Hove you ever been to a church service that begins with a countdown? Have you ever chanted the seconds away, feeling excitement stirring through the congregation as it awaits an encounter with God?
Have you begun your mornings with some crazy dancing? Or with laughter and song and prayer?
It’s a good way to begin.
For a week in July hundreds of young people and youth leaders descended on Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont. They left behind family and friends and summer jobs to spend time learning, growing, experiencing, challenging and being challenged.
They read the scriptures together, worshipped together, played goofy games and ate ice cream and talked about Jesus over meals at cafeteria tables.
For many young people, it was a rare chance to spend time with other Presbyterians their own age. And for youth leaders it was an opportunity to share experiences from their own communities, and to learn from others who also minister with and to young people. Some portions of each day were spent together as one large community. Other parts were geared toward each of three different groups or tracks. Youth up to age 19 took part in the participant track; young adults up to age 25 were part of the discipleship track; and youth leaders aged 18 and up were in the youth ministry training track. And each evening, after most of the day’s activities were done, worship drew them back together again.
Beginning the days with fun and dance and ending with prayer, drawing people together for a time and returning them home full of memories and excitement—Canada Youth is both a destination and a starting point. Throughout their week together, participants sought to see the face of Christ in those around them. Returning home, they may encounter him in unexpected places. It’s a good way to begin.
—Connie Wardle
Imagine entering a worship service to find a party going on. At Canada Youth 2014, young people from across the country celebrated God. There was singing and dancing, laughing and shouting, and one minute before the service started there was a countdown. When the countdown reached 10 seconds, and eventually zero, the room erupted. I have never seen anyone, let alone this great a number of people, so excited to be at church.
In one word, it was overwhelming. A huge number of people I did not know were dancing and singing about God.
They all seemed to know all the words, they knew all the dance moves and they seemed perfectly comfortable letting loose in this room of more than 400 people. Overwhelming, yes, but contagious. When that countdown reached zero, for me it was the most amazing feeling in the world. I discovered that young Christians are excited about knowing God, they just need the opportunities to meet Him.
At first glance CY is just a week – long Bible camp, but it is so much more. It is the space that youth need to express and find their place in the church. Canada Youth creates an environment that relates youth to God.
They’re excited about it because, well, because it is exciting! In my experience, churches are traditional. CY incorporated the traditions of the church with modern elements, such as technology and interesting music, and new ways of being Christians together.
Congregations in any denomination are always wondering how they can get their young people more involved. While attending CY, I realized that the youth want to be involved. They want to have a relationship with God. They care about social justice and want to make a difference. And they want to share this with each other.
Home congregations can find this spirit within their youth; it does exist! Be it through music, social outreach or through talking with other youth, they want to be a part of it. Churches need to discover what their youth want and find a way to make it work for them. It is a tired cliché, but youth really are the future of the church.
I noticed this spirit when I saw what the young people in the discipleship track were doing. This was a group of older youth who were passionate about serving God through serving others. They learned about connecting with each other and ultimately discovered what God has called us to do: love each other as we love ourselves. In my time spent with them, I saw a group of people who were clearly inspired to make a difference.
I am an 18 – year – old cradle Anglican, attending a church north of Toronto. But my grandparents are stalwart Presbyterians, so it was neat to get to know their denomination a bit. I wasn’t at the Record long as a summer intern, but during the three months that I was, I heard a lot about congregations shrinking and the church dying. When I was at Canada Youth, I wondered how that could possibly be the case. All I saw—whether they were teenagers, young adults, or the countless volunteers and organizers—was a passionate spirit for God, and for their church.
I left CY with one particular song stuck in my head, Build Your Kingdom Here by Rend Collective. The lyrics that stayed with me are: “Set your church on fire, win this nation back. Change the atmosphere, build your kingdom here. We pray.” These words encompass the spirit of CY and represent the hope the church should have. God can set the spirit of our hearts and of the church on fire—and He can do it through your young people. Youth can change the atmosphere and give the church new life. Believe it.
