On the Occasion of Jarvis Wyche’s Farewell
Part I
June 17, 2019
On this Trinity Sunday it seems appropriate to celebrate Jarvis and his work here at St. Michael’s over the last 5 years, and to focus our attention on our youth ministries. And before I hand over to Jarvis I want to refer to an opinion article I read recently. It was from a May 24th 2019 edition of The Globe and Mail. The article’s title was “Put down the self-help books. Resilience is not a DIY endeavor”. The heart of this opinion piece was that the self-help genre of literature and culture is not all that it is cracked up to be. The article explored how people become resilient and the heart of the answer came down to one sentence and this is it: The science shows that all the internal resources we can muster are seldom much use without a nurturing environment.[1] And the article goes on to say that all attempts at self-help, without the external resources and support, are short lived.
And why I am citing this study, is that it tells us something we already know about youth work. That growing a Christian is not done in a vacuum. And it is rarely done in the confines of a close knit family. Although research shows that faith being practiced at home is one of the key indicators of your children maintaining their faith and attending church in the future – that is, saying grace at meals, prayers at bedtime, parents being dedicated to their own faith practice including reading the bible and spiritual practices. But back to my main point – although a family’s practice of faith is important – so is the faith of those outside the home. That is why church is so important. We build Christians, as well as resilience, in church.
And the reason that this is so is that we are made in the image of God – and what that means is that although we are complete individuals – just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are individual – we are also completed connected one to another – as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God. We are fully ourselves individually – be we are also formed for community, and ideally a supportive community that promotes spiritual growth in our love of neighbor and love of God.
And I want to end by saying why church is important to children and it is this: the very purpose of church is to be a mutually supportive community with the sole purpose of growing closer to God and to one another. No one is given a special awards for achievement. No one is more special. There are no trophies. There is no varsity team. There is no class rank. There is neither a special and gifted stream, nor is there an IEP [independent Education Plan] stream. There is no progression into a highly-selective church when you are 18. The church is the open, even playing field of faith. Youth work at its best fosters belonging and acceptance. You don’t need to learn to fit in, because you already do, just as you are.
I want to thank Jarvis for all his hard work over the last 5 years delivering just that. And with that I hand the pulpit over to Jarvis.
Part 2
I would like to first give thanks to Rev. Sarah for this brief moment to share my thoughts and share sincere gratitude for the time you all have allowed me to be the Youth Minister here at St Michael’s, time I do not take for granted. These past 5 years have been a gift in so many ways and my prayer is that more are able to experience the gift of youth ministries here at St. Michaels.
I’ve been writing far more research papers in recent months than short sermons so I apologize if this sounds more academic than spiritual, I will try my best.
So having had experience as a youth in a
Christian youth program has brought an understanding for me in the importance
and need for such work.
The lives of our children and teens develop with
a continuous yearning for belonging and connectedness. I could share developmental
study after study proving as a species, humans desire and constantly seek ways
to connect to one another. For many of us we are blessed to have that provided
by families, but despite that source we all experience moments of being alone
and having to figure out the next step. Along with an intellectual
understanding of this phenomena I have personal experiences of seeking this
connectedness. From going to summer camp in high school, leaving home for
college, moving from the South to New England alone for grad school, travelling
the country for singing, and my many moves within and outside the state. Each of those moments have brought a desire
to connect with those I was with and despite my good looks and hip style I was
not always welcomed with open arms. Those moments when I was feeling
disconnected were possibly the hardest I’ve experienced. Hard moments and
experiences of disconnection are not foreign to any of us, we all have
experienced loss, being pushed away, or feeling as if we just do not belong.
Through all these experiences the grounding and foundation established in youth ministries helped me maintain hope in myself and with others. Part of being a Christian for me is knowing I am never alone even though it looks all but certain. We are blessed to have the Episcopal church in all its gifts, benefits, and flaws providing communities in which we can be ourselves, find connectedness, and ultimately experience love. But what makes the church unique is its mission of showing and sharing in the love of God.
I have always been drawn to St. Michael’s mission statement, “We are a Christian community whose vision is to strengthen our relationship with God and one another and to spread God’s love”. As Rev. Sarah just mentioned, church is important for youth (and all of us) because it is supportive in growing us closer to God, it’s our togetherness that makes the image of God less and less blurry. This is what we need for our youth today, for them to have a clearer vision of the image of God within themselves and being able to see it in others. This is vital to their personal development, safety, and spiritual growth.
The St. Michael’s community has helped me feel and encounter God and I am so thankful for that. The most memorable moments in youth ministries occurred when we were together. Together sharing our faith, sharing our doubts, sharing meals, and sharing in fun. Being together helps create the connectedness we all desire, and it is both what I will take with me in my next journey and what I hope more kids in the surrounding area will be able to experience here at St. Michael’s.
Thank
you to the parents, Rev Sarah, vestry, and most of all the youth who’ve given
me the opportunity to share in spreading the love of God!
[1][1] Globe and Lain, Michael Ungar, May 25, 2019
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