This year I was invited to gather a group of young people to be observers at our diocesan Synod. This allowed them to participate as members without voting privileges, and on the second day of Synod, time was allotted for them to share their thoughts with the members of Synod. They were offered a unique opportunity to meet with both our Bishop Shane and the Primate for about 45 minutes and ask them questions, which they all said they deeply appreciated.
The Rev. Dr. Mary-Cate Garden, who is part of our Youth Internship Program (YIP) team of advisors, offered this proud reflection:
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“The YIP representatives ‘won’ this year’s Synod. In a year which saw a very full Synod—a very mindful Synod—where delegates had worked hard on the Diocesan discernment process. In a room full of people continuing to work together, thoughtfully and faithfully, the YIP representative stood out. In a room full of delegates who brought their A game, the YIP folks brought their A+ game.
As I listened to the thoughtful, loving, challenging reflections that each of these young(er) Anglicans offered I was in awe. A group that is so often labelled as ‘youth’ and so often thought of as an homogenous group called on the Church to be their best selves and begin to listen to younger voices. To recognize the diversity of experiences that the youth bring to us and to make sure that not only were they invited to the table but that they were invited as full participants.
The YIP presentations were brave and hopeful and full of promise If this is what lies ahead and if the church is wise enough to listen to these voices, then it is a church that will be in good and exciting hands for a long time to come.”
Here’s a sampling of the thoughts they shared with Synod or reflections on the experience afterwards.
Deborah said that she was born and baptized in Geneva and confirmed in Ottawa in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. … As an artist, she created a piece of art Friday night to reflect on Synod and the church. It spoke to her desire to feel like she belongs; that there were people who look and sound like her.
“Thank you very much for letting me come to my first synod. My message to you is ‘Try something new.’ Try new music or a new prayer in service because you don’t know how much that means to [a person who might be new to the church or to Canada].
She shared a moving story about her mom, the Rev. Chung Yan Lam. “Something special about my mom. She’s a priest here… She sings a beautiful Mandarin song at the end of her services…My grandma always asks her ‘Why do you sing in Mandarin? ‘Nobody understands.’ It’s so that she also feels like she is wanted in that service, that she has a part of herself in that service. …I hope that in the future we continue to grow and we continue to make our church like a home because it is not only a house of God, it is a home with God.”
Maritsa wrote that “as a new Canadian, she thinks that the Diocese is heading in the right direction with Motion P3A and P3B and welcomes the idea of creating new worshipping spaces particularly for Global Christians. She feels very strongly that creating spaces where new Canadians feel welcome and included and can feel like they belong is so important. She would like to be able to hear the language and music of ‘home.’ She also feels that anti-racism education at a parish level is crucial. She understands that many people don’t realize their words are unwelcoming to people who are new to Canada and she would like to see everyone working towards self-awareness.
Learning about the National Church’s plan to have an Indigenous church under the umbrella of Anglican Church of Canada, she was concerned that the Anglican Church will still have the final say, which would defeat the point. She is proud, however, that we are moving in the right direction and that we seem to have an open mind about this issue.
Rebecca is a member of Synod for St. John the Evangelist, a YIP intern, and the General Synod youth delegate from the Diocese of Ottawa. Hearing the aim of engaging more young people in Anglican communities discussed, she offered this advice: “Youth and young adults …are people like everyone else and we have the same core desires including to belong, to be respected and to become our best selves. But we are different in one key way: We are figuring out who we want to be and what we can do for the first time in our lives. We need spaces to learn and grow through new experiences and opportunities. We need to feel that who we are, our ideas, knowledge and perspective, is respected and valued. This is not achieved through token gestures and acknowledgement but through deep engagement and connection. A starting place for this is having youth members of Diocesan Synod. This is far from a token gesture, youth member votes have equal weight to every other member of Synod; equal standing, equal voice.
She added that the work that the Indigenous church is doing to make the gospel explicitly part of their founding documents is a model that we should all think about when we make policy and documents within the church.”
