by Anna Burden | Aug 17, 2023
How do you help students learn to trust each other and build friendships with people they often don’t know outside of church? One church, Grace Church Seattle, brought students on a retreat for this very purpose, with the help of the Champion Grant. Throughout the weekend, students learned about and practiced belonging.
In group teaching sessions, students first explored the modern, Western idea that you belong to yourself and to belong to anyone else is too restrictive. Through personal testimony, Nelson Hall, the assistant pastor of youth and young adults, shared that trying to belong only to yourself is isolating and can increase anxiety. Instead, we can belong to Jesus and to each other. Spending time reading Matthew, students considered the character of Jesus and how trustworthy he is. Students fully engaged in this topic and were honest about what it means to belong to Jesus and each other.
This is what Nelson told our team: “Our last evening (Saturday night) was the richest discussion I’ve seen our group (not only during the retreat but period) have together. Often, small group discussion can be the leader asking a question, it’s quiet, then the small group leader asks another question, and then it’s quiet.
“But what happened Saturday was so beautiful. I gave them prompts before quiet time and journaling about the weekend. During the discussion, I faded into the background. Kids started talking to each other, riffing off of ideas, and pulling in threads from what we learned during the weekend. It was like a discussion we were creating together, like a beautiful melody we were making together. It went on for quite a while and was a beautiful way to wrap up our last evening together.”
Beyond their time in group sessions, students went on a hike together, relaxed in the cabin the church rented out, and even had a just-for-fun talent show on Saturday night. They let their guard down in a way that allowed them to relax and build greater connections as a group. Beyond having space for connection, some students also stepped into new leadership roles.
Two students led in worship through music at the start of every group session. Before the retreat, they chose the songs themselves and helped coordinate their practices. It was an exciting new step for them to lead the rest of the group in worship and use their God-given gifts.
“The weekend didn’t feel like it needed to be the leader show, of us imparting wisdom,” Nelson said. “We led and facilitated, but we also gave students the opportunity to lead. We got to see them flourish, and the Lord was kind in that.”
We know that Grace is not the only church inviting young people to belong to Jesus and the church. As the Student Leadership Network, we value purposefulness and creating spaces, resources, and events that effectively foster life together in Christ and his Kingdom. As you think about the invitation your ministry is offering students to join in the fullness of life in the Kingdom, what new things come to mind? How can we come alongside you as you try a new ministry idea?
As you think about raising the next generation of leaders, consider applying for a Champion Grant. The grant exists to come alongside student ministry champions with financial support for their new ministry ideas.
by Anna Burden | Jun 26, 2023
The Student Leadership Network, along with many of our churches, values household faith. We affirm the central role of the household in student discipleship and call on the entire church to support them. A church in Michigan is supporting the role of parents in discipling their children and finding new ways to connect parents and students together.
Under the direction of Amy Wolthuis, All Saints Holland Anglican Church started Roots, a two-year discipleship cohort designed to equip mothers as their daughters move toward adulthood. The parents are focused on preparing these students for life and mission in the body of Christ and the world. This new discipleship cohort received support from a Champion Grant.
Now, nearly halfway through the cohort’s first year, Amy shared with the Student Leadership Network some of the joys and challenges of this pilot program. Moms and daughters began time together in community with a weekend retreat. As they began to share in conversation, leaders intentionally tried to help participants shift their focus from self to others as well as from individuality to community. After five months of regular meetings, Amy is noticing increased comfort and a greater quality of conversation. Relationships are being strengthened within families and among parents and students.
“As moms, we have done work to brainstorm what we hope our daughters know, do, and experience before leaving our home,” Amy shared. “This has been a lot of good work and we have learned so much already – about ourselves and each other and also how groups coming after us might tweak our plan to better suit their needs and make improvements.”
In addition to focusing on studying scripture together and building intergenerational relationships, Roots includes group service opportunities to bless the surrounding community. Most recently, students made fleece blankets for a local pregnancy center. Parents and leaders at All Saints Holland are being intentional about looking ahead to the kind of leaders they hope their community will have and are helping form these young people into those leaders.
As you think about raising the next generation of leaders and supporting parents, are there financial barriers to the work you feel called to do? Consider applying for a Champion Grant, which exists to come alongside student ministry champions with financial support for their new ministry ideas.
by Anna Burden | Mar 25, 2023
One of the projects supported by the Champion Grant was this past summer’s Soul in the City, hosted by Grace Anglican Church in Fleming Island, Florida. Middle and high school students spent a week living in community together so that they can deepen their relationship with Jesus and focus on the needs of others. The week included full days of service, worship, teaching, and time for students to build new or deeper friendships. Students and their leaders served at not-for-profit worksites in two different counties completing projects ranging from yard clean-up to building relationships with children in the community. While the structure of the week is very similar to an overseas mission trip, Soul in the City is designed to support ministry and outreach locally. This helps young people realize that they are invited to live life on mission, even and especially where they live.
Soul in the City 2022 had representation from fourteen churches across six denominations. 61 students were registered, and many students shared about the impact the week had on deepening their relationship with Jesus. Jack McNeil, the Director of Youth and Families at Grace Anglican, shared that “students shared powerful spiritual breakthroughs regarding healing and forgiveness (particularly from broken homes), and recommitments of faith.”
During a week of serving others and participating in the work that God is doing in a particular community, students are often able to experience the love of God personally in a powerful way.
