 The
Redeemer Youth Group is made up of about 45 - 50 young
people in grades 7 through 12, and the adult team that supports
their program and activities. The young people come from a variety
of local schools, both public and independent. Many are members
of Redeemer, along with their families; but many are not - all are
welcome! Meetings are on Sunday evenings from 4:30-7:30, and include
dinner, prepared by parents. We attempt to balance our program,
to include some activities that are issue-related, some that are
focused on helping others, and some that are just fun. A vital part
of each meeting is Circle - a safe place for people to talk about
significant parts of their lives in a confidential and respectful
atmosphere, and in the context of prayer.
Our purpose is:
To participate in a supportive and non-threatening community of
fellowship and friendship based on shared faith and set against
a backdrop of fun. Our life together is guided by the following covenant:
Covenant
of the Redeemer Youth Group
We are an Episcopal faith community, based on trust,
in which respect for all individuals and cooperation with one another
are the basis of our life together.
Faith
We are a community based in the Christian faith,
and we welcome and respect members of all faiths.
Respect
As a member of this faith community:
I will respect the dignity and worth of every human being.
I will NOT talk outside of Circle about things that were shared in Circle.
I will talk TO people, not ABOUT them.
I will make what I say and do constructive and respectful.
I will respect church property and the property of others.
Cooperation
As a member of this faith community:
I will share responsibility for the group and support the leaders,
both youth and adult.
I will participate actively, when I am at Youth Group.
I will be where I am supposed to be, when I am at Youth Group.
Production
of an annual play occupies our weekly program time
from November through February. The RYG play is much more than a
performance. It is a way of coming together as an intergenerational
community, and working on a project that uses the unique gifts of
every individual. Everyone's part is significant; all are interwoven -
chorus, directors, spotlight operator, sound, stage crew, actors,
music director, character coaches, set designers, builders, props
crew, prompter, curtain operator, costumers. During the course of
production- about 4 months of our year - we continue to work together,
eat together, and pray together. The play creates a strong bond
that unites the group and provides a foundation for the way we continue
our work throughout the year. The 2008 play is "The Pajama Game."
In addition, RYG members are active in a variety
of programs beyond our own meeting times. These include the Honduras
Mission Trip, the Paul's Place Camp at Redeemer,
Race for the Cure, Vacation Bible School, Redeemer's church school
and nursery programs, and the Episcopal Youth Event (every 3rd year).Working
on programs that help other people is an important part of our lives
together. Unlike the play, our outreach activities are in smaller
groups, and affect our lives in different ways. Whether we are teaching
church school, translating in the clinic in Honduras, playing sports
with children at Paul's Place Camp, meeting Episcopalians from around
the world at EYE, helping clean up a city neighborhood, or sharing
in the Catacombs Eucharist at Vacation Bible School-we realize at
some point that we receive SO much more than we can give.
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We go away on retreats twice a year - once in the
fall, with the purpose of bonding the group; once in the spring,
with a central theme and related activities.
 The
Fall Retreat at Pocono Lake Preserve, PA, is traditionally
at the home of parishioners, Al and Muriel Berkeley. The only program
at this retreat is to hang out and get to know each other as we
become a new group for a new year. We hike, play pool, picnic by
the lake, have Circle under the stars-and by the time we come home,
we are bonded and ready to work together.
The
Spring Retreat has a central theme. For a few years, we have traveled to Camp Pecometh on the Eastern Shore, to live together for a weekend. On retreat, we participate in team building activities on
a low ropes course; cook our own meals; meet in small groups for
discussion; have Circle by campfire at night; spend lots of time
just being with friends; and have a
cl osing worship by the river before returning home.
Members of RYG say that
this is a place where they can come
to get away from school pressures,
and where they can feel safe
to explore new interests and make new
friendships,
based on trust and shared faith.
RYG Planning Committee
While Parents and
other adults offer support and guidance for RYG, the primary leadership
is provided by a team of 15 people, known as the Planning Committee.
There are 3 adults, and 12 teens; the teens are elected by the rest
of the group during an election process held each spring.
This team of leaders meets once a
month, and goes on 2 working retreats each year, to plan program
for the year, discuss issues that arise in RYG, and make decisions
to benefit the group.
Youth members of the 2007 - 2008 Planning Committee are: Trip Boggs, Rick Bowie, John Bruch, Caroline Eager, Jackie Gamper, Charlotte Heyrman, Will Kimball, David Ruby, Todd Sandberg, Maddie Socolar, Mel Thankappan and Elliott Wakefield. Adult members of the group are The Rev. Chuck Messer, Cyndi Ross, and Jan Schroeder.
We send profound thanks to our outgoing PC members - Rick Bowie, Todd Sandberg, Mel Thankappan and Tripp Boggs - for all the work they have done on behalf of RYG; and best wishes to Rick as he leaves for Dickinson College, Todd as he heads for the University of South Carolina, and Mel as she departs for Franklin & Marshall College.
We congratulate our 4 new PC members, elected on May 4 - Paul Griffith, Katie Litkowski, Julia Mitchell and Parker Watson.
For more information on RYG, contact
Jan Schroeder 410-435-7333 (voicemail ext. 225) jschroeder@redeemeronline.com
or
Chuck Messer cmesser@redeemeronline.com 410-435-7333, x 230
or any member of the RYG planning
committee.
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