When I was about seven, I begged my mom to let me go to Memorial on Sundays. My attendance for three years up until that point had been inconsistent, as I only attended on the Sundays when I was being watched by a family friend. I attended Sunday School alongside her son. I made friends there. The stories were presented to me in a way I understood. My mom agreed (In hindsight, I think she was just happy that I was interested in church at all), and the following Sunday began my adventure as an official member of the congregation.
Twenty years after I first stepped through Memorial’s doors, I heard about the Youth Minister position. At first, I wasn’t going to apply. I was already working full time and doing an internship. Things were settling into a post-covid “normal” for the first time since my college graduation. I had only just started to become a part of the congregation again since I started college. And, most of all, I was terrified. I had babysat before and did plenty of events with kids when I was at Disney, but to help bring an entire program back after covid and learn to run it was a new venture entirely. One that, admittedly, I didn’t think I could handle.
So, what changed? I kept thinking about it. I thought about my time as a kid in the Youth Group. The trips we took, dinners with our leaders, learning to read music and sing today, and just generally being excited for Sunday mornings. The more I thought about being able to be the person who gave a new generation that sense of community, the more I knew I had to go for it. So, I did, and here I am!
We’ve done good work since we started. From the events that we’ve put on, to swapping between in person and virtual, to getting Sunday School started up again. Watching the youth start to become more comfortable as things become more permanent and routine has been wonderful! I’m very proud of us, and I do mean us, because I certainly could not have done this alone. Memorial’s community has helped me with supplies, space, assistance and guidance as I continue to find my footing in all of this, and I thank you all so much for that.
There is still work to be done. There will always be work to be done. We owe it to the next generations to ensure that they have somewhere safe and encouraging to go whenever they need it, not just on Sunday mornings. But, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t reflect on and celebrate everything that we’ve done up until this point.
Twenty-one years may have gone by since I first walked through the doors at Memorial, but it’s clear that this is still the same uplifting community that it was even then.