2017 TEEN PERSPECTIVE - ARCHIVE

2017 MARCH - TEEN PERSPECTIVE

Food Not Bombs

The confirmation class recently helped out at a Food Not Bombs event. Retail chains including Stop and Shop, Target and Trader Joe’s participate by donating tons of food to be distributed to people who need it. No matter what the weather is like, there are at least 30 people to distribute food that otherwise would have been thrown out simply because it was a day over the sell-by date.

Class member Paul said, “It was a very eye-opening experience and I felt like I was really helping people.” I felt like i was bringing so much joy and spreading love to these people.

Hunter stated, “It felt really good to know I was doing something to help people.” And even better, the whole confirmation class stayed so much longer than we originally thought we would. Seeing all the people just in Huntington, one town over from our church, lined up around the building where we were stationed was baffling to me. All of these people needed our help to stay on their feet, and just the fact that we were giving them a few extra loaves of bread made them so happy and joyful. I think the whole confirmation class can agree we would go back again. 

~ Grace H.

2017 FEBRUARY - TEEN PERSPECTIVE

The Path to Peace

I have some very exciting news! I have applied to represent the diocese and St. Margaret’s at an international Episcopal Youth Event called “EYE 17.” From July 10-14, 2017, 1,500 Episcopal kids who are currently in high school will meet in Oklahoma City to attend workshops, worship sessions and participate in small-group discussions that all revolve around the theme “Path to Peace.” I believe they chose this as a theme because of our past election and I think it will be a very eye-opening experience. Should I be selected to attend, I would be staying in a dorm at the University of Central Oklahoma. I have never done anything like this before and I am very excited! People from all around the world come to experience what EYE has to offer. 

I would just like to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point. I would not have the confidence or motivation to do this without the constant love and kindness from our parishioners. All of the years of reading during Christmas and Good Friday services have helped me be able to speak in front of large and small groups. The many outreach opportunities at the church have allowed me to realize that I can make a difference. And by doing this, I feel that it will open my eyes to new ways that I can help people who really need it. So I am asking for your prayers that I will be able to attend EYE 17, because it will definitely be an experience I will always cherish and never forget.

~ Grace Hoenscheid  

2017 JANUARY TEEN PERSPECTIVE (DEBUT)

DAILY REMINDERS

At my house, we have a manger with Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, a shepherd and his sheep. They all wait for the baby Jesus to join them on Christmas morning. But this is no ordinary manger. My parents built it together 23 years ago to celebrate their first Christmas as a married couple.

Every night, I plug my iPhone into its charger and leave it on the table next to the manger. Every morning, I unplug the iPhone and check the weather (to help me pick out my outfit) and I check my messages (to see what I missed while sleeping).

A few days ago, I realized that the manger and the iPhone right next to each other were quite a juxtaposition. Here we have the manger — a symbol of simplicity and humility, and right next to it the iPhone — a symbol of advanced technology, trends and social media. In Mary and Joseph’s time, everything moved slowly and they had to be patient on their journey to Bethlehem. But now we need speed, and look to the iPhone to give us answers to any question in less than 10 seconds.

Texting, Instagram and Snapchat have drastically changed the dynamic of conversation. Now, if you are dating someone, it is often because they asked you out via text and not face-to-face.

Mary and Joseph didn’t have the luxuries we have today. All they had were the things they could carry on their backs. To me, it’s amazing how far we have come and how much society has changed.

Looking at the manger and the iPhone side by side makes me wonder if we can ever go back to simpler times when we didn’t need our phones 24/7 and we didn’t communicate through iMessage only. But when I see the manger, it reminds me that God wants us to be loving, forgiving and patient and to take those lessons and use them in our daily lives.

~ Grace Hoenscheid