Where
Is Mark Yaconelli Taking
Our Christian Kids? "It's Sunday just after 5 p.m. in the youth room at
Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church in San Anselmo, California.
Seven adults are sitting around a "Christ-candle"
in the youth room. There's no talking, no laughter. For 10 minutes,
the only noise is the sound of their breathing." ...
more Ancient
Future Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli
"Mark
Yaconelli is co-director of the Youth Ministry and Spirituality
Project (YMSP), an Eli Lilly (makers of Prozac) endowed program
which is introducing contemplative spirituality to young people
throughout the country. He is also an adjunct professor of
youth ministries at San Francisco Theological Seminary. His
father is [was] Mike Yaconelli [now deceased], head of Youth Specialties, a major
evangelical organization serving "more than 80,000 youth workers
worldwide through training seminars, conventions, videos,
magazines, and resource products." One Youth Specialties seminar
is "Sabbath: A [Contemplative] Spiritual Retreat for Youth
Workers," which Mark Yaconelli leads. In an article for the
popular, youth-oriented Group magazine, Mark states, "The
YMSP approach to youth ministry pushes for a return to God-awareness...[noting]
that middle school and senior high kids are hungry to encounter
God directly and eager to learn contemplative spiritual practices."
In another article subtitled "How Spiritual Exercises Can
Change Your Kids," he tells of implementing contemplative
methods he first learned at "a weeklong retreat at a nearby
[Roman Catholic] convent": Our [YMSP] project churches were
introduced to a number of classical exercises from the Christian
tradition: Biblical meditation forms like Lectio Divina and
Ignatian contemplation; icon prayers and other visualization
prayers; chanting; guided imagery; biblical imagination ...
centering prayer; and prayers of discernment."
"In
the early 1990s my spiritual life and ministry with youth had
been deeply transformed through silence, spiritual direction and
contemplative prayer." Read
the rest of this article by Mark Yaconelli
Mark's
Advice To Youth 1.Choose a sacred word or phrase
2. Consistently use the same word throughout the prayer.
3. Begin silently to repeat your sacred word or phrase