On Sunday, November 22nd, 18 members of the WCUC Youth Group gathered in the church kitchen before worship for their annual pie baking fest with Ann Schummers.  In a little over an hour, 12 pies were in the oven and cards were thoughtfully written for members of our congregation who could use a little extra cheer this year.  This is a long standing annual tradition in our church community and it has become a favorite project among many of our teenagers.  A huge thanks to Ann for making it all happen so smoothly!

“Be still, and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10

“Whoever has ears, let them hear.”  Matthew 11:15 and Mark 4:9

Being still and listening are often two of the most under-utilized skills in our busy and talk-filled world.  We live in a culture that values productivity and working hard to attain one’s goals.  And we are a people with lots of ideas and opinions that we want to share with conviction.  And yet, we also find ourselves craving more silence – more room to just “be” and to listen for God’s voice for guidance, inspiration and hope.   This is true for adults and believe it or not, it’s true for teenagers too.

Last Sunday the WCUC Youth Group traveled to Cambridge to experience a Quaker meeting.  In this tradition, worship consists of a one hour meeting of sitting together in silence with intermittent sharing from people in the community who are moved by the Spirit to offer inspired wisdom.  While sitting still for a whole hour proved challenging for the teens (and some of the adults too!), many of them expressed an appreciation for the silence and noted how different it was from our everyday lives.   Some of them also commented how their recent exposure to Mindfulness and Meditation in our youth and confirmation classes, reminded them to focus on their breath as a way of quieting the mind and stilling the body.  It is in these moments of rest, as we empty the mind and open our hearts, that we sometimes hear God’s voice the loudest.  May we all find more opportunities for stillness and for listening so that we can hear what the Spirit is saying.  -Joyce

It was clear from our annual “Welcome Back Party” in September that this year’s youth group likes to have fun!  With 25 registered members, our group ranges in age from 11-18 though we are not at a loss for fun things to do that can appeal to all of these ages.  At our game night the youth enjoyed Suspend (a new twist on the classic Jenga game), Apples to Apples, ping-pong, and our annual favorite Sardines (reverse hide and seek where one person hides and everyone else tries to find them and hides with them) in the darkened church!

Later in September, we traveled to Davis Farmland’s Mega Maze for a romp in their corn maze and some quality time around a campfire.  Navigating an 8 acre maze in the dark with flashlights is quite an experience!  With team work and a few helpful hints from the Davis Farmland staff along the way, the youth came out of the maze with many stories and laughs to share.

In October, we decided to head outside in the daylight this time to play and revel in God’s creation as we hiked up Mt. Wachusett.  The teens hiked at a slightly faster pace than their chaperones (humbling! 🙂 but we all made it to the top to enjoy some fantastic views.  The colors along the way were spectacular, reminding us all about the importance of taking time out to notice and appreciate the beauty all around us.

Rocks have become a trademark for the WCUC Youth Group for a number of reasons. We have a much loved tradition of beginning every class with “Milestones” which is a check in/prayer time in which the youth are invited to share joys and concerns. They then write what they want us to pray about on a small stone and put it in their hand-painted terra cotta bowl. At the end of the year, it’s fun to look back to all of our “milestones” throughout the year remembering the many ways that we were supported by God and each other.

This year, we expanded on this theme at our opening class by finding places in the Bible where God and Jesus are referred to as our “rock”. References such as “God, our rock and our refuge” or Jesus as a “rock in a weary land” gave us comfort and provided a catalyst for further conversation about the many ways that we’ve experienced God/Jesus/Spirit as a rock in our lives. Each member of the youth group left that day with a rock of their choice each painted with a word to help encourage them in their lives: strength, courage, wisdom, patience, and peace were among the favorites.

A “Youth Rocks” sign was one of the choices for our recent church-wide gratitude project. This group of middle school and high school youth indeed “rock” and we now proudly display this sign in our youth room (thanks to Ruth Sedlock!) as a reminder that we rock because God first rocks us.

The youth spent the month of April exploring notions of “home” in the Bible, contemplating together the importance of having a safe and nurturing place to live and then putting our hands to work so that more people in our community can enjoy the benefits of having a place to call home.  After an in depth look at the ways that “home” is referenced in scripture to describe how people long ago found community, safety, hospitality, belonging, nourishment, and rest, we recognized that all of these things are still vital for people today and admitted that we sometimes take for granted the love and security of our own homes.  Learning about people both near and far, who long for a better experience of “home”, was sobering and humbling.  And yet, we were energized by the countless opportunities in our world to reach out and help.  At the end of school vacation week, the youth spent one afternoon at Household Goods in Acton, meeting clients who came to shop for furniture and other household items.  We helped them shop, loaded their vehicles, and cleaned up the various rooms after they left to make room for more donations to arrive the following week.  It was so inspiring to see the good work that this organization provides for families and to actually meet the people who are benefitting from it.

The next day, we spent the morning touring a Habitat for Humanity site in Billerica and learning about how this organization works.  We then went to Restore (a Habitat owned store that sells new and gently used donated home goods) to construct a picnic table that will eventually be given to one of Habitat’s newly built homes in the area.  It was fun to see the youth come to life on both of these service days.  Some like to organize and clean, others like to chat with clients.  Some like to pound a hammer and nail, others would prefer to read directions and organize materials.  God has given to each of us different gifts and interests.  Through a real team effort, we were able to accomplish together what none of us could have ever done on our own.  And in the process, a few more people in this world came one step closer to their dream of finding “home”.