Aimerance and Alexis were unable to attend all of Synod because of exams and assignments, but they both said they liked what Deborah had shared about incorporating different kinds of music to allow the church to feel like home. They are both in favor of Motion 3A and encouraged everyone to seriously consider global worshipping spaces.
Robert wrote: “I was really happy to hear about the pathway that our diocese is looking to follow. I think that the focus on new parish structures is an excellent opportunity to use our creativity to help restructure. I am happy to see that parishes will be guided to make the changes that are in the best interest of their parishioners and communities. Robert also wondered what more could be done to help guide younger people in their own personal spiritual development within the church.
Robyn, a young adult member of Synod for St Albans, said the Shape of Parish Ministry motions fill her with hope; especially motion three….Robyn feels that we must learn to trust our abilities and trust that the Holy Spirit is working in us and our parishes.
Robyn admired the Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls’ willingness to candidly address tensions at the Lambeth Conference regarding same-sex marriage. “She provided some helpful context and reminded us that we are part of the wider Anglican Communion. Being part of this Communion, like being part of a diocese, means that we choose to come together and acknowledge our connection in Christ, despite the many differences we have. This is a beautiful thing. However, we are also in communion with all the many LGBTQ+ folks around the world who are continuously harmed by our religious leaders, and I think that the Primate could have been a bit more pastoral toward these people. I am thankful to be part of an affirming Diocese that is relatively safe for LGBTQ+ folks, but it can still be so painful and heartbreaking to see this fight still being fought in other places around Canada and the wider Communion. I want to remind all members of the LGBTQ+ community within the Anglican Communion that they are beloved even when their leaders fail them.”
Heather Maclachlan, a member of Synod from Trinity, echoed the Archbishop Nicholls pronouncement: “These youth are not the leaders of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today.”
Donna Rourke is Animator of Youth Ministries and YIP.
Young adults shine bright at Synod 2022
This year I was invited to gather a group of young people to be observers at our diocesan Synod. This allowed them to participate as members without voting privileges, and on the second day of Synod, time was allotted for them to share their thoughts with the members of Synod. They were offered a unique opportunity to meet with both our Bishop Shane and the Primate for about 45 minutes and ask them questions, which they all said they deeply appreciated.
The Rev. Dr. Mary-Cate Garden, who is part of our Youth Internship Program (YIP) team of advisors, offered this proud reflection:
“The YIP representatives ‘won’ this year’s Synod. In a year which saw a very full Synod—a very mindful Synod—where delegates had worked hard on the Diocesan discernment process. In a room full of people continuing to work together, thoughtfully and faithfully, the YIP representative stood out. In a room full of delegates who brought their A game, the YIP folks brought their A+ game.
As I listened to the thoughtful, loving, challenging reflections that each of these young(er) Anglicans offered I was in awe. A group that is so often labelled as ‘youth’ and so often thought of as an homogenous group called on the Church to be their best selves and begin to listen to younger voices. To recognize the diversity of experiences that the youth bring to us and to make sure that not only were they invited to the table but that they were invited as full participants.
The YIP presentations were brave and hopeful and full of promise If this is what lies ahead and if the church is wise enough to listen to these voices, then it is a church that will be in good and exciting hands for a long time to come.”
Here’s a sampling of the thoughts they shared with Synod or reflections on the experience afterwards.
Deborah said that she was born and baptized in Geneva and confirmed in Ottawa in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. … As an artist, she created a piece of art Friday night to reflect on Synod and the church. It spoke to her desire to feel like she belongs; that there were people who look and sound like her.
“Thank you very much for letting me come to my first synod. My message to you is ‘Try something new.’ Try new music or a new prayer in service because you don’t know how much that means to [a person who might be new to the church or to Canada].
