"I" is for Inter-Generational Ministry . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

OK, so "I" is one of those letters that I had several thoughts for before I started actually writing any posts for my Quaker Alphabet series, but when I finally got to it, well, neither of the ideas I started out with back in January was working for me. And then I had this thought the other day: "I" is for 'Inter-Generational Ministry.'

So, what is inter-generational ministry? It's a ministry which emphasizes relationships between age groups and encourages mixed-age activities. A ministry that de-emphasizes the formal teacher-pupil relationship.

I was planning to post this piece a bit later, but I think I'll go ahead a plug this amazing group of talented (extremely so) Young Friends that we have here in Western Yearly Meeting and I may be totally biased here, as well I should be. This is what THEIR ministry is all about . . .



Road Show at
Yearly Meeting

I'm talking about our 'Youth Cabinet,' they are the leaders of the Young Friends in my Yearly Meeting (High School aged students - 14-18 year olds). The members of the Youth Cabinet get together and come up with a 'message' that they feel that the members of our Yearly Meeting need to hear. They put together several little skits, songs, small group conversations and personal testimonies into a program . . . which they share at various Meetings, no more than once a month, around the Yearly Meeting during the school year . . . known as the 'Road Show.' Their final show is on Friday evening of our Yearly Meeting session in late July.

The various Meetings around schedule the Road Show to come to them. The youth, and adults traveling with them (including the Yearly Meeting Director of Christian Education, Clerk of Christian Education and another member of the Christian Education committee) usually meet up at the Yearly Meeting Office, in Plainfield, load up their equipment and themselves and drive to the Meeting they are visiting. The Road Show crew enjoys hospitality (meals and lodging) and fellowship with the members of the host Meeting and other local Meetings.



Road Show at
Mooresville Friends Meeting

They present their program, usually Saturday evening after dinner. The skits and the songs remain constant throughout the year, as does the topic for the small group discussions, but the testimonies given by these Young Friends changes . . . changes in that they don't all give their personal testimony each time, they take turns. At any one program you will likely hear anywhere from two to three, or maybe more, testimonies. The Young Friends join in the small group discussions and act as moderators . . . asking questions.

The programs are always very well thought out and delivered. These Young Friends have had some amazing messages to share with us . . . and they are amazing actors and actresses! By the time they get to Yearly Meeting in July . . . well, they've really grown into the roles they've taken on!

 

Oh, I mustn't forget the fun element of the Road Show . . . the game! The Young Friends make up a list of items . . . appears to be a rather lengthy list. At some point during their program they divide the Friends, in the audience, into 'teams'. . . then pull out their list. It's a 'Friendly' game . . . which team has the item, get it to their runner and up to the Young Friends the fastest! Gotta remember to follow the rules. There is one Friend (mom) who seems to have a bag of items in her purse, ready to go for this game . . . I think she goes to all the programs, so by the time the Road Show gets to Yearly Meeting she's got most of the items. Some of the items include: a cell phone, lotion, a diaper, a specific amount of change, chap stick, flashlight, a pen and a hair tie.

 

The Young Friends then spend the night either at the Meeting House or at the homes of members of the Meeting. Sunday morning they attend and sometimes time part in the morning Meeting for Worship. I've heard some talk of stops for ice cream on the way home . . .



Sisters in Skit

The Road Show is an amazing ministry carried out by the Young Friends in Western Yearly Meeting. It's always multi-generational in its scope, and is listed as a Multi-Generational Service in the Yearly Meeting program.

 

At the beginning of this post I mentioned that 'I may be totally biased here' . . . well, I suppose I should explain this comment before I close. My oldest daughter, Elizabeth, was a member of the Road Show when she was in High School and now my youngest daughter, Catherine, is finishing up her last year as a member of the Road Show . . . though this amazing experience I've seen them grow spiritually and into amazing young women of God.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

OK, I gave you a main course dinner recipe with my "I" is for Ireland Yearly Meeting . . . blog post, so now here's dessert! Now, I do know who 'Aunt Thelma' is . . . she is one of my Great-Aunts, specifically my mother's father's sister (got that straight, right?). I always enjoyed going to Wauseon, OH to visit with Aunt Thelma and her family . . . partially because they lived on the Meller family farm and that was always fun, but I think more because she was my Grandfather's sister . . . the Grandfather that I never got to meet as he died about 6 months before my parents married, and nearly 3 years before I was born. So, Aunt Thelma was my only connection to my Grandfather. Like I said, she lived on the Meller family farm, and yes, she had a large family - six daughters before she finally had a son! If I remember right, her oldest daughter was about the same age as my mother and her son wasn't more than a few years older than my older brother (who was 18 months older than I). In the summer we enjoyed this ice cream when we'd go and visit and my mom made it a time or two for us at home. Enjoy!

 

Ice Cream, Aunt Thelma’s Homemade

(makes 1 ½ gallon)

3 quarts milk

1 cup sugar

6 large eggs, separated

2 cups sugar

1 cup flour

¼ - ½  teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons vanilla

1 ½ cups cream

Heat 3 quarts milk and 1 cup sugar to boiling point. Beat egg yolks and add 2 cups sugar, flour and salt. Add to hot milk mixture and put in freezer can. Beat egg whites and add to milk mixture in can and also add 3 Tablespoons vanilla and 1 ½ cups cream and enough milk to within 1 inch of top of can.

 

Put plenty of salt on ice and freeze till it turns hard. (NOTE: 25 pounds ice?)