Prayer Workshop

As a person involved in ministry is it not often that you are invited to attend a free workshop that is relevant to your area. A prayer workshop for youth came across my e-mail about two weeks ago. It was on a Wednesday, which is usually a work day; it was free, which made if affordable; and it was geared towards a needed area in the spiritual lives of youth- I decided I was going! The workshop took place out at the Christos Center in Lino Lakes, which is a spiritual retreat center. They offer spiritual guidance, Sabbath retreat space, and other spiritual resources. Our class was taught by Patricia Hendricks, the author of Hungry Souls, Holy Companions:mentoring a new generation of Christians.

I was gathered around a table with 12 other individuals who were either volunteers with youth, pastors, or youth leaders. We discussed the importance of helping youth pray in ways that are meaningful to them, and the different ways to make prayer relevant to their understandings. For the second part of the workshop we were given the opportunity to experience 7 different prayer stations. Each one was a different modality which invited the participant to dwell on different aspects of faith. One station was a finger labyrinth, another was an art station, among others. My favorite prayer station used the idea of baptism. The participant was invited to write a sin or something that they were ashamed of on an alka seltzer and drop it in a glass of water. As the tablet fizzed, you are reminded of how we are washed clean through our baptism. I look forward to using some of the practices with the youth that I encounter in ministry.