— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
Church is not the one hour where formal worship happens. It is a community of people. Many a times we forget that young people – teens and the tweens are integral part of the church.
However, several of my friends think they are not properly heard, valued or validated.
Each of them have different god experiences and encounters with spirituality but they think the elderly are unwilling to adapt, to include youthy ways.
Some find what is happening at church very disconnected to their world. Some have not developed the habit of going to church at all, some cannot imagine sitting through while others find it not so interesting.
We must also accept that there are some people who find church a very meaningful and motivating experience.
What do young people expect?
- They expect a community that connects to them and to which they can connect.
- They expect a safe and open meeting space where they can be themselves, where they can talk, listen and express without fear.
- They expect a space where their expectations are met, their cultural ethos is understood, their language appreciated and their potential acknowledged.
Church going should not come from parental pressure, it should come from a genuine interest from within. The young people must be allowed to design their own programs. They must be subjects and decision makers. Their possibilities must be seen as a positive strength of the church.
Like the families in faith, the youth in faith should meet. Like the men’s or women’s breakfast a youth breakfast should be thought of. Like the men’s hike a teenagers day out could be envisaged. Like the wise ones a youth gathering can be planned. Like the all age service a youth led service could be designed. Like the bible studies being done studies led by youth could be thought of. Like exchanges and exposure visits planned opportunities must be made available to young people.
There is lot of potential. Help us be subjects of our lives. We are as integral part of the church as each other person is. Just give us the space. Listen to us.
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 