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Labyrinth Gave Kids More Than They Expected
CHICAGO, IL (May 24, 2006) - Several members of the high school student leadership
team wept when they learned that the first person to use the prayer labyrinth
they created was a 90-year-old member of their church, Covenant Congregational
Church, in Easton, Massachusetts.
The students had worked more than eight hours on Palm Sunday to transform a
number of rooms into the special prayer path that individuals in the church
could use anytime between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. during Holy Week. When
Associate Pastor Johnny Agurkis opened the church doors on Monday, there stood
the woman, eager to try something new. When she was done, she left a note in the
visitor's book saying how much she appreciated the experience.
People who embarked on the special prayer journey carried portable CD players
to guide them through the different stations. "It was the first time she had
ever used a CD player," Agurkis says.
About 60 people took advantage of the prayer walk, including eight
individuals who were not from the congregation. They already are asking for the
students to set up the prayer path again next year.
The students - most of them sophomores and juniors - developed the idea after
having experienced a prayer labyrinth as part of a previous conference retreat.
Rather than having one prayer path in a single large room, the students decided
to have the journey take participants through different rooms. Each student
leader took responsibility for decorating one room. The students prayed over
each room after all of them were finished, Agurkis says.
"It was a lot of work," says Agurkis, who helped the students build on basic
ideas found in some curriculum resources. The pastor adds that he was blessed
watching students take the initiative and use their own creativity. To learn
more about this project, contact Agurkis by telephone at 508-238-6423.
The special prayer pathway is one of a number of ministry activities gleaned
from the more than 250 local church newsletters received each week by the
Department of Communication. To have your local church newsletter added to the
department's list for review, direct the newsletter to Covenant Communications,
5101 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625. Material also may be sent by email
to communications@covchurch.org.
Following are other examples of activities reflected in the newsletters,
grouped by conference or region.
CENTRAL
- Galesburg, Illinois: Ryan Painter was selected to sing with the chorus at
the Illinois Music Educators Association All-State Conference. Painter, who
attends the Covenant Church, was chosen through an audition process.
- Moline, Illinois: Twenty-three students participated in the World Vision
30-Hour Famine.
- Rockford, Illinois: The Broadway Covenant youth group attended LIVE4MORE,
where they were challenged to reach out to the hurting and to be sexually pure.
- Beloit, Wisconsin: Fourteen high school students from six churches
participated in the World Vision 30-Hour Famine. The fast was broken with a
traditional African meal.
EAST COAST
- Berlin, Connecticut: The SALT Band of Bethany Covenant Church led worship at
the Trailblazer Retreat and the Junior High Retreat at Pilgrim Pines Conference
Center.
ECCAK
- Wasilla, AK: Despite a painful injury, 14-year-old gymnast Alyssa Koehrer
scored a personal best and earned a bronze medal in the uneven bars at the USA
Gymnastics Region II (Pacific). Koehrer attends Mat-Su Covenant Church.
GREAT LAKES
- Allegan, Michigan: Members of the Christ Community Church youth group
participated in a local Battle Cry rally sponsored by Teen Mania. At the
rallies, teens take a stand against pop culture values contrary to the gospel.
MIDWEST
- Clyde, Kansas: Brendan Lund was named Student of the Month at Clay Center
Community High School. He attends Brantford Evangelical Covenant Church. Lund is
a member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and
several athletic teams.
Tiffany Brax competed in the state music festival, was on the High Honor Roll
at Washington High School with a 4.0 grade point average, and was named a United
States National Award Winner in Foreign Language. She will appear in the
"Achievement Academy's Official Yearbook," which recognizes fewer than 10
percent of all high school students.
- Kansas City, Kansas: Five Kansas City area youth groups gathered together
for a weekend of teaching, worship, and other fun activities.
- Olathe, Kansas: Youth from Olathe Evangelical Covenant Church participated
in a ski trip and purity seminar. Youth participating included Ruth Verhaeghe,
Stephanie Schott, Katherine Verhaeghe, Linday Elledge, Ellen Verhaeghe, Becky
Boeger, Paul Icenogle, Jenna Stoltenberg, Sara McWilliams, Nicki Davis, Katie
Oddo, Christina Nixon, Ada Verhaeghe, Adrienne Graskemper, Lucas Mason, Russell
Pearson, Lisa Grundy, Jacob Motto, Chris Schott, Audrey Bureman, Ellie Gordon,
Rebekah Icenogle, Melissa McKinney, Erin Stoltenberg, Brianna Fischer, and Lucas
Mason.
NORTH PACIFIC
- Salem, Oregon: Members Trinity Covenant Church's Young Artists performed.
They included Adam Parnell, Bekah Chin, Marshall Cuffe, Dylan Petrie,
Christopher Clark, Hannah Paysinger, and Sarah Paysinger. The youth group also
performed in the 30-Hour Famine: Molly Adkins, Marshall Beranek, Jillian
Burgess, Johanna Burgess, Daniel Cuffe, Ben Fertig, Kirsten Fertig, Molly
Fertig, Allie Haydon, Erick Herman, Tara Kuhlman, Annie Latham, Jon Latham,
Harris Long, Joey McKinney, Emily Paysinger, Lane Porth, Alexis Riley, Jessica
Schutt, Brooke Shepard, Trevor Shepard, Morgan Silbernagel, Andrew Upchurch,
Clarissa Weber, Emily Weber, Nich Weber, Riley Wulf, and Wade Young. Adults
participating were Renee Cuffe, Andrew Hockman, Sharon Lawton, Renee Upchurch,
and Mark Wulf.
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST
- Oakland, California: The youth group used their spring break to travel to
Rancho De Sus Ninos in Tecate, Mexico, to work with an orphanage.
- Pleasant Hill, California: William Ragsdale, who attends Hope Center
Covenant Church, attained the rank of Eagle Scout. His project included building
shelters for owls "that have lost their natural habitat due to commercialization
and suburban population growth."
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