Hello, all!
I pray that you are all well and entering fully into the first day of Lent! I trust that this season will be full of the “bright sadness” that comes along with honestly encountering oneself and the Lord.
This post is meant to serve as an introduction for something that I plan to begin doing regularly on this site. Since this is a site dedicated primarily to upbuilding and increasing the efficacy of youth ministry in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of Southern California, I found it fitting to begin a series of posts, written in the form of letters, that would allow the teens to speak for themselves in terms of how they view the Church and the role it has played in their lives.
The letters will be posted as anonymous, and the content of these letters might be shocking, delightful, saddening, encouraging, or any other number of things. It is important for these young people’s voices to be heard, and we must be willing to take their words to heart and examine ourselves in their words. Let us see these teenager’s honest engagement with Christ, the Church, and with their own faith as a call for us to honestly engage Christ, the Church, and our own faith, too.
These teens are brilliant, funny, talented, engaging, thoughtful, and heartfelt people; it is time that we understand exactly what they’re experiencing, and it is best that we understand it in their own words.
Letters will begin being posted soon and will hopefully be posted on a weekly basis. If you or any teens you know might be interested in submitting a letter for this purpose, please e-mail them to SoCalYouthMinistry@gmail.com.
In Christ,
Christian
southern california deanery youth ministry 