Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Youth Led Worship Coming In June


Yesterday I opened up my email and found the monthly YOUTH MINISTRY E-BULLETIN in the ole inbox. The editor, Rev. Terry Dittmer reminds all of us:

YOUTH MINISTRY SUNDAY/MONTH . . . June has traditionally been youth ministry month. Many churches have special youth lead worship on one of the Sundays in June. A worship resource for youth Sunday will be published in thESource in May (http://www.youthesource.com/).

I had almost forgotten that June is youth ministry month! I have to guess that a majority of folks are as in the dark as I was until I opened my email. What a shame it would be to let such a great opportunity pass without letting our youth lead us in our worship.

As the chair of Board of Youth I feel it is my duty to bring this crucial issue to our council in our meeting next week. I hope all of you who read this would follow my lead, forgo the old stuffy liturgies that have been used for centuries, and let your youth groups show the entire congregation how a true heart filled worship is done.

8 comments:

ghp said...

Hey Frank, I haven't checked yet, but is anti-Ablaze! stuff covered in the new DHS report on signs of activity and/or sympathy for right-wing terrorist groups (sort of like Ron Paul bumper stickers)?

If so, this post makes good sense, my friend. Good sense, indeed... ;^)

Dan @ Necessary Roughness said...

June has traditionally been youth ministry month.Ach! I must have missed that in the historic lectionary. Or the three-year lectionary. Or ...

Steve Martin said...

Why not!?

Maybe July could be 'pet worship leadership month'.

A howling liturgy.

What's next?

Elephantschild said...

My daughter loves to pretend she's a dog, and she "howls" along with the hymns sometimes. (She's not reading well enough yet to read along with the hymns.)

So a howling liturgy would work great!


(Not.)

Kelly Klages said...

Lately, my toddler has been frequently trying to run down the side aisle during church and poke at the organ (the one that's not plugged in, fortunately). Surely we want to discourage such behavior? ;o)

Isn't the idea of "youth ministry month," or "Youth Sunday," kind of a natural out-flow from the concept of "LWML Sunday"? Let an interest group or club from within the congregation draw attention to themselves and their works during the Divine Service?

Which, of course, is a natural out-flow from adopting a modern, non-liturgical, Protestant practice of worship where Mother's Day Sunday is a special holy day, but nothing happens in church on Good Friday. Or even Christmas.

Frank Gillespie said...

As long as Toddler K isn’t running down the isle speaking in strange tongues that can’t seem to be interpreted I think your ok;-)

On a serious note, it’s amazing how interested babies and toddlers ARE interested in what goes on in the Divine Service. Those ragamuffins seem to want to know everything about everything. Thankfully as a congregation we have helped parents to understand that kids belong in church every bit as much as the adults do. I know many that actually encourage dropping kids off in the nursery. This just grates on me like nobody’s business.

You’re right on the “Youth Sunday” roots.

I would also add that Bill Hybels’ contribution to involving youth in worship as way to retain them of keep the interested longer cant be overlooked. Remember, Hybels started out as a youth group leader and turned his group into one of the largest mega-churches in the country.

I fell prey to liking this stuff before I went all Sithy back when I was in the LCA. The youth group I was with hijacked a Sunday service for our exciting and dynamic clown ministry. I volunteered to pick out the coolest rock and or roll music to ever be played in a church and defiled and desecrated God’s house in the process. Thankfully I’m forgiven for those sins as well… Just one more reason for me to hate clowns.

Kelly Klages said...

We've had "nursery issues" lately, so I won't delve into that too much, but I'd appreciate being able to use our nursery a little more than I actually do. Being very pregnant, I don't have any energy to chase after my crazy toddler (who sometimes is very good all throughout the service). And with Daddy in the pulpit, there's no other family to sit with. I suppose I could try pew-hopping and get other adults to help tie her down, but I always feel like I'm intruding on people's "personal space."

Frank Gillespie said...

Kelly, I DO think that moms should have a nursery to go to if needed. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. All I have a problem with is those adults who think the church is for the big people only and kids cant get anything out of the Divine Service and dump previously mentioned kids in a play area.

Our parents are fortunate enough to have the nursery wired to listen to what’s going on in the sanctuary.