Our Amazing Youth

One of the wonders of First Church occurred this past Sunday: our annual Youth Service. This is the day when our 10th-12th grade youth conduct the entire service, and when our seniors stand before us and reflect on their time at First Church. I was lucky enough to attend both the 9 and 11am services, and left church feeling very proud, and completely drained emotionally.

I was proud that our church community participates so fully in the raising of our youth to be good citizens in this world. From the time our little ones enter the church and are welcomed into our First Friends group, through our Children’s RE program where they learn the pillars of our faith, begin to become aware of our church as a home to social justice, investigate neighboring faiths, and learn about human sexuality and relationships, to Coming of Age where they reflect on their spiritual beliefs, to Youth Group, where they learn how to organize events, worship profoundly, work for a cause, and teach others about important social issues, our children are taught values we hold dear. The Youth Service is always proof to me that we as a church community are doing this work well.

This year's Youth Group in Tucson

In her most recent newsletter article, Julie Franzini quoted one of these wise youth: “Youth Group is a microcosm of the church…and the church is a microcosm of how we want the world to be.” I can’t imagine a more desirable description of a church community.

Stewardship means making sure core programs like these are supported on many levels to keep them strong for future generations. Feel free to share what motivates you to support First Church, and please remember to send in your pledge if you haven't already!