Youth Worship

This lesson provides an outline for designing a youth worship service.

Enhancer of Joy Sacred Narrative

Lesson developed byCaroline Ainsworth Huges and Kelly Antonson

Setting the Atmosphere

Prepare your worship space by stringing the fishing line above the heads of the congregation (this may require small hooks), with the ability to lower the lines.
Set up three stations around the room with enough sharpie markers for each student and enough tinfoil squares for each student to have 1-2 at each station.
Write the reflection questions on large newsprint at each station so students can move into personal space and see what is asked.
Have piles of the mini clothes pins available.
Use votive candles and lower lighting to create a relaxed environment.
Arrange communion materials.

Materials Checklist

Fishing line
5″x5″ aluminum foil squares (roughly)
Sharpie markers
Mini clothes pins
Newsprint paper with reflection questions
Votive Candles
Communion Elements

Gather

Gather [5 minutes]

Greeting One Another:

The group will gather in a space adjacent to the worship space.
Have adult or student leaders welcome each student as they arrive.
If it is early in the year, consider having people wear name tags.

Introducing the Session:

Once amassed, have the group form a circle to shape the worship ahead.
Share the theme of sacred narrative, the idea of placing ourselves within God’s story and seeing how we are connected to others in our faith.
Have students set an intention for the evening and perhaps light a votive in silence to place somewhere in the worship space.
Move into the worship space with the music leaders in place to welcome students with an opening song.

Engage

Engage [50 minutes]

Prayer of Invocation

Scripture Reading

Student Reflection(s)

Leaders Reflection and instruction for the activity. Share the questions and elaborate as necessary.

(Have music (contemplative/familiar/calming) playing during the activity. But encourage students to stay as silent as possible)

The group activity is for each student to rotate as they are ready from table to table, answer each of the following questions on their foil. Students should feel free to do more than one response at each table. Once they have recorded their responses they can clip their foil to the lowered fishing line with the mini clothes pins. All answers are anonymous and will be added to the chorus of the ages as such.

Station 1: [side one] Who is someone who early on in your faith journey taught/mentored you?

[side two] What did you take away from that person?

Station 2: [side one] Who is someone you would turn to with doubts or questions about your faith?

[side two] What might you ask them?

Station 3: [side one] Who is someone you want to teach something about God?

[side two] What would you teach them?

As students finish they can return to their seats. Have other leaders pull the fishing line tight to raise the foil responses up over the heads of the congregation. Secure in place.

Read the scripture again as students gaze up at the tinkling shimmering names and faith suspended above them. Recap the wonder and power of being surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.

Worship song

Communion and The Lord’s Prayer

Closing Song

Send Forth

Send Forth [5 minutes]

Announcements/reminders (if needed)
Offer a closing prayer

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