What follows are the elements which I believe made this first worship event for youth at our church work.
1. We started with a song the youth chose the night before: "Live out Loud" by Steven Curtis Chapman, handing out card stock lyrics from a download, suggested by one of the youth.
2. I used "An Order for Celebrating the Holy Eucharist" (Book of Common Prayer, 1979, pp 400-401).
3. The theme of the Retreat was "I faced the Challenge," so I used Romans 5: 1--7, from Good News for Modern Man, read by a young person (practiced the night before). Then did Psalm 118, vvs. 1--7, but keeping the 2nd line always--"His mercy endures forever," as rap. I said the first line beating the rhythm and the youth came in, some clapping, keeping the rap rhythm. For the gospel I used Luke 10:5--10 [Good News bible], with its message of ask and you will receive.
4. Probably the most effective element was my "homily" done as a "man on the street" interviewing a male and female high school student with a mike prop.
I asked them the following questions:
- What obstacles or difficult situations do you face?
- What or who helps you get through these.
- What helps?
- How/where do you find God/Jesus?
- How does this help?
- If Jesus were standing here what would you ask for (it is good to ask for what you want, even if it seems silly)?
5. For Prayers of the people I modified in the moment the First Form (p. 413-415) from A New Zealand Prayer Book, HarperCollins, 1997, mainly citing the areas--"We pray for the world... then concluding our petitions using one line and response said by me.
6. I forgot the peace, so it was put at the end, therefore went straight into the offertory song: "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercyme, which many did sing along with the CD using the lyric sheets.
7. For the Eucharistic Prayer I used Form A from Enriching Our Worship I, reading the Postcommunion Prayer myself (and doing a bit of explaining as I went), with the Youth Director serving the chalice.
8. We ended with the old goodie--"Amen" from the Sidney Poitier movie, and exchanged the peace.
I spent 30 minutes the night before getting volunteers for the different parts and having them pick out the music from a CD personal mix of downloads, which made all the difference in the service. It became THEIR service, not the adults.
Probably the music (one youth cried through the whole service being reminded of a family funeral by the first song, the "Man on the Street," and the setting were some of the key components in the success of this first ever worship service for the youth at St. Luke's, Prescott.
Let me know what has worked for you.
Rev. Pam
