Often, acts of stewardship are born of seeing a need and taking an action. As Matt Behnke, the lead facilitator of the Young People’s Fellowship, said, “We often see a need and think, ‘why aren’t they doing something about that?’ but we ARE the they!” It was in this spirit that Matt stepped forward to engage other parents and teens to build the Young People’s Fellowship about seven years ago.
“As a parent of pre-teens, I noticed that the programming for youth had waned during a time of transition between rectors, and it was in that context that I felt I could fulfill a need – with a focus on social fellowship for young people.”
Today, the Young People’s Fellowship invites middle and high school students in the greater Pittsfield area to connect with our broader communities through service and having fun shared experiences. “At the outset, we felt it was important to have critical mass – enough of a group to feel like it was a community – so we reached out to other parishes in the area.” To be inclusive, the YPF focuses more on the themes of Service and Fellowship as expressions of spirituality and stewardship than any one doctrine. YPF is moderated by Safe-Church trained and vetted adult volunteers and is open to any teens in Central and Northern Berkshires. The ideas and initiatives are informed and driven by the interests of the young people. The vehicle for this is the YPF Leadership Team, a volunteer core group of teens who make the decisions about programming.
Anywhere between 10-25 youth participate in service events such as workdays with Habitat for Humanity, serving food at Cathedral of the Beloved and St. Stephen’s Table, and, as with the recent Pasta Dinner, raising funds for and assembling backpacks for children entering the foster-care system. Fellowship opportunities have included the 5Wits Escape Room, Ramblewild, caroling and karaoke.
The YPF is a multi-faceted example of stewardship in action:
· by the many adults who participate in helping to organize the youth. “It’s a true group effort – we could not be doing this without the other parents who are highly involved,” Matt said.
· by the young people in their service and those who serve on Leadership Team; and
· by all of us who support them in their activities.
YPF is also outreach in action: “Some of our most dedicated families are not necessarily church-going families, though some have had a past connection to St. Stephen’s,” Matt noted. In one instance, a youth who had continued to receive birthday cards from St. Stephen’s came to a Habitat for Humanity work day.
“Seeing something that needs to be done and owning it a little – to wonder, ‘is there something I can be doing about that?’ is a big piece of the stewardship puzzle for me,” Matt said.
Each Stewardship Spotlight highlights the way parishioners enrich the life of St. Stephen’s by giving of their time, talent and creativity. We hope you’ll be inspired by these profiles!