My First Parish involvement this week had nothing to do with Sunday church attendance.

On Monday night the “Voices of Light” chorale, of which I am a member met in the sanctuary to rehearse some upcoming gigs. We were formed specifically to sing as a service project rather than to sing at services. Once a month we perform at a local nursing home or hospice or place that might actually enjoy the diversion of an amateur choir. Every Monday night we try to improve and update our repertoire.

I had nothing to do with First Parish until Thursday night when the Religious Education Youth (REY) committee met at my home. We meet every third Thursday to review what is going on with first parish programs for youth in grades 6 through 12. The committee is four teens (7th through 12th grades), the high school advisor, the middle school advisor, me (committee chair and OWL facilitator), a parent of teens in high and middle school, and the Director of Religious education (DRE).

The DRE just started her maternity leave and could not attend (no baby reported yet, but any minute now!). A representative from the RE committee (oversees grades nursery – fifth) was there to talk about maybe getting a little more coordination and communication between the upper and lower schools so to speak. We had a good discussion around the massive pageant that is being prepared involving every child (below grade 12) in the church. Turns out no one actually asked the older youth or their advisors if this would be a good thing for them, they were just assumed to be participating. Some are participating and loving it. Others are participating and not loving it. And others have said, “Wake me when it’s over. I’ll come back to church in January, but this is nuts, see ya!”

Youngest son, who is assisting the pageant by working with the group that is preparing and filming a documentary of the project, attended the meeting as well. It was also the easiest way for him to get some dinner. In exchange for everyone meeting at my house instead of at the church, I serve soup and rolls. The high school advisor usually brings cake as well.

Youngest offered to welcome any interested students into the documentary project. The teens present weren’t sure that many people knew about it and they thought their otherwise disinterested classmates might enjoy the documentary process. So, maybe they will, we will have to see how it goes.

Our meeting reviewed some ideas for a combined youth programs night to start in the fall of 2011. It would look a lot like APYW or whatever mormonism calls its youth evening. Grades 6 – 12 would start out together with some opening ingathering lead entirely by youth and would then divide into activities loosely by grade and also by interest. It would run two Sunday evenings per month. All special programming, such as the sexuality course (OWL) and the coming of age program would run at these times so youth in those programs would not be able to attend the other activities.

It is still in the discussion phase. We are considering adding a study hall for those who want to come be with their friends from church, but still have homework to do on Sunday nights.

With that meeting wrapped up there was no further First Parish activity until Saturday when the Voices of Light performed at Palm Manor. We have not moved to our holiday program yet so we were very confident singing pieces we know well.

Sunday mornings are reserved for the 11 eighth graders who are enrolled in the sexuality and reproductive health program, “Our Whole Lives.” My co-teacher, David, was out of town so youngest son filled in as the designated additional adult required by our “Safe Church Policy.” No one adult can ever be alone with any individual youth or group of youths in First Parish programs.

I didn’t expect youngest to do any program delivery. (In the case of OWL, program delivery requires a certification that he does not have.) Our topic was sexual orientation. One of the teens compared discrimination against gays to the discrimination that went on prior to the civil rights movement. They talked about Rosa Parks and specific events that were pivotal in helping the nation to realize that people of all colors are people and ought not to be subject to harm just because of the characteristics with which they were born.

The question came up as to the historic origins of “Gay Pride” and activism in general around issues of homosexuality. Youngest son had studied the Stonewall riots of 1969 that seem to be the catalyst for gay rights so he told the story (I made a note to myself that in so doing he was a guest speaker and not doing program delivery!)

Youngest agreed that this is a great group of young people. They reminded me just how vulnerable they are though. We were doing an activity where they had to rate certain statements as myth or fact. I asked if the statement “Homosexual acts are unnatural for human beings” was a myth or fact. They were pretty vocal in saying that that was a myth. I pressed them as to how they knew it was myth. With all sincerity they said, “Because you just told us it was perfectly natural when we were talking earlier.”

“Well,” I said, “That is assigning a lot of credibility to me.”

“But you are our teacher, why would you lie?”

Why indeed? Youngest son (an education major) and I had a long talk about the trusting nature of students and not abusing that trust.

Warm Thanksgiving wishes to anyone who has read this far.

I love the OWL program. the kids who go through that program have such a healthier outlook on human sexuality (including good reasons to practice abstiance) than where I was at their age hearing nothing but "bad-bad-naughty-naughty, don't talk about it."

I have 3 kids who went through RE but opted to keep them out of OWL. It is offered only every other year in our congregation and for all three, they were on the young side. I just felt that my kids were too immature for the more explicit material. We have always talked openly about sexuality in our family, so they've been ok. It has been interesting how disapproving they are about some of the sexual antics they've observed when they went to college.(Some roommates have "poor boundaries" to put it mildly.) They are remarkably level headed. When I compare them to their TBM cousins, and what others post on different sites, I'm greatful that I didn't raise them in the church.

He'd brought the book "The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible" to his class to read (his teacher would read one of the children's books if they brought them) but she wouldn't read his book. In a voice of complete mystification he explained:

"She doesn't believe God created everything. She thinks it was evolution."

Needless to day, I was a creationist at the time -- however I was trying to teach my children some critical thinking skills so I asked my son:

"Well, why do you think God created everything?"

"Because you told me so, Mom." My son answered with the earnest faith of a seven year old.

"Do you think maybe her Mom told her that evolution created everything?"


Ahhh, teaching moments -- they're wonderful. :)

Our OWL "textbook" is Changing Bodies Changing Lives. It is an excellent resource for any teenager.

when my Mom (college graduate, heavy on life sciences) first told me about the metamorphosis of an insect I was really upset because she was lying to me. Obvious - a crawly guy with lots of legs can't just take a nap and turn into a flying creature with six legs and three body segments. I was also upset that she thought I was dumb enough to believe it.

then in school we had a terrarium with caterpillars and it happened.. OH NO, THE TEACHER AND THE JANITOR ARE IN ON IT!