Cultivating a religious calling among teens

Calvin Seminary's month-long program for 35 students from the US and Canada includes an overseas excursion. The students come to the campus for 20 days of learning activities – discussions applying Christian thought to contemporary issues, and service projects in the city – and then head off to Turkey for 10 days to explore the early Christian church.

According to one participant, the 1,900 miles covered in Turkey "made me realize the passion and dedication that Paul must have had to have traveled all those miles ... and that I need to have a similar passion and be willing to go wherever God leads."

Most teens selected for the programs are clearly achievers, but they are also diverse. "For some, their congregations have been the center of their lives," says Fred Edie, director of the Duke Youth Academy. "But others are edgier students who have very serious theological issues, such as whether the Scriptures are historically true."

Most programs weigh in on the creationism-evolution debate, and teens often want to discuss questions relating to non-Christian faiths, given the diversity in their high schools.

While Duke has ties to the United Methodist Church, this year teens came from several mainline denominations and 22 states. Recognizing that people learn in different ways, the program offers artistic and service opportunities along with theological reflection, and involves students in design of worship services. Baptism was the central theme.

Brit Collins, a soccer player and class president from Knoxville, Tenn., found the camaraderie with teens and adult mentors a boon – "people facing the same issues and dealing with the same problems."

He's seriously considering becoming a pastor, and he appreciated the focus on baptism. "You realize you are joined in a family now, and, as a Christian, you need to step up and take part and serve others, not just yourselves and immediate family."

This sense of vocation is also the focus at St. John's, where Catholic teens reflect on who they are and how they are called to serve. "Vocation is the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep need," one speaker told them.

St. John's takes a team approach, involving an adult, typically a parish youth minister, and two teens from the same parish, says program director Jeffrey Kaster. The teams come for two summer programs. The adult works on a master's degree in pastoral ministry while the teens study theology and learn leadership skills.

Together they design and carry out a service project at home during the year in between. The young women from Fargo found it an exhilarating experience. When they learned of the pending arrival of the Sudanese youths, they decided they needed to raise money to buy them coats and other winter apparel. Their planning indicated they'd need about $4,000.

"We told parishioners about our plans after all the masses, and hung tags with coats and boots and shoes on a tree we use for donations," says Melissa. With the help of local radio and TV interviews, they raised all the money within a month. They went with the 42 young refugees to help buy the coats. They then raised another $2,500 so that each one had some money to buy Christmas presents.

The Sudanese youths live together in six homes, and the church has set up a committee to keep in touch and be available if the young men need any help.

"Now they are like our brothers," Nicole says. "I went into this with the mind-set that we were helping them, but with their culture and background, we've gotten so much more out of it – it's a real eye-opener."

The teens enjoyed the theological training just as much. In the latest St. John's survey, 79 percent of participants termed those classes "excellent." Many said it was the best experience of their lives.

As one commented: "God is big. It's a simple thought, but it goes a long way if you really have faith in it. Suddenly, things don't seem as challenging."

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