SAYM staff Kyle Feader offered this short history as part of Rev Debz Ferber’s covenanting service with Mount Royal Emmanuel United Church and Living Skies Regional Council, 29 September 2024.
More recommended reading and sharing: The 2023-24 Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry report (PDF)
Hello everybody, and welcome to such a wondrous and blessed occasion. My name is Kyle Feader and I am the Saskatoon and Area Youth Minister. Debz invited me to speak about the amazing thing that is youth ministry, and I am so honoured and excited to be here.
Before we begin, in the spirit of youth ministry, I have a joke for you all.
Q: What do you call a crocodile that is always causing trouble?
A: An insta-gator!
Ahh, see now this is great. Usually when I tell these jokes to my youth, I get a lot more groans and eye rolls, so this is very refreshing!
Anyways, youth ministry. Let us talk about this wonderful gift from God that is youth ministry. Something so astronomically important for both our churches and our youth. Over my time here, I would like to detail some of the history of how this youth ministry came to be, what we do, some stories of how youth are being impacted, and how you can all support this wonderful work.
The Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry began with a vision, and the incredible generosity of two people. Beth and Dennis Johnson of Saskatoon’s own McClure United Church. They recognized how youth ministry and youth group was a vitally important part of faith their formation and identity. With the impact of youth ministry on their own lives in mind, they wanted to give back to such an important aspect of the church.
An incredibly generous $40,000 was given to jump start what would become the Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry. From this, a committee of 5 members which included the Very Reverend Jordan Cantwell, The Reverend Aurora Espenant, The Reverend Mitchell Anderson, Joshua Bell, and Meghan Drabble was created. They were tasked to search out and interview candidates for the position who had charisma in the faith, and the God given skills, abilities and talents to lead as youth minister. That search eventually led to me, and so with much support, I started my work.
The task was this. There is currently no youth ministry, make one. Really, only one step, simple right? Well not exactly. But, after plenty of conversations, support and planning with different congregations, we had the beginnings of the Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry.
How does the Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry Operate?
When we first started off, we met once a week, usually on Tuesdays, and rotated through a repeating lineup of four United Churches in the city running 7pm-9pm. Since the beginning, we have kept our age range as 12+, focusing in the middle years to high school but not excluding those who are transitioning out of that period of life. Our youngest youth our 12, our oldest youth (at the moment) are 18. But after some careful consideration and reflection on the needs of the youth and considering attendance, it was decided a change was to be made. We moved to a bi-weekly schedule, and now instead of having set days each month, I am able to communicate with youth and families, set a date that works with their schedules and needs, and it also means that by not having it on the same day each time, we don’t have the same kids constantly missing out due to obligations. Well, one of the most wonderful blessings to have with this youth ministry is the ability to shape and transform it to the needs and desires of the youth as they build and walk in faith with Christ our Lord.
So what does a Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry event look like?
Youth Ministry takes so many amazing and wonderful forms, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Sometimes youth ministry is a movie night, where we can find comfort and joy in film together. Some times, it is nights of arts and crafts where youth are being able to find creative outlet for their gifts. Sometimes our ministry is conversation, discussion, and questions about faith with some games and activities in the church that reflect the lessons and teachings of God and Christ.
It is overnight events, day trips, Pride events to support the unconditional love God has for the diverseness in people that flourishes through creation. No matter the activity, there is room (and food) for all. What the night looks each time is different, but the joys and celebration, and the love for God and Christ in our words, hearts, prayers and actions is a constant.
Youth play a very active role in the shaping of the Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry. Every single time we meet, the youth have their voices heard, and get the chance to bring forth the things that fulfill them. All of those events I mentioned, the youth had a hand in making them happen. One of the most wonderful parts of my work through the youth ministry is getting to take the ideas and excitement from the youth, and then work with them to bring those ideas to life to create fun, exciting, and faith filled nights!
And you know what the great thing is about having youth involved in the planning process? They know that their voices and ideas are heard and valued. They are not just a passive part of this all, where I plan without considering what would be best for them. And when the upcoming event is something that they suggested and had a hand in creating, well you KNOW they are gonna be excited to come and gonna be there.
I will now share a few stories of uplifting moments and impacts the ministry has had on the lives of the youth who attend.
