Tenebrae: Service of Shadows

The St. Paul's Youth Group will be offering a unique incarnation of the Tenebrae Service this March 23rd (6pm).
Tenebrae means shadows, and the Tenebrae service begins with light and ends in near darkness.  This is a contemplative service that will be comfortable for a wide audience.
This service is a collection of excerpts and prayers from the devotional book Common Prayer for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro, as well as a selection of quotes and readings curated by our young people over our time together. 
We hope you will practice a devoted Holy week by dedicating yourself to deeper and more frequent communal worship.

Lego My Bible: Lent 1B

Three baskets of Lego's, three children's Bible, several generations and coffee hour.
Today's lessons included Noah and Jesus 40 days in the wilderness.   You might notice several stages of Jesus' temptations.  Then you might notice that Noah now has a drone craft instead of a dove. 

Join us next week for more Lego my Bible!

Dance Like No One is Watching: FORMA and PNEUMA and Why You Should 'Dance'

On New Years Eve I was invited to a Contra Dancing party.  I looked it up online, where I learned it was folk dancing.  I wanted to do something for the holiday, but I hemmed and hawed as I thought about strangers, and dancing dances I don’t know with strangers, and a place I have never been.  Finally I chose to go, but I took my own car in case I wanted to leave.  I began the evening making Mr. Darcy jokes, but like he, I soon had a change of heart.  In the end, I loved it.  I discovered I already knew people there, and I met new people. To participate you have to work together with friends and strangers.   You have to truly connect with other dancers.  That Contra dance was a blessing to my well-being and my spirit and laid to waste all that time I had spent debating whether to go.  Maybe you have been there.  Maybe there is a group you think about but hold back.  Maybe your reasoning is solid.  In the meantime, consider this.

One of the best horizontal networks in the Episcopal Church is FORMA.  Once known as NAECED (National Association of Episcopal Christian Education Directors) in the last 5 years it has reshaped itself to meet the contemporary needs of Episcopal leaders serving in lifelong formation.  Similarly the ecumenical Western Christian Educators Conference has evolved into PNEUMA to nurture anyone serving in lifelong formation.  FORMA comes from the Latin `to shape’ and so to does PNEUMA referring to the breath of God that fills our service.  I am a long term member with  FORMA and on the planning board for PNEUMA, and both are invaluable to my ministry of formation with all ages.  

The most important part of the membership and conferences are the connections.  There is not a single person serving in this diocese who is serving alone.  There are hundreds of fellow servants wondering about program and insurance and planning and teaching and pastoring.  Everyday on the FORMA Facebook page and list serve there are colleagues who are asking the question you just thought of, and others you have but have never put words to.  These connections become resources in themselves.  People to lean on when the life of ministry is challenging and ideas to copy when your creative feet grow weary.  The PNEUMA conference offers the particular gift of an ecumenical connection.  It is incredibly easy to get stuck in our own denominational dance clubs and group think.  The ecumenical dimension helps us to discover that our brothers and sisters are often trying the same dances, and sometimes they have discovered ways to flow that we have missed.  

Last summer I encouraged a friend and new formation minister to apply for the lifelong ministry certificate with FORMA.  He says ” The FORMA conference is an incredible occasion to meet youth workers and learn what others are doing on a church wide level. The vast amount of knowledge and expertise at available through FORMA has allowed me to make incredible connections with formation workers across the international Episcopal church."

I have said it elsewhere, and I will repeat myself.  FORMA membership is the best money any congregation can spend to support anyone who teaches or supervises or baptizes or nurtures in the Episcopal church.  Period.  This is an association of ‘those who get stuff done’ and some of the hardest working and most helpful people in our life together.  The PNEUMA conference on the other hand offers nurture for those who nurture, and a colleague network that shares the experience of proclamation in the Western USA.  Furthermore the Province 8 Youth Ministry network meets concurrently with PNEUMA, and has substantial scholarship funds available to support your participation.  Take the time and commit the resources to a more connected formation ministry.  Join the dance!

To become a FORMA member visit www.episcoforma.org.  Our next conference is in January 2016 in Philadelphia.

To learn more about the PNEUMA Conference visit www.pneumaconference.com . Our next conference is this October at the Bishop’s Ranch near Santa Rosa, California.  It will feature congregational systems and diversity expert Eric Law. And the Sonoma wine country.  Which isn't as good as Washington Wine country, but it ain't bad.  

