EYE 14 | Rows of Sharon

Last week I was immersed in a gathering of over 1,000 Episcopalians (800 of them high school youth) from over 80 dioceses including Taiwan, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and the continental United States. It was a time of joy-filled worship, music, fun, learning, and growing in discipleship. While this was the largest gathering of Episcopal youth, the triennial EYE (Episcopal Youth Event) just touches the tip of the iceberg of all the young people who call the Episcopal Church home.

How can we engage all those who don’t have access to diocesan youth programs, let alone the experiences and connections made on the campus of Villanova last week?

Continue reading Helping Youth Find Their Voice →

With the spring 2014 release of Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Theologies of Confirmation for the 21st Century, I’ve been making a lot of presentations about the rite of Confirmation in the Episcopal Church and helping people think about what their own “theology” about this rite that always seems to be in search of a meaning. This past week I was privileged to offer a workshop (twice) at the Episcopal Youth Event (#EYE14) held on the Villanova campus outside Philadelphia.

It was great to have conversations in which high school youth and adults (lay leaders, clergy and bishops) were present to discuss each of our experiences of confirmation. And the experiences are varied. After some time travel reviewing where the rites of baptism, first communion, and confirmation came from we can begin to understand how our own history and experience fits in the big picture. And why parents may feel the way they do about having their teen “done” before it’s “too late.”

Continue reading What’s YOUR Theology of Confirmation? →