Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Spring 2014 Issue | Page 14

Where We’ve Been
Excitement is high in Virginia when it comes to
Youth and Young Adult Ministry. For the first
time, all 15 regions of the Diocese of Virginia sent
youth representatives to be active members of
Annual Council. In fact, younger faces were the
norm at this year’s Council – from the collegiate
delegates to the youth presentation about

the Liverpool-Virginia partnership, from the
Parish Youth Ministry volunteer helpers to the
presentation from a member of the Grace-onthe-Hill Episcopal Service Corps program.

Since Bishop Johnston announced the five
diocesan priorities for mission and ministry in
2010, Youth and Young Adult Ministry has always

seemed to hover at the top of the list in terms
of its importance and meaning in people’s lives.
Virginians care about the faith formation of our
children; they care about incorporating young
adults into congregational life; and they care
about the future of the Church.

Staff Q&A with Paris Ball
What’s most exciting to you about the work Virginians are doing
in youth ministry right now?

I think that what’s most exciting to me are the natural
collaborations that are bubbling up when it comes to new
ways of doing ministry together. One of the things the Office
of Christian Formation is doing is a series of events called the
Youth Leader Connections. We meet twice per semester for a
90-minute session in the evenings, and anyone who works in
youth ministry can gather with us.

What we’ve seen with these events is that people
are excited about collaborating with each other. They are
energized by sharing their stories with other people who are
doing the same work as they. And they’re looking for ways to
connect with other groups.

We’re seeing these overlaps and connections on the parish
level, on the diocesan level and on the provincial level as well.
There’s a natural energy and interest in collaborating.
You’ve recently spent time visiting with all of the campus ministry
programs in the Diocese of Virginia. Tell us what you’ve seen.

There’s no one-size-fits-all campus ministry package.
Doing campus ministry really depends on the setting, and
is defined by the participants. The participants change
every four years – and that can be a benefit and a challenge.
It’s hard to lead a congregation that has such a frequently
changing membership.

But what that changing composition points to is a really
healthy vision for campus ministry that’s centered around
the goal of helping teach young people to be a part of a
worshipping community. That’s really a key element that I’m
starting to see across the board: this idea that we are helping
young adults learn what it means to be part of a church
community. We’ve done our job well when, at the end of their
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Virginia Episcopalian / Spring 2014

years of college, they aren’t starting from scratch but are
leaving with some tools to help find their next church.
What trends do you see developing when it comes to how the
Church incorporates and works with young adults?

Actually, I don’t know if we are seeing the trends yet.
I know that there have been these waves of trends when it
comes to young adult ministry – for example, integrating
technology, or relying on alternative worship styles. But as that
wave has passed, what seems to be moving into its place is an
emphasis on returning to our ancient roots.

Our intentional community at Grace-on-the-Hill, an
Episcopal Service Corps program for young adults that is
a partnership between St. Andrew’s, Richmond, and the
Diocese, is an example of that. It has a connection to a sense
of Monasticism, living in community, the practices of breaking
bread together, sharing common life and prayers together.
The rule of life that the residents commit to is a practice of
developing community covenants that goes back to the desert
fathers and mothers. Coming together as a community and
stating our commitments together are really ancient practices.
It doesn’t look ancient now, but that’s what it is.

Services of compline are also becoming very popular. That’s
a very ancient li