My Faith, My Life, Revised Edition

Jenifer Gamber

Description

This revised edition now includes end-of-chapter questions for the readers as well as updated material sprinkled throughout.

The Five Marks of Mission and what it means to be a disciple of Christ will be a focus of this updated version, which also models student-centered learning as opposed to teacher-driven instruction. For teen study and confirmation preparation, this book can serve as a curriculum for helping teens discover Scripture, church history, sacraments, the meaning and practice of prayer, and what ministry means in the lives of real teens today. A framework for small-group gatherings for each chapter is included as a new section in the back of the book.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Ministry
• Philosophie et théologie
• Youth

Informations

• Publié par: Church Publishing Incorporated
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780819229632
• Langue: English

Extrait

My Faith, My Life

Copyright 2006, 2014 by Jenifer Gamber
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Morehouse Publishing, 4785 Linglestown Road, Suite 101, Harrisburg, PA 17112 Morehouse Publishing, 19 East 34th Street, New York, NY 10016 Morehouse Publishing is an imprint of Church Publishing Incorporated. www.churchpublishing.org
Cover design by Laurie Klein Westhafer Interior design and typesetting by Beth Oberholtzer
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gamber, Jenifer.
My faith, my life : a teen s guide to the episcopal church / Jenifer Gamber. - Revised Edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8192-2962-5 (pbk.) - ISBN 978-0-8192-2963-2 (ebook) 1. Episcopal Church. I. Title.
BX5930.3.G36 2014 283 .73-dc23
2014014956
To the youth with whom I have had the pleasure of growing in faith.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. (Luke 2:46-47)
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Lisa Kimball
How to Read This Book
Chapter 1: Baptism and Confirmation: Beginnings
Chapter 2: The Bible: Stories about Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Chapter 3: Knowing Our History
Chapter 4: Faith: What Do We Believe?
Chapter 5: Worship: Responding to God s Blessings
Chapter 6: Sacraments: Signs of Grace
Chapter 7: Spirituality: Created for Prayer
Chapter 8: Navigating the Church: From Local to Worldwide Church
Chapter 9: The Mission of God: What s Your Ministry?
My Faith, My Life: Glossary
References
Index
Acknowledgments
C hristian life and faith is inherently a community practice of mutual exploration, encouragement, and love. We are called to see Christ in one another and, together, fulfill God s mission. The liturgies of baptism, confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation reflect that reality. These liturgies are public events in which the community gathers to join those being baptized, confirmed, and received into the Church in proclaiming God s love and responding with our baptismal promises. And so it is with my own life and with writing this book.
This book is inspired by the teenagers with whom I have worked. They have guided my writing by their honest questions, expressions of faith, and love for community. Together we wondered what it means to give our hearts to God and the implications for the choices we make.
This book also reflects the community in which I was baptized-Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, New York. As a member of Christ Church I learned about God s love, Jesus s example and sacrifice, and the ministry that, as children of God, we share. Our experiences as children and teenagers greatly form who we are as adults. The rectors at Christ Church, and more importantly the laypeople, embraced the ministry of all people-adults and children alike. The people at Christ Church gave me my first job-as counselor for an inner-city summer camp. Christ Church was my first public speaking engagement as a teenage homilist. They taught me how to serve others-beginning with seeing Christ in one another to seeking Christ in our neighbors both close and far away. Christ Church sent me to the first Episcopal Youth Event in 1982 and supported me on a trip to serve at a children s home in Panama City, Panama. All of this while I was a teenager My parents, Loyd and Cynthia Lee, our community s rec tors, John Kater and Michael Philips, and my dear Sunday school teachers, especially Julia Dutton, whose love for drama brought countless biblical stories alive, played particularly formative roles. Their love for all people and belief in community created in me soil rich enough to bring blossom to the seeds of faith.
Today, my faith is nourished by the people of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and St. Anne s Episcopal Church in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. Over the past ten years, my faith and knowledge has deepened by the wisdom and experience of the Christian education community across the Episcopal Church. They are icons of commitment and love for their ministry with children, youth, adults, and families. I am particularly grateful for Wendy Claire Barrie, Mary Lou Crifasi, Randall Curtis, Kay Flores, Ann Fontaine, Lisa Kimball, Julia McCray-Goldsmith, and Debbi Rodahaffer. Rick Cluett, Bud Holland, and Tony Pompa have provided immeasurable guidance and support for my lay ministry. Laura Drum has been an icon of Divine affirmation.
