting in the importance of this weekend. This is what it's all about: in the face of pain, betrayal, loneliness, and even death...love wins. Every time.

Last night, I sat in the darkness of the Maundy Thursday service, let the music of the choir pour over me, shared communion with friends, and heard the familiar--yet always new--story once again. Tonight, I will sit in the darkness of the less popular Good Friday service--the one where pain is all around: in the story, in the music, in our prayers. This is the day of death, a day of sadness. Tomorrow, it will be darkness again at the Holy Saturday service where we will tell our story from the beginning: how God created us, how God has been with us through good times and bad times, and how God is with us still.

Sometime in there, I'll sit with the candle in the chapel, think back on the times I have experienced "thin moments" with God and remember the times that I have done everything I can to distance myself from God--and then I'll pray that the 'thin moments' come more often and that God might forgive me for all of the times I have run the other way.

And then...and then...Easter. Joy dawns again on Easter day. At 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning, more than 20 7th graders will lead worship and give us the good news that Christ is risen, indeed. What a great way to kick off the day--instead of darkness, we'll have light. We'll sing and share communion again. And then we'll smile and know that God is with us no matter what. Love wins.

Alleluia.

Way Cool Journals

Check out the Head to the Heart Living journals @ www.faithink.com. These journals are really pieces of art--more like a way cool scrapbook, yearbook and journal rolled into one beautiful package. Next year, we'll be using these in confirmation as a way to get kids to write their thoughts and families to know what is going on.

Way cool!

Why Youth Ministry?

At Plymouth, we are in the process of ending the program year. As a part of that process, we review what worked well, what didn't, and where we can improve. In reviewing our new youth ministry structure and the direction it is headed, I am drawn to this passage from "The God Bearing Life". We can program and plan and structure our lives away, but without relationship--without practicing the presence of God--it is all for nothing. My hope is that we will continue to provide even more opportunities for youth to just 'be' with other youth and caring adults--that they know and are known by God. In that, they will become active in church programs and projects...but not until they know that someone cares. See what you think:

From "The God-Bearing Life" (p. 140-141):

Sitting with a teenager as she pours out her heart over a love relationship that seemed so right and turned out to be so wrong...hanging out with a couple of youth at Pizza Hut and talking about lots of things, nothing in particular...listening to a sixteen year old boy hesitantly begin to tell the story about his parents' divorce...praying with a sobbing young woman who doesn't feel that anyone likes her anymore...sitting quietly as a young man tired to figure out what God wants him to do with his life...

When we (adults) give others permission to drop their guard and venture cautionsly into the depths of their souls, we are involved in a powerful form of ministry. We may not feel that we are doing anything of value; our compulsvie sides may tempt us to be more productive in our ministries than just sitting and listening and talking. The expectations of parents, church boards, and other staff members feed this tendency toward frenzied activity--the fuller the youth calendar, the more successful our ministry appears to others.

Godbearers need to resist the temptaiton toward numbers and constant motion and take the time to be with youth, to be present with them, knowing that it is enough--maybe even more than enough.

One Week Down...

Back at work for a week now, here are the 10 most common questions/comments I have received so far:

1. Your hair really grows fast! (yes, it does)

2. Are you really glad to be back at work or are you just faking it? (yes, I'm really glad to be back; however, I do miss watching 'Ellen' and walking the dog whenever I feel like it)

3. What was your most fun thing you did on sabbatical? (depends on your definition of fun: sometimes I would say 'learning about the brain' and other times I would say 'going on the yoga retreat' but most of the time I would say 'hanging with the kids on the weekend')

4. What was your least favorite thing about sabbatical? (absolutely nothing--I loved it all)

5. How will you keep your sense of calm and centeredness now that you're back at work? (meditation, yoga, and attempting to stay focused on whatever task is at hand--I tend to cross wires and work on too many things at a time and that makes me crazy)

6. What did you learn? (that I work too hard--I need more balance)

7. What do you hope to accomplish before your next sabbatical? (create an awesome Stepping Stones program at Plymouth--one that will make brand us as 'the church that really cares about growing faith in families')

8. Will Saturday worship change now that you've studied more about the brain? (you'll have to see for yourself!)

9. Did you miss us (Plymouth folk)? (yes. sometimes.)

10. Did you accomplish the things you set out to accomplish? (not at all--I threw away my "things to do on sabbatical list" after about a month and just let things happen. It was much better that way!)