About the Service of Youth and Children
About the Service of Youth and Children
Question
Youth are the future of the Church in the diaspora, so what is your plan concerning them? How are they connected to the Church? And how are they kept away from deviation?
Answer
• The topic of youth necessarily leads us to caring for children…
because every youth was previously a child. If we care for children and surround them with all spiritual care, we will not find difficult problems concerning youth in the future…
Even if a youth deviates at a critical age, and under the conditions of society and its temptations, how easy it is for him to return easily to God and to the bosom of the Church, because his foundation is firm in it.
• For the sake of caring for children, we allow their ordination as chanters (psaltis).
This is so that the child grows up in the bosom of the Church, becomes attached to it, to its meetings and liturgies, learns its hymns and repeats them. The child rejoices when he finds himself wearing the deacons’ garments, holding a candle in his hand, responding with the liturgical responses, enjoying the rite and the priesthood, living in the atmosphere of icons, church readings and sermons (when he grows up), and being keen to partake of the Holy Mysteries.
• For the sake of children, we focus on the duty of the family in spiritually caring for their children.
Every mother and every father has a sacred duty centered on three points:
(a) Teaching children biblical and spiritual teaching, by the mother telling her child every day a story from the Bible or from the lives of the saints, making him memorize a verse or a prayer or a hymn, and upon his return from Sunday School reviewing with him what he received there.
If she does not know, she should study in order to know. She should read in order to teach her child.
The same words we say to the mother we also say to the father.
And God willing, I will produce a book that helps mothers in teaching their children.
It will include family curricula, as well as questions and answers and verses.
(b) In addition to teaching, there should exist within the family practical spiritual training in practicing a sound spiritual life.
(c) It is also the duty of the family to present a practical spiritual example and good role model from which children benefit spiritually. There is no doubt that stumbling within the family causes opposite results.
• For the sake of children and youth, we will look into Sunday School curricula,
so that we may establish a curriculum suitable for the diaspora, for both the young and the old. One of the benefits of this is also to unify the religious education of our children in the diaspora, and to ensure that they are given the necessary information from every aspect: in the Holy Bible, doctrine, spirituality, and the lives of the saints. It also addresses the problems they are exposed to.
It would be good if we issued a book that includes answers to their questions.
• According to the request of the youth, we will send them lectures in English on cassette tapes.
This is because our recorded lectures in Arabic serve only the older generation. As for the youth and children, their level in the Arabic language does not help them understand them. Just as we translated some books for them into English, we should also provide them with cassettes or video tapes in English as well, on topics that concern them and suit their mentality.
• Also providing them with video tapes about the Church, its service, and its heritage,
with explanations in English as well. These include important archaeological sites, famous new churches, aspects of church activity, whether in Cairo, Alexandria, the dioceses, the monasteries, and the feasts of the saints…
• For the sake of the youth, the effort carried out by His Grace Bishop Moussa.
In every country we visit, he meets with the youth and speaks to them and with them. God willing, he will have trips during which he will hold youth conferences in the countries of the diaspora, study their situation, and know their needs. The Mother Church exerts every possible effort for their benefit.
• For the sake of the youth, we hope to carry out projects and activities that benefit them.
We thank God that many of our churches in the diaspora own large lands on which projects can be established, and also possess many capabilities that can be used for good.
• For the sake of the youth as well, we study the issue of language,
by holding special liturgies for them in the language of their countries, while working on adapting the language to the church hymn, so that we do not lose our hymns and their deep spiritual impact. Currently, we are working on collecting recordings that carry experiences of adapting hymns and language.
• It is also beneficial to prepare servants for the youth of the diaspora.
This matter is a subject of study and thought for us, because useful curricula alone are not sufficient without the presence of service leaders who are competent to serve youth, understand their psychology, and are able to deal with them and engage in fruitful dialogue on the matters they raise.
• For the sake of the youth, we are working on arranging trips for them to Egypt,
so that they may become acquainted with our country, visit our churches in Egypt, the monasteries and Egyptian and Coptic archaeological sites, and also be able to visit their families, form relationships and friendships with people they love in Egypt, and correspond with them…
• God willing, we will prepare beneficial libraries for the youth of the diaspora.
At present, these can be supplied with what has been published abroad of translations of the sayings of the Fathers into English and French, and the efforts carried out by some trustworthy fathers. Added to this is a beneficial plan to establish strong and useful libraries.
• And for the sake of the youth, we set before us, God willing, the work of solving the problems of youth, and deepening their relationship with God in a sound spiritual life.
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