Parish "Youth Days"

Over the last few months we have hosted “Youth Days” at the church on Saturdays before Vespers. These have been wonderful and rich experiences for me and I think for the kids as well. 

We begin the day with prayer in the Church all together. After these prayers we split up into two groups—older and younger. One group comes into the Church with me and does “Ask Abouna”—a chance to ask the priest anything you want!

Or, we will look at and talk about some of the things in the Church. For example, this last time we looked at the chalice, the gospel book, the antimension (the blessed icon cloth that the liturgy is celebrated over) and the discos. If the kids cannot think of questions, as they are sometimes initially shy, I ask them questions. Over time we have had some great questions and discussions on topics like:

Judging others
Why can't women be priests?
Is it ever ok to lie?
Sharing Christ with others
Praying for others 

While the one group is with me in the Church the other group is playing games and doing activities like: 4 square, cornhole, egg racing, or bowling.

To wrap up this part of the day we all have a snack together and continue to enjoy each other's company.

The day ends with Great Vespers. The event lasts from 3-6pm. 

Our next “Youth Day” will be August 16^th. Be on the lookout for the Fall schedule and mark your calendars for these beautiful days that enrich our faith in Christ, strengthen our friendships, and establish our feet on the solid ground of the Church.