The Compass WORSHIP When we mention worship we mean two things: the actual practice of living worshipfully (Romans 12:1-2) and also participation in the worship service. As we participate in worship we enter into the diversity of the community. As we practice living out worshipful lives, we are being transformed to more closely resemble God’s Kingdom!
Youth Ministry at Westbury UMC
MENTORING
YOUTH GROUP
Mentoring is the intentional process of pairing people in the community for mutual benefit! Our hope and dream is that all Westbury youth will at one point in time in the youth ministry experience the joys of being mentored by someone in our faith community. To begin this process all Confirmands are paired with mentors during their first year.
Youth Group is a weekly meeting designed for youth! It involves studentled worship, games, a relevant lesson and is a great place for students to simply be themselves. At Westbury UMC, we believe that the two most important relationships students have are with God and other people. We exist to celebrate and foster this idea.
SUNDAY SCHOOL & SMALL GROUPS Sunday School and Small Groups are designed to guide students deeper in their relationship with God and those around them. During these times, which are specifically structured for youth, we will have an opportunity to hear from great teachers and spend some time with our friends.
“Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” Romans 12:13
Welcome & Connection Oftentimes when we walk into a church we need a guide, a quick rundown of where to find things. Welcoming and connecting with parents, grandparents, guardians, brothers and sisters, and teenagers is all a part of what we do at Westbury. It’s a way in which we can partner with those directly involved in the life of young people. We recognize that connecting with and welcoming all people into our community is crucial. That is why we have numerous events throughout the year, which aim to welcome and connect everyone to the youth. The purpose behind these events is two fold: 1) to allow people to connect with youth and 2) to allow parents, grandparents, guardians and teenagers to field their questions and gather the information that will best equip them for the faith journey ahead. Furthermore, the youth ministry is simply a part of the incredible ministry of Westbury. We desire to connect with your and partner with you. A way we do this is through our shared values. Just as the larger church centers itself around these same values, the youth of Westbury aim to be about: multicultural inclusiveness, grace, accountability, transformation and community. At Westbury UMC, our desire is that we would create opportunities for all parents and teenagers to feel welcomed and connected. Throughout the year we will host Parent Meetings, Parent Seminars, Family Conferences, Sunday Socials and other events.
Resources The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter Open Doors, Open Arms by Abingdon Press Five Practices of Fruitful Youth Ministry by Robert Schnase & Terry B. Carty
“I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:18–19
Confirmation Confirmation is primarily for those in the 6th grade, or any middle school student who has not gone through this experience. Confirmation is that time in a person’s life when they respond to God’s grace with intentional commitment, publicly reaffirming their baptismal vows before the congregation. During Confirmation our students will encounter the teachings of the Church, specifically the United Methodist heritage in which we are a part. They will learn about the creation, the fall of humankind, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Church, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, and John Wesley’s unique view of grace, all while encountering the scripture in every lesson. Furthermore, the confirmands will have time to visit other Protestant denominations, Jewish synagogues, as well as Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches so as to provide a more complete framework by which they can interact with their faith. At Westbury UMC, our desire is that all students will at one point in time participate in Confirmation. During this process, we pray they will receive some of the essential tools needed to continue on their faith journey. Our hope is that each class will grow closer together as a result of their joint venture and experiences. Furthermore, we desire to see adults partner intentionally in the faith development of these young people during this significant time in their lives. Confirmation takes place annually, typically beginning in the fall and culminating on Easter.