She shared a moving story about her mom, the Rev. Chung Yan Lam. “Something special about my mom. She’s a priest here… She sings a beautiful Mandarin song at the end of her services…My grandma always asks her ‘Why do you sing in Mandarin? ‘Nobody understands.’ It’s so that she also feels like she is wanted in that service, that she has a part of herself in that service. …I hope that in the future we continue to grow and we continue to make our church like a home because it is not only a house of God, it is a home with God.”
Maritsa wrote that “as a new Canadian, she thinks that the Diocese is heading in the right direction with Motion P3A and P3B and welcomes the idea of creating new worshipping spaces particularly for Global Christians. She feels very strongly that creating spaces where new Canadians feel welcome and included and can feel like they belong is so important. She would like to be able to hear the language and music of ‘home.’ She also feels that anti-racism education at a parish level is crucial. She understands that many people don’t realize their words are unwelcoming to people who are new to Canada and she would like to see everyone working towards self-awareness.
Learning about the National Church’s plan to have an Indigenous church under the umbrella of Anglican Church of Canada, she was concerned that the Anglican Church will still have the final say, which would defeat the point. She is proud, however, that we are moving in the right direction and that we seem to have an open mind about this issue.
Rebecca is a member of Synod for St. John the Evangelist, a YIP intern, and the General Synod youth delegate from the Diocese of Ottawa. Hearing the aim of engaging more young people in Anglican communities discussed, she offered this advice: “Youth and young adults …are people like everyone else and we have the same core desires including to belong, to be respected and to become our best selves. But we are different in one key way: We are figuring out who we want to be and what we can do for the first time in our lives. We need spaces to learn and grow through new experiences and opportunities. We need to feel that who we are, our ideas, knowledge and perspective, is respected and valued. This is not achieved through token gestures and acknowledgement but through deep engagement and connection. A starting place for this is having youth members of Diocesan Synod. This is far from a token gesture, youth member votes have equal weight to every other member of Synod; equal standing, equal voice.
She added that the work that the Indigenous church is doing to make the gospel explicitly part of their founding documents is a model that we should all think about when we make policy and documents within the church.”
Aimerance and Alexis were unable to attend all of Synod because of exams and assignments, but they both said they liked what Deborah had shared about incorporating different kinds of music to allow the church to feel like home. They are both in favor of Motion 3A and encouraged everyone to seriously consider global worshipping spaces.
Robert wrote: “I was really happy to hear about the pathway that our diocese is looking to follow. I think that the focus on new parish structures is an excellent opportunity to use our creativity to help restructure. I am happy to see that parishes will be guided to make the changes that are in the best interest of their parishioners and communities. Robert also wondered what more could be done to help guide younger people in their own personal spiritual development within the church.
Robyn, a young adult member of Synod for St Albans, said the Shape of Parish Ministry motions fill her with hope; especially motion three….Robyn feels that we must learn to trust our abilities and trust that the Holy Spirit is working in us and our parishes.
Robyn admired the Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls’ willingness to candidly address tensions at the Lambeth Conference regarding same-sex marriage. “She provided some helpful context and reminded us that we are part of the wider Anglican Communion. Being part of this Communion, like being part of a diocese, means that we choose to come together and acknowledge our connection in Christ, despite the many differences we have. This is a beautiful thing. However, we are also in communion with all the many LGBTQ+ folks around the world who are continuously harmed by our religious leaders, and I think that the Primate could have been a bit more pastoral toward these people. I am thankful to be part of an affirming Diocese that is relatively safe for LGBTQ+ folks, but it can still be so painful and heartbreaking to see this fight still being fought in other places around Canada and the wider Communion. I want to remind all members of the LGBTQ+ community within the Anglican Communion that they are beloved even when their leaders fail them.”
Heather Maclachlan, a member of Synod from Trinity, echoed the Archbishop Nicholls pronouncement: “These youth are not the leaders of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today.”
Donna Rourke is Animator of Youth Ministries and YIP.
Donna Rourke is Animator of Youth Ministries and the Youth Internship Program (YIP).
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