Twenty-one youth – most
of them unchurched – arrived at Washington UCC in Cincinnati on
November 19, 2002 for the first Youth Retreat sponsored by the Racial
Justice Youth Ministry of the Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky Assembly.
This weekend experience
did not leave one teen untouched.
The young people have
come from the Cincinnati communities of Camp Washington, Millvale,
Winton Place, Delhi, and Cheviot. Their ages range from twelve to
eighteen.
By 3 pm, they are
mingling in the Fellowship Hall. Natural groupings have developed among
those youth who know one another, among those who are of the same ethnic
background.
Each group takes the
measure of the other, and they all take my measure, wondering what I
have planned for the weekend.
At 5 pm I call the group
together, introduce myself and explain the purpose of the retreat:
"My name is Rodney
Sutton, and I’m the Director of the Racial Justice Youth Ministry, a
ministry whose mission is to hear and respond to the cries of junior and
senior high school youth as it concerns racial and economic
injustice."
"You are here so we
can address issues of racial and economic disparity and how these issues
affect your everyday lives. We will discuss the Cincinnati unrest, the
resulting boycott, police-community relations, and how Christians should
respond."
"You have all
received a copy of the itinerary, and I will only add the two rules that
will govern us this weekend. Rule one: When any adult is speaking, you
are to be listening. Rule two: we will respect one another – this
means treating others as we want to be treated – no capping, keep your
hands to yourself, and give others respect in expressing their opinions.
Any questions?"
"When do we
eat?" was the unanimous response.
Before dinner, I
explained that I wanted them to introduce themselves to the person who
would be their weekend partner. Their assignment was to learn all they
could about this person because there would be pop-quizzes throughout
the weekend and a prize to the partners who get to know one another the
best.
There was much grumbling
as I paired each youth with someone they did not know. Whites paired
with blacks and young men paired with young ladies. There were cries of:
"I don’t know her." And "I don’t like him."
As Washington UCC member
Jean Siddall and several volunteers served dinner to the youth, I
observed them as they ate and interacted with one another. The game had
begun.
The Hearts for Jesus
Evangelism Team arrived at 7 pm. Brother John Dubois began with the
question: "How many of you are Christians?"
Ten of the youth raised
their hands. The next hour and a half were filled with questions and
dialogue about what it means to be a Christian. The Evangelism Team then
trained the youth briefly in witnessing strategies.
We then visited New
Prospect Baptist Church in Over-the-Rhine, and the youth had the
opportunity to interact with the men and women of the "New
Wineskins Ministry," begun in response to the problems in
Over-the-Rhine. For many of the youth, this interaction had the most
impact of the entire weekend.
After the worship service
there was an altar call, and four youth were among those who committed
their lives to Christ. When we returned to Washington UCC, we discussed
this experience and what it meant for those who had newly committed
their lives to Christ.
Sleep was not a high
priority for the youth that weekend, so it was 5am before they settled
down. My "Rise and shine!"call at 7am came very quickly.
As they straggled in to
eat breakfast one by one, I began the quiz. The youth learned quickly
they would have to share more intimate information if they were to win
this contest, because my questions could not be predicted.
After breakfast, the
mission projects began. Some helped prepare the meal for the
Over-the-Rhine Soup Kitchen, and the rest went to the Camp Cupboard
where they cleaned the basement and organized used toys for the
Christmas giveaway. This was a fun time for the youth, and it was a time
for them to get to know one another.
Lunch was a relaxed time
of interaction and sharing, and afterwards we began to watch Jane Elliot’s
"Blue Eyes." Occasionally I would stop the video and the teens
would discuss their experience with discrimination and privilege. Two
Cincinnati police officers joined us late in the afternoon and showed
the "Car Stop" video, depicting interaction between an officer
and an ordinary citizen, and answered questions about police-community
relations.
"Hanging the
greens" at Washington UCC, the young people learned that, to get
the job done, they needed to work with their partners. When they began
working as a team, they soon completed the task.
Later, we went to the Fun
Factory for skating and witnessing. The youth were challenged to
represent Christ in their conduct among other youth, and it was a
challenge they accepted to their credit.
They completed the day by
answering questions to demonstrate how well they had come to know one
another, preparing for worship the next morning, and discussing what
they had learned this weekend.
On Sunday morning I asked
each pair to write what they learned that weekend that could be used to
change the world. At their incredulous, "Change the world?" I
abbreviated it to, "The world you live in."
The consensus was that
many of our problems could be solved by respect for one another and an
equal distribution of power. Then, with their newly developed sense of
power, these youth led morning worship and did really well.
As the teens packed to go home, they
began to discuss among themselves what they would like to see in the
next retreat. Several weeks later the Camp Washington Teen Council voted
to use their Christmas money to buy toys for the Camp Cupboard.