By Eric and Stephanie Stradford
AMWS, October 28, 2011, Atlanta -- Leaders
in The Historic Black Church Movement announced plans for a Youth Forum to be
held in conjunction with the 8th Anniversary Commemoration of the
Historic Black Church Movement. The irony
for holding such a forum at historic Mother Bethel in Philadelphia
unlocks some peculiar dynamics for the historic Black Church and its empowered
place within the 21st Century Church Universal.
The Black Church is itself in empowerment
mode -- “Exalting Christ to Impact the
World.” The movement follows
scripture from St John 12:32, “And I, when I am lifted from the earth, will
draw all people to myself.”(ESV).
Traditionalists are well aware of the
roles they want for youth. Regularly
attend Sunday School and show up for Youth Bible Study. Sing in the youth choir, dance, serve on the
usher board, dress appropriately, and always be respectful of elders. But a
recent online discussion points us to a contemporary reality -- Time is filled with swift transition.
As youngsters growing up in the Black Church,
the printed hymnal was as much a learning aid for spiritual development as the
Holy Bible. Today, youth can STAND ON A PROMISE
, go straight to Biblegateway.com for confirmation, and log on to their
favorite Facebook Group page “2 BE” the church. They can even pull up some lyrics
by hymnists to admonish adult leaders of their roles in the future of the church.
So, what is “The Role of Youth in the Social
and Economic Empowerment of the Black Community?” It is a role that calls for adult support
beyond the physical walls of the church.
Historically, their greatest obstacle has
been an attempt to protect our youth from that which seeks to empower
them. We are reminded of our own
limitations when confronted by the Gospel of St. Matthew 19:14.
Just imagine Jesus saying, “Let the
little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven
belongs to such as these.” Then, fast forward
to one of our 21st Century “glass half empty” solutions. We get
what you’re saying Jesus. But, we need
to “ensure that children, youth, and young adults are not exposed to criminal
child abusers by qualifying children, youth and young adult workers.” We can’t let our kids come without “requiring
full background checks be conducted for all persons (clergy and Lay) who work
with children and young people. By the
way, you owe us for the background check we did on
you.
As a unified body of believers, today’s
church can know "who", "where", "what", and
"with whom" our youth can depend on to make a difference where they
live, learn, work and worship. Our reinvestment of historic values can make a
difference in their future value as Community Assets.
The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education, the National Science Teachers Association and the College Board are accepting applications for its fourth annual Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge program. The program is designed to educate, empower, and engage students (grades K-12) and teachers across the United States to identify and solve environmental problems. Deadline: March 15, 2012.
ReplyDeleteThe National Archives in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the launch of a student multimedia contest, “Document Your Environment”. Drawing inspiration from a collection of environmental photos from the 1970s, this contest invites students ages 13 to 18 college and graduate students to create any type of graphic art, a short video, or a poem using a Documerica photo as a prompt. The grand prize for this contest will be $500, courtesy of the Foundation for the National Archives. The contest is hosted on challenge.gov, the federal government's online challenge platform. Entries will be accepted from November 1, 2011 to January 6, 2012.
ReplyDeleteThe Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is accepting applications from creative teens for its 2012 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The awards recognize the most talented teen artists and writers in the United States and Canada. Eligible students must be in grades 7-12 in a public, private, parochial, home-school, or out of school program in the U.S. or Canada, or in an American school abroad. Deadline: January 15, 2012.
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