Being surrounded by a Christian community was particularly powerful for the young people who participated in Soul in the City. Jack told us about an exchange student from Britain who experienced being around other Christian teenagers for the first time during this trip. “By the end of the week, he was very emotional saying goodbye to the young men he built friendships with over the week. He was so thankful for Christian fellowship. He expressed being reinvigorated spiritually, and ready to share his faith back at home with greater boldness.”
The Champion Grant helped offer scholarships to six students, which made the trip accessible to more families. If you are hoping to help young people engage in the mission of God, but need financial support for your ministry ideas, the Champion Grant exists to support trips just like this one.
Coordinator for Student Leadership Network
Anna Burden grew up in the church and has felt called to student ministry since she was in seventh grade. She studied Youth Ministry at Eastern University and has experience working with churches and student ministries of various sizes. Anna and her husband, Colin, now live in Quincy, MA with their two cats. She works for the Anglican Diocese in New England as their Family Ministry Assistant. Anna is passionate about helping young people discover their identity
in Christ, their belonging in the family of God, and their gifts for Kingdom purposes.
by Anna Burden | Mar 22, 2023
This summer, the Jurisdiction of Armed Forces and Chaplaincy hosted a retreat for middle and high school students during their annual convocation. Students spent time with the rest of the jurisdiction during morning prayer, worship, and meals in addition to having dedicated time on their own. Throughout the retreat, students’ time together was focused on learning about and practicing prayer. Discussion often included challenging questions and a sense that many of these young people wanted to make faith their own.
This was the first time the JAFC hosted a program specifically for students, and their commitment to the emerging generation was evident in the way they welcomed students and worked to support parents. There was dedicated family time which allowed children, students, and parents to connect and process the events of the convocation and retreat.
For students, this time together was an important reminder that they are not alone in many of the challenges they face. At lunch on their first day together, one student said, “raise your hand if your dad is in the military” to which all the students raised their hands. Then he said, “raise your hand if your dad is a chaplain” with the same response. In seeing the humor here, this student continued to ask such questions as friends around the table started to groan and raise their hands. Even with something as small as this, it was a clear picture of the community that these students found in simply being together.
One student shared, “Thank you so much for having this retreat. It’s really helped me grow in my relationship with God.”
Spaces away from regular routines and rhythms allow us to pay closer attention to the relationship God is inviting us into. The hope is that this focused time away will empower students to continue growing in their faith as they go back to their daily life. This retreat gave these young people a chance to form new friendships with other Christians their age and gave them practical ways to deepen their relationship with God.
How might you create space for students to grow in their friendship with Jesus? How could the Champion Grant support your ministry ideas?
Coordinator for Student Leadership Network
Anna Burden grew up in the church and has felt called to student ministry since she was in seventh grade. She studied Youth Ministry at Eastern University and has experience working with churches and student ministries of various sizes. Anna and her husband, Colin, now live in Quincy, MA with their two cats. She works for the Anglican Diocese in New England as their Family Ministry Assistant. Anna is passionate about helping young people discover their identity
in Christ, their belonging in the family of God, and their gifts for Kingdom purposes.
by Anna Burden | Mar 11, 2023
The same day that Title 42 was set to expire, and the eyes of the nation were waiting to see what would happen at the border, a team of Anglican students were there. Students from International Anglican Church in Colorado Springs spent part of their Christmas break from school traveling to the border between the United States and Mexico. Before the trip, two high school students who applied for the Champion Grant shared that they were particularly looking forward to being a part of this trip because in learning about the experiences families and individuals have in these places, they would be equipped to mobilize their community to serve. They felt that everyone who signed up wanted to learn more about the particular needs of immigrant families so that they could increase their compassion and care for immigrants in their community.
The Border Encounter included challenging, honest conversations about racism and immigration. At the same time, this trip also included time for students to share really joyful experiences and play games with people at a shelter just over the Mexican border. IAC partnered with Abara, an organization that works to build connections in the borderlands and leads groups in visiting and learning about this area.
“I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity getting this grant allowed us to have. As a group we were truly impacted so positively and allowed to grow so much in our relationship with Jesus and our spirituality.”
Sarah, a high school student who was a part of the experience, shared, “Having the experience of seeing the wall from the other side completely shifted the outlook our group had from what we had seen on the American side of the border… Soon following that [time at the shelter] we crossed back into the United States of America and were able to begin processing our experience with Sami, the executive director of Abara, as
we got a first-hand look at the steps Abara is taking to further their project.”
As Sarah told me about the trip, she finished by saying, “I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity getting this grant allowed us to have. As a group we were truly impacted so positively and allowed to grow so much in our relationship with Jesus and our spirituality.”
The vision of the Student Leadership Network is to see generations of students formed in Christ awakening churches, communities, and cultures. We are so encouraged to hear about students like Sarah, who are empathetically leading in their community. If you have ideas about new ministry experiences you want to help lead young people through that you do not have the financial resources for, consider applying for a
Champion Grant!
Coordinator for Student Leadership Network
Anna Burden grew up in the church and has felt called to student ministry since she was in seventh grade. She studied Youth Ministry at Eastern University and has experience working with churches and student ministries of various sizes. Anna and her husband, Colin, now live in Quincy, MA with their two cats. She works for the Anglican Diocese in New England as their Family Ministry Assistant. Anna is passionate about helping young people discover their identity
in Christ, their belonging in the family of God, and their gifts for Kingdom purposes.
