Ministry Ideas for Celebrating Lent and Easter with Teens, Families, and Parishes

Book excerpt: Like all of us, adolescents have a deep hunger for God. They have a need to make sense out of life and a desire to make the world a better place. They are people of endless hope, and have the capacity for deep sadness and profound joy. Their hungers, needs, hopes, and moments of sadness and joy mirror the experiences of biblical characters we meet during Lent and the Easter season. To meet the challenge of making Lent and the Easter season meaningful, parish and youth ministry efforts need to be intentional about bringing alive the Scriptures for each Sunday and special commemoration of the season. Ministry Ideas for Celebrating Lent and Easter with Teens, Families, and Parishes is a resource manual that provides activities for gathered sessions with youth in parish settings, as well as ideas for meaningful ways to observe the season with families and friends at home and in the community. At the core of the manual are gathered sessions with youth that are lectionary based, using themes from the Scriptures. Some sessions are specific to a particular Sunday in one liturgical cycle. Others are more thematically inclusive and may be used with all cycles. In addition to the gathered sessions, supplementary activities for the season include a guided meditation, a service project, and discussion activities that may be used in a variety of ways throughout the season. Also included are two chapters designed specifically for families. Each chapter contains several activities that will help families share faith stories and create memories. These activities can be sent home or adapted for use in a gathered environment.