Resources Credo by Cokesbury Publishing An Introduction to Weslayan Theology by William M. Greathouse and H. Ray Dunning Theology for the Community of God by Stanley Grenz
“But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.” Luke 5:16
Retreats Retreats are an essential practice in the life of the Christian. They offer us times to reflect on where we have been and give us perspective on where we are headed. Retreats vary in their appearance and application: silent, communal, individual, prayer and many others! The content that is covered on retreats ranges widely from incredibly practical issues like relationships or leadership to deeply theological issues like the problem of evil or the community of the Trinity. Typically these will take place over holiday weekends, ensuring the youth have Monday off from their duties at school. Retreats are meant to revitalize the community and bring the youth closer to one another and God. During the retreat, attendees will hear large group teachings, have an opportunity for small group discussion, engage in team building exercises, experience worship, participate in both unstructured free time and structured team games and much more! At Westbury UMC, our desire is to see students grow in their love of God and love of neighbor. Retreats are a perfect conduit for such relationships. And not only will they grow in their relationships—we hope, once the retreat is done, that they will look back on these retreats as pivotal moments in their faith. Each year all the youth will have the opportunity to participate in Mid-Winter, our winter retreat, which typically takes place in February. Additional retreats are offered throughout the year at varying times.
Resources The Sacred Way by Tony Jones Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster The Book of Uncommon Prayer by Steven L. Case
“Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Psalm 119:18
Bible Study People all over the world love reading the Bible. Why? People read the Bible because it is a fascinating book, filled with gripping stories and challenging explorations. People read it because it is an important book, dealing with the big issues of life—God, eternal life, death, love, sin and morals. People read it because they believe that in the Bible God speaks to them through written words. The Bible encourages us, lifts our spirits, comforts us, chides us, builds us up, gives us hope, and brings us close to the living God. Bible study, happens in a lot of different ways. When we gather around the scripture in Sunday school, turn to a passage during Youth Group, hear the scripture in worship and exposit it during the sermon—we are participating in the study of the Bible! At Westbury UMC, our desire is to see youth grow in their knowledge of the Bible. Knowledge of the Bible comprises so much more than simply memorizing certain passages. We desire to see them engage the Bible with an expectancy that God still speaks through it today! We hope to equip them with knowledge about how the Bible was put together, who wrote it, how to interpret certain passages through our Methodist heritage, and how to apply it to their lives and the lives of their communities. A youth-specific Bible study is offered weekly.
Resources The Guidebook (NRSV Study Bible) published by HarperCollins Invitation to the New Testament by Ben Witherington Grasping God’s Word by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a overflowing blessing.” Malachi 3:10
Stewardship Stewardship is a complicated term. It operates in a number of ways. In the youth ministry, we aim to speak to three modes of stewardship: time, creation, and finances. Once we shift our understanding away from “ownership” to stewarding we enter a much more healthy relationships with things. We don’t own our money—we steward it, for the values and purposes of the Kingdom of God. Our time isn’t simply ours; rather, it has been entrusted to us. The question we have to ask ourselves is how are we going to be good stewards of our time? And we recognize our spending and saving habits start very early. As we teach our young people the stewarding practices of money, we understand that best practices start early. At Westbury UMC, we desire to see students come into a Godly understanding of time, creation and money. That they would become excellent stewards of what God has entrusted to their care and that they would honor God in their time, their care of the environment and their finances. Once a year we hope to equip them with the tools to be a success in this endeavor.
Resources Enough by Adam Hamilton Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey Serve God, Save the Planet by Matthew Sleeth
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
Missions & Justice Spanning across the Old and New Testaments, compassion, mercy and justice are the hallmarks of the Judeo-Christian faith. It is built into our ecclessial DNA: to be a merciful people who reach outside ourselves to bring healing and wholeness to others. Missions and justice go hand-in-hand. To alleviate poverty is, in essence, to usher in justice. As we seek social justice in our communities, we are entering into mission. The mission of the church is to bring the Gospel to all peoples—we do this through mission work which seeks restorative justice. At Westbury UMC, we desire to see students partake in multiple types of mission work: local, domestic and international. Each area of mission builds upon and precedes the next. This is done annually through UM ARMY and other mission opportunities offered on a continual basis.
