Thursday, Jan. 26, 2024
A Vision for the future: Time capsule project
The Rev. Aaron B. Jenkyn
Click here to watch the recording of The Rev. Aaron Jenkyn and the St. John's Youth presenting their visions and dreams for the future as part of the students offerings for the St. John's time capsule project at the 2024 Annual Meeting, or read below for the full text.
As part of the 2024 St. John's Time Capsule project the children, youth and teens of St. John's have been thinking about what St. John’s means to them, and what they might want people in the future to know about St. John’s, about where they see God in the community and about themselves. It has been great fun, and a privilege to get to listen to their stories and ideas, and we wanted to share some of them with you today.
It should be no surprise, considering the quality and immeasurable talents of St. John’s Hospitality and Receptions committees, but the children and youth of st. John’s love coffee hour! Brownies won the most votes for favorite coffee hour treat, but cookies were a close second, or as one student put it “cookies… and everything else!”
We asked the students to share their favorite thing about St. John’s - in addition to coffee hour (which goes without saying) some of the other things the kids talked about were the garden and hawthorne tree outside, being with friends, being part of a community that always helps each other, the connections and friends made in youth group, Choir School and all the theatre and music opportunities, and the historical significance of this building and community.
When we asked them what problems in the world they want to help solve when they grow up, this remarkable bunch indicated that they wanted to take on climate change and global warming, end pollution, fight for womens rights and equality for all, help find homes for all those who don’t have them, study math and nursing and create video game content. AND there were several of our littlest St. John’s members who were willing and ready to commit themselves to doing whatever they could to find the hidden treasure at St. John’s. What I am not sure they know is that, they are in fact, our biggest treasure.
Perhaps most relevant to strategic planning (and vestry members take note), are the responses the children and youth shared when we asked them what one thing would they change about St. John’s if they were in charge, and friends, I think they should be in charge!
Some of the suggestions included having a live penguin pit (or enclosure) in the garden where everyone could interact with penguins, having a St. John’s cat (or more than one), Adding an ice cream shop to thazxter hall, more kittens, more music, and more food everywhere, Adding Air Conditioning throughout the building, adding more accessible bathrooms, offer summer camp programs in addition to church in the garden in the summer time, renovate the space to include 5 waterslides, when we have plays and other youth programming we should all tell more people who don’t go to church to come so there is bigger community, and there were several votes for installing a jumbotron behind the altar, which, as one student told me, would help all the people who sit at the back of the church (which is everyone) see better. In all seriousness. I loved the imagination, creativity and care that the students put into these answers, and I think there is a lot we can learn from them.
One last thing I wanted to mention, because we live most of our lives outside of St. John’s, leaving worship every Sunday to go out into the world to love and serve the Lord, we aksed the kids where in the world do they feel closest to God. Some find God in the pages of a book, curled up with a stuffed animal, or in the unconditional love of their pet, some find God in nature, alongside a brooke or in the solitude of their favorite wild place. But the vast majority said that the place they feel most loved, the place they feel closest to God, is at home, with their family. A reminder to all of us, of the ways that we are the God bearers to our children, of the ways that they come to know God through us. And us through them. I hope that in the next year, in the next fifty years, we can continue to empower our youth and their families to love and serve God in the world.
I wonder, what is your favorite thing about St. John’s?
What would you change if you were in charge?
Where do you see God in the world?
If you would like to add to the time capsule by sharing your answers to these questions, you are most welcome, I hope that you are as creative, imaginative and heartfelt as the youth who so generously shared their answers with us. Thank you!