When the Rev. Dr. Jen Oldstone-Moore, rector of St. Andrew’s, Greencastle, considered a project to undertake as part of her first year of the College for Congregational Development, two priorities stood out to her: to build the congregation’s familiarity with the Book of Common Prayer, and to develop young people as leaders in that process.
The College for Congregational Development incorporates learning and teaching during the 6-day intensive on-site training. Participants further build their understanding of the material by undertaking two projects in the first year that apply their learning from the College within their own churches.
In an early step of the project, St. Andrew’s youth group leader, Macie Barker, suggested book marks for the prayer books so people could mark the pages and easily turn to them during worship. Thanks to the youth group, every Book of Common Prayer in the nave now has ribboned markers for the Opening Acclamation, the Confession, the Eucharistic Prayer, and the Post Communion Prayer.
A next step in the project was to help shape the components of worship by offering an Instructed Eucharist. Rather than leading that instruction alone, Oldstone-Moore invited the youth to take part too. Young people were excited to help lead. They claimed their parts and practiced in preparation. Oldstone-Moore shared that “youth gravitated straight to the parts of the liturgy that carry the deepest, most complex meanings: bread, wine, light, word, prayer, the cross.”
At the Instructed Eucharist on Sunday, January 29, children and youth led alongside Oldstone-Moore. They read explanations about why we do what we do in worship. They served as acolytes. They collected the offering. They brought forward the bread and the wine. When he read the section explaining the fraction anthem, one young member, Charlie Knuth, illustrated that explanation by breaking an unconsecrated priest’s host!
As she reflected on the experience, Oldstone-Moore wrote: “I think the youth of St Andrew’s came away from the Instructed Eucharist with both an increased comfort with Sunday worship and new perspectives and understandings.”
The fifth pillar of our diocesan mission is to develop leaders for the church of today and tomorrow. Through this project, the Rev. Dr. Jen Oldstone-Moore and St. Andrew’s Church are raising up young people to learn and to lead the Church forward.
Would you like to learn more about this project? Email the Rev. Dr. Jen Oldstone-Moore.