Stories of Impact
One thing that is incredibly important is the safety factor of youth, whether this is physical safety, or the safety to express oneself in every sense of their identity. The United Church and Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry pride themselves on being a space where that is affirming for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. We have youth that show up and are members of this community that have confided to myself and other members of congregations that that they feel safe and seen within the confines of the youth group, that they can express themselves freely and without worry and know that they have a space where they can be authentic and know they will be safe and cared for.
This past June we had a “pride night” where we took a mini tour through the history of Pride Month. We had a youth that was joining us for the first time in over a year since they were last seen. This youth does not have prior connection to a United Church congregation which is always exciting to see, and very heartwarming that they felt safe and comfortable enough to come to one of our events. At the end of the pride night evening, I formally invited all the youth present to walk with the United Church at the pride parade if they were comfortable with it. It truly warms my heart and fills my spirit that our new youth that had never been there went, walked with the United Church, and felt safe and comfortable enough to do so. They sent me a picture to our group chat of them in their pride colours and looked so excited and happy to be there.
On our Pike Lake trip, I planted a reflection question for the day with the question “Where/How do you see God in your life?” The youth were given the day to think and reflect upon their answers. The only “condition” for answering the questions was that you had to say something, and it had to be honest. The way in which the youth were able to describe God is something I truly wish every one of us in the United Church could hear. They speak with a maturity and understanding that rivals many adults I know and have such a colourful and yet extremely personalized way in which they all come to understand God and Christ. It is uplifting, heartwarming, and a welcome reminder that youth love and want to be with God. I was so incredibly proud of everyone for their candidness and willingness to speak
On the topic of being inclusive, the Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry provides a space where even youth that do not belong to or attend a particular congregation can feel welcomed and enjoy themselves. On any given night we have anywhere from a third to half our youth coming to our events who have no direct association with a United Church congregation, and do not attend worship. These same youth would partake then in activities of faith, prayer, and ask questions about God and Christ, despite not really having a faith background. Youth ministry moments like this create stepping stones where youth naturally find an interest, and with Chirst providing a community in the church.
I very much see God’s hand in bringing these youth to youth ministry nights, and it is a treasure that those who do not have a United Church Family so to speak now have the opportunity to build and expand upon a community through youth group. One youth expressed that they had never before been able to stay with any kind of youth group before their time in the Saskatoon and Area Youth Ministry, because other groups had felt so impersonal and repetitive. They appreciated how events were different, and how their input mattered.
The youth truly WANT to be at youth ministry. There was an event back in May of this year where I was waiting for a youth’s parents to come pick them up, and we were about 20 minutes past the scheduled pickup time. Worried that the youth had no transportation, I asked if the parent was coming to pick them up, to which the youth responded that their parents had been there for about 30 minutes, but they were having fun and did not want to go home yet.
After internally having a freak out over unknowingly keeping a parent waiting, it really says something about how youth WANT to be present that they are willing to spend that bit of extra time. I have youth bugging me that something was scheduled on a day they were busy (I asked them which evenings they would have free so I could plan around, to which they said that they have no free evenings. Go figure that one out) Or I hear laments from parents/guardians when they cannot make an event, with notes about how their youth wish they could be there and are upset to be missing out. If you ask me, these very much sound like the words of youth who WANT to be involved.
Support for Youth Ministry
Finally, I come around to the ever so important question: What can be done to help support this valuable ministry? It is one thing I am often asked, and so I have come up with a variety of responses and recommendations.
- A really important action to take is to spread the word about the events we are having. This includes putting posters in newsletter or emails or up in the church! When things are visible, people notice, and they sometimes find their way to our youth events.
- Talking to any youth in your own lives, or connecting with family members or friends that have someone and seeing if they would want to go or bring a friend.
- Offering transportation to or from one of our events! Sometimes youth want to come but have no way to get there.
- Reaching out and extending a personal invite. Seeing a poster or hearing about something is not necessarily enough to make someone inclined to come out. But a personal invite from and adult that a youth trusts, now THAT sends a message and goes a long way
- Youth ministry, like churches, relies on funding to keep going. As we come to the close of the original gift, donations from individuals or congregations make a great deal of impact in helping keeping the program running. If you feel called to give, I would ask that you come talk to me sometime this evening and I would be ecstatic to discuss how to best make it happen.
Thank you all for your time. God bless and enjoy the rest of this amazing evening.
