The Importance of Youth Services, by Ian Holliday

Back in my freshman year of high school, my parish youth group received a flyer not unlike this one, advertising something called a "diocesan youth service" at St. John's in Barrington. We weren't entirely sure what a "diocesan youth service" was, but we had been looking for more things to do as a group, and this sounded like it was our kind of scene, so we decided to check it out. There were easily 50 people there, most of them teenagers, and they had come from all over the diocese. We sang "Pharaoh Pharaoh," to the tune of "Louie Louie," listened to a sermon delivered by a copiously pierced and tattooed young man, and we ate actual bread for communion. It still stands out in my mind as one of the best formal church services I've ever been to.

Though this was the only youth service my youth group attended, they were actually a regular occurrence in this diocese in the late 90's and early 2000's, and I have many friends who remember them fondly and wonder why they stopped happening. That's not to say people stopped organizing youth events in the diocese. There have always been young people getting together around Rhode Island to do cool Episcopal things, and there probably always will be. But there's a difference between a youth event and a youth service.

I've always perceived a divide between parish-level youth activities and diocese-wide events, and when I was in high school, it seemed like neither had much to do with the other. The youth group centered around the shared experience of going to church together, and while we certainly did other things, we all approached the group from that common background. What was so interesting and important about the concept of a diocesan youth Eucharist is that it extended that familiar experience of going to church together into the larger youth community. It bridged the gap between going to your own church on Sundays and going to ECC or Happening a couple of times each year, and did so in a friendly, relatable way.

Well, at least for the night of December 20, they're back! Happening of Rhode Island is organizing a youth service for 5 p.m. at St. Matthews in Barrington. The goal is to create another opportunity for the Happening community to meet outside of the two Happening weekends each year, but Mark Sidla, one of the event's organizers, said they could be seen as a continuation of the youth service tradition he used to be a part of.

"In high school ... they were another event in which we were able to meet and enjoy our christian family. Another network in which we could share God's love through each other as well as an
oppurtunity for us to choose litergy and music etc."

In that vein, the service on the 20th is open to everyone, including Happeners, non-Happeners, and even parents. If you have any questions, please contact Mark Sidla (401-636-1946, mark.sidla@gmail.com ) or Harold Guise (401-481-9642, hguise@mail.uri.edu ).

Visit our  facebook event page to see who is coming and let your friends know you are!