Resources Deep Justice in a Broken World by Chap Clark and Kara E. Powell Awake: Doing a World of Good One Person at a Time by Noel Brewer Yeatts Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.� 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Relationships Relationships are everywhere. Relationships are a unique part of our human experience and a distinct part of the church. Everything in our lives is built on relationships. That is why we find it essential to help students and parents understand what it means to be healthy and whole in relationship with both God and others. We recognize that for teenagers relationships are multi-faceted. There exists the parental relationship, the teacher relationship, the clergy relationship, the peer relationship, the romantic relationship and still others! What makes it even more exhausting to grasp is that for many teenagers, as they gain more independence, they are beginning to function more autonomously within these relationships. At Westbury UMC, it is our desire that students would understand all the different ways they are in relationship with those around them. That they would recognize that each relationship is an opportunity for them to be a witness for the Kingdom of God, an opportunity for them to be in fellowship with other people and an opportunity for them to grow personally.
Resources Guy Talk Girl Talk by Doug Fields
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-2
Interfaith Dialogue About the time young people begin to practice their autonomy and identity they discover that there are competing ideas in their world. They may come to realize that books and teachers can be misleading about the events or ideas that they portray. Having convictions and then the humility to express them appropriately is a skill that is learned and practiced best within community. We believe that when we meet people of different backgrounds and faith convictions the best way to honor God in those relationships is through patience and humility while finding common ground. At Westbury UMC, it is our desire that students would practice convicted civility (a term we will flesh out throughout the year), not only with one another but also with those in their community— specifically those of differing faiths and worldviews. During a student’s time in high school we will equip them with a working knowledge of the world’s major religions and worldviews.
Resources Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? by Brian McLaren World Religions by Gerald R. McDermott Prevailing Worldviews by Glenn R. Martin
“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” Revelation 7:9
Diversity Diversity really is a beautiful thing. It allows us to see the human element. We look across every nation, tribe, language, culture and see people - people crafted in the imago Dei, the image of God. It is through this diversity that we see the beauty of humanity: a common love, a common compassion - we discover that there is more that binds us as people than should separate us. Every year we will equip students to see the diversity present in Scripture, the diversity in their schools and the diversity in their community. Furthermore, our participation in the community through missions and service will be a diverse practice—taking place in multiple contexts. As a multiethnic and multigenerational congregation we all readily participate in the Kingdom work God has laid out for us. At Westbury UMC, our desire is to see students grow in their comfort with working in diverse and multi-ethnic and multi-generational situations. We hope our young people become the leaders in diverse situations with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate the growing diversity, not only of our particular community, but the global community.
Resources God’s Many Splendored Image by Nonna Verna Harrison Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Many Colors by Soong-Chan Rah
“Immediately the father of the child cried out, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’” Mark 9:24
Questions & Faith There is a powerful moment when our Questions and our Faith intersect. It is in these moments of beautiful honesty that perhaps the mystery of God is profoundly and paradoxically working. We believe asking questions is really important for all of those involved in the youth ministry at Westbury. Asking questions is essential to developing our faith and seeking God in the middle of those moments when we are hurting and looking for answers. At Westbury UMC, our desire is to cultivate questions among our students. We hope through these questions they begin to ask a few themselves and take ownership of their faith. Furthermore, we hope they never stop asking questions and seek God in all they do. Each year we address specific questions, crowd-sourced, from the students themselves.
Resources Can I Ask That? 8 Questions about God & Faith by Jim Candy, Brad M. Griffin and Kara Powell Velvet Elvis: repainting the Christian faith by Rob Bell A New Kind of Christianity by Brian McLaren
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
Authenticity & Faith For young people it can be incredibly difficult to be consistent in their practices. At school they may act one way, with their parents they may act a certain way and at church they could still act another! They, perhaps, have different sets of friends and act differently within these different circles. As young people grow in their faith we want to help foster authentic faith to the end that they know they are loved as they are and that they can be the same person they are at school as they are at church. At Westbury UMC, our desire is to see young people come into authentic relationships—both with God and people. We desire to see students simply be who God created them to be—that they would exercise their personalities, strengths and abilities in the fullness of themselves.
Resources Becoming Adult, Becoming Christian by James W. Fowler Stages of Faith by James W. Fowler