“Lost
and Wandering”
a condensed version of the
sermon delivered by John Kendall and Katie Mellentine on Sunday,
August 21st, 2005 at the Granville UCC
Note: The 100 sheep story was used for the children sermon, preached by Katie Mellentine. It is mentioned in part of the sermon, written by John Kendall.
As we spoke to the children during their time earlier this morning, we told them about the story of the 100 sheep. The man was counting his sheep before going to sleep. He only counted 99. So he went to go look for him. He later found the missing sheep, and was glad he found it, because each sheep was very important to him. That is where the youth of this church come into this equation. The youth of the church are that 100th sheep, lost and wandering. They are trying to be heard, but can’t, as people won’t listen to them. People say that they are too young to make an educated decision. They don’t know what they are talking about.
However, as some of the following passages of the Bible state, youth did a lot for the church during the early years. As the Old Testament reading from Samuel said, Samuel was a boy when he was first called by God. Mary the Virgin was a young woman when she was told that she would be carrying Jesus. In Acts, Chapter 2, verses 17 and 18, Peter, who was quoting a prophet named Joel, proclaimed that with the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, young people will proclaim the Day of the Lord. I could mention a few more scriptures that pertain to this subject; however, we would be here until 1:00.
The youth of today are trying to voice their opinions of the church, as they are the future of this church and community. Will all the youth present here today please stand up? Those people standing, along with Katie and I are speaking. Do you want youth in 10 years or so, when elected to a board of this church, such as the Board of Trustees, Deacons, Christian Ed, and others, afraid to let their voices voice their thoughts and opinions of the church? Alright, you can sit down now.
Right now, youth all over are in the critical stages in their lives. They are planning their future, but still trying to cling to their past. With times right now in question due to terrorism, jobs, high gas prices, and everything else going on, the children and youth of today have even more things to plan out. They have to keep a job, while keeping their grades up in school. They are also considering what field of work they will go in, and where their life will go. However, one thing is certain. They will possibly be here at the Granville United Church of Christ or at another UCC church every Sunday morning. They will also be on a board of that church, making decisions that will guide the church into the future.
Back in early July of this year, Katie and I presented to our church the Illinois Conference Youth Initiative’s Youth Resolution. Many people have been wondering and asking why we brought this issue up. Well, let’s open the time vault and go back to a few years ago. Our Illinois Conference did have a youth ministry. However, when the conference needed money for a project, where did the money come from? You got it, the Youth Ministry program. They kept doing that until there was no funds left in the ministry program, and it was forced to close down. I think the date was 2000.
Back in July of 2004, ICYI was started. The people who started this program wanted to give the youth of the church a voice in the UCC. In the resolution presented early this year to you, it stated that "youth need a spiritual home where their voices are heard. In supporting the youth within our local churches, associations, and conferences, we are living up to the church constitution. By doing so, we are addressing a potential risk that jeopardizes future UCC members." From Genesis Chapter 1 verse 26; all persons are made in the image of God, and Psalms 139, verses 13-15 continue saying that they are handcrafted by God before birth. That Psalms verse continues to say "while each of us seek maturity in faith, the quest for responsible is a life-long activity that is engaged in all stages of the life span. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 1-11 say that the Holy Spirit empowers each of us in unique ways for the common good. The youth that were standing earlier: Do you want to jeopardize their future in the church by not allowing them to voice their opinions and input to the future of the church.
Now, many of you have been looking at me weird during this sermon, and are thinking "he wants the youth to make the decisions for our church now." No, I’m not saying that. Going back to the 100-sheep story, the youth are that 100th sheep. You, the adult members of the UCC are that man, who went looking for that missing sheep. You as adults can be mentors to us youth, showing us the way, so when you are unable to serve on boards, and when we are a little more mature, we an make good decisions to keep this church the way it is going. By mentoring the youth of today for the future of the church will make the transition from all of you to the youth much easier, and then you will know that the youth of the church will not make drastic decisions that will cause major arguments. This mentoring has already begun.
Back in May of this year, Rev. McNeill started a group called Junior Deacons. This program, which was a huge success at his old churches. Right now, the Junior Deacons program has only a few of members, Katie, I, Lee Borio, and Kaitlyn Foley. This program is for all confirmed youth of this church, and meet once a month. This program so far is in the starting stages, but already has its Junior Deacon of the Month attending the Deacons meeting. They also attend other board meetings to see how the church is run. This goes with another scripture in the nibble, Acts, Chapter 16 verse 2: Paul +mentors the youth Timothy. Later on in the bible, in 1st Thessolations 3, Paul sent Timothy as his trusted representive.
You, the members of the Granville UCC, and the wider church, are Paul, and also the man looking for that lost sheep. Us youth are the sheep. Mentor us. Help us to understand how the church is run, and let our voices and opinions to be heard. Yes, we are "punk teenagers, who don’t know anything. But, we do have some pretty good ideas, and are eager to have them heard. Are you ready?
For a youth song during your service, see the New Century Hymnal #350 "In the Days of the Youth." Parts of this sermon came from the ICYI Youth Resolution.