Ash Wednesday Prayer Centers

The practice of repentance and confession isn't just for adults.  Even young children can name things they do and say that keep them from being who they are supposed to be.  Beginning the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday practices is an ancient practice that has nurtured Christian formation for over a thousand years.   However, we also know that family schedules are difficult to negotiate.   So in 2015, on February 18th we will offer several self guided Ash Wednesday prayer stations. 

These centers/stations will include:

• the Burning of Sins, 
• Ashes to Go
• Biblical Story and
• Weaving of prayers.  

These stations are come-and-go as you need, they do not need to be encountered in any particular order, and they do not require the ability to read.  That said they are meaningful for people of all ages.  The prayer stations will be open after school until just before the evening liturgy.

Ash Wednesday Youth & Family Prayer Stations
3-6.30pm                     18 February 2015

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
303 Catherine Street Walla Walla, Washington
www.stpaulsww.org

New Beginnings:5x5 Songs and Videos 2014

The Scripture
Good Samaritan

Songs:
Hello
 We are Going to Be Friends by the White Stripes

The Videos:
Hurt

Help

Human

Hands

A complete set (plus a few) is here: http://youtu.be/nwAYpLVyeFU?list=PLiEKciTZzrWVmPPbLyZCkdOB7-PNeCA5n

NB:5x5 Leadership Team Message 1

Leadership Team Overnight is November 1-2 at All Saints in Richland!!!!

We will begin at 10am.

• We know some of you will still be on your way at that moment!   
• Please keep Jane posted about your travel.   
•  If you need help arranging carpools…contact Lucas K if you are in the Spokane area..and Jane or Colin if elsewhere. 
• We will have dinner available when you arrive.   
• We will finish up after lunch after the worship service on Sunday morning, WHERE THE BISHOP WILL BE PRESENT!!  So 2-3ish.

Where are You Going: All Saints Episcopal Church in Richland, Washington

To BRING

• Sleeping on the floor stuff            
• Comfy appropriate clothes and shoes
• Church clothes  (as you choose)           
• Toiletries and stuff               
• Water bottle
• Mobile device (if you use one) and if you have a TABLET OR NOTEBOOK COMPUTER that you regularly use.  (If you don’t regularly use one then don’t worry about it).
• A paper notepad and writing implements

THEME THOUGHTS FOR YOU

5X5: It is radio code for being all clear.  Sort of like the ‘can you hear me now’ commercials.  For the Buffy fans in the crew it is also something that Faith commonly utters which seems analogous with ‘cool’.  What brings the ‘all clear’ to your life and the lives of your peers? What causes the static and the not ‘all clear’??

The scripture for the event is the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Do you know it as well as you imagine?  Have you really read it?  Can you search for cool online videos of the story?  How about children’s bible versions of the parable??  What is the primary question of the parable and what is the answer??????  How does this speak to the life of young people right now??

New Beginnings: 5x5 November 14-15-16 in Richland!

5x5 is the radio code that means ‘all clear’.   

This New Beginnings weekend will be exploring how Christian practice and community can bring a sense of '5x5' when your life seems anything but clear. 

New Beginnings: 5x5 will include at least 5 of each of these:

• talks/small groups on issues important to teen life right now
• prayer/worship events
• games
• meals
• snacks
• new friends
• songs
• surprises!

This year's event will be held at All Saint's Episcopal Church in Richland, Washington.

New Beginnings: 5x5 is supported by the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane and reflects this tradition and our commitments.  That said, all are welcome, no exceptions needed.   
Registration is online, required and will be available at this link!

•  6-8^th graders who want to attend this New Beginning’s event may do so, even if they have gone before.  
•  7-8^th graders who attended previously are eligible to be on the Leadership Team . 

9-12^th graders who have attended New Beginnings, TEC, or served as a Camp Cross counselor (or something very similar) will be well prepared for applying to join the leadership team.   9^th-12^th graders who are active in an Episcopal congregation may certainly apply as well.  

All adults who are currently leading and serving in any Episcopal congregation in the diocese (lay/ordained/paid/volunteer) and are current on safe church training are invited to help assist and chaperone the NB5x5 event.  

Click the email me button to the right if you have any questions. 

If you need a flyer...do the same!