I want to express particular and great appreciation of Sharon Ely Pearson. She is first and foremost a friend. She brought her sharp eye, editorial skills, and deep and broad knowledge of the Episcopal Church to the editorial process.
My family-two children, William and Emily, and my husband, Ed-are my anchor and joy. William and Emily s laughter reminds me of God s delight. Ed s steadfast love grounds me. Ed kept our family going while I was squirreled away in front of a computer surrounded by stacks of books. I have learned much from him about how to live faith in the world. I thank God for every day we share together.
Foreword
Lisa Kimball
I t s pretty easy to belong to a church or attend a youth group or go to summer camp, especially if your friends will be there. It s a little harder to stand up to a bully or take a pass on drinking at the prom because of your faith. For many teenagers, it is harder yet to answer the question, What do you believe? in front of friends.
In 2006 Jenifer Gamber had a vision for a book teenagers would want to read about what it really means to be a Christian in the Episcopal tradition, and read it they did-in record numbers (So many in fact that grown-ups got jealous and Jenifer published Your Faith, Your Life: An Invitation to the Episcopal Church in 2009 just for them.)
What you have in your hand right now is the newly revised version of an already awesome book. Jenifer watched gratefully as young people throughout the Episcopal Church used it to make sense of what they believe and then learned to act on that new understanding in bold, beautiful ways. She also listened to their feedback and unanswered questions, and paid close attention to the ever-changing American religious landscape. As a result, this updated edition of My Faith, My Life is responsive and even better than ever before.
Jenifer treats you, the reader, with dignity and respect. She assumes you are responsible for your faith and your life. Just like in a good voter s guide, she expects you will vote but wants you to be as informed as possible when you do. Jenifer doesn t dumb down the facts, avoid controversial issues, or impose her theological interpretation on you. She asks honest questions and provides tools to help you answer them. (I especially love the quiz-like Did you know? entries throughout the book, and the glossary at the end.) What s even better is that Jenifer encourages you to do all this figuring out with other people around-with your friends, your family, and adult mentors.
You and I know well that we live in a hyper-connected, often stressful world defined by the forces of globalization and mass consumerism. Many young people have become suspicious of individualism, competition, and overconsumption, patterns they know can lead to selfishness and injustice and about which they feel powerless to do anything. Jenifer is proposing a radical alternative to complacency, fear, and paralysis. She is boldly inviting young people to claim their unique, God-given baptismal identity not as a selfish gesture of acquisition but as a courageous act of faithfulness and integrity. She makes it so clear that following the Way of Jesus in community promises everything material success cannot give-unconditional love, forgiveness, worth, and purpose.
But it takes work. It isn t that God will love us less if we simply hang out around church, enjoy youth group, and participate in mission trips and pilgrimages because they are fun. We can actually do that without thinking about God at all. But the life of faith is about our willingness to be changed. What Jenifer helps us understand is that we will not be able to love ourselves, or our neighbors, as fully if we continue to hold God at arm s length as a nice idea. She gives us a roadmap to activate our faith. Being a Christian-a disciple of Jesus Christ-means knowing our story as children of God, being washed in the waters of baptism, blessed with gifts for ministry, and choosing to be different. We practice what we are coming to believe, and in so doing we discover abundant life
May your experience of this book be so much more than a homework assignment. Just like with the Bible, I recommend jumping in where you are most curious. Trust the Holy Spirit and Jenifer s careful design to reveal an epic adventure into the heart of God. In the process you will discover your baptismal power to join God s mission and change the world
Lisa Kimball, PhD Director, Center for the Ministry of Teaching Professor of Christian Formation and Congregational Leadership Virginia Theological Seminary
How to Read This Book
I hope you read this book like you would any other-with curiosity, an open heart, and a critical eye. I invite you to think about what you read, ask questions, and determine for yourself ultimately what you believe. Here are the things I included to help guide your journey throughout the book:

DID