Learning to live life with God

Discontent, wandering, returning and celebration predominant themes at biennial youth assembly

August 14, 2013 | Young Voices
Aaron Epp | Young Voices Co-editor

God loves you and he wants you to live life with him. That was the message youth from across Canada were left with at the Fat Calf Festival, Mennonite Church Canada’s 2013 youth assembly.

More than 230 youth and 80 youth leaders gathered at MC Manitoba’s Camp Assiniboia outside Winnipeg, from July 29 to Aug. 2, to explore the themes of discontent, wandering, returning and celebration in the “lost and found” parables of Luke 15, particularly the story of the Prodigal Son.

During one of the final worship sessions, keynote speaker Iona Snare told the youth that the father in the Prodigal Son story recklessly squandered love on a son who didn’t deserve it because he valued his son.

And “he’s willing to be recklessly wasteful with his love [for you],” added Snare, director of Lifeteams School of Urban Youth Outreach, a program of the Greater Vancouver Youth for Christ ministry. “Our God loves you. . . . He wants you to be with him. . . . He wants you to move in. He wants you to live life with him.”

It was a touching message given during an emotional worship session that concluded with youth leaders marking the hands of youth who wanted to come forward and mark their journey with, and faith, in God.

The themes of discontent, wandering, returning and celebration influenced not only the worship sessions, but the workshops and activities as well.

On July 30 and 31, youth attended a variety of seminars that explored biblical stories of being lost and found, loving one’s neighbours, indigenous relations, creation care, sex, food justice, social justice, leadership, relationships and sports.

Youth also participated in a variety of enjoyable activities that included games, swimming, climbing on the camp’s ropes course, a performance by comedic hypnotist Jerry Enns and an evening at Winnipeg’s Fun Mountain Waterslide Park.

Fat Calf event coordinator Dorothy Fontaine led a nine-person organizing committee made up of volunteers from MC Manitoba and MC Canada faith formation staff that ran all aspects of the gathering. She said many of the activities were planned to invite youth into the story of the Prodigal Son.

On the first evening, one of Camp Assiniboia’s buildings was outfitted as though it were a night market, similar to a market that would have existed in Jesus’ day. Youth bartered for goods like Fat Calf T-shirts and snacks in the market, and watched performances by a variety of entertainers.

During the festival’s final evening, youth were invited to a square dance in the camp barn to echo the celebration at the end of the Prodigal Son story.

Organizers had a number of goals for the assembly, according to Fontaine. “We wanted to contribute to the faith formation of youth and bring them into the wider community of the church,” she said. “The assembly is also another way for youth leaders to facilitate their work. We can do larger activities in this setting that they might not be able to do on their own.”

Music and worship played a large role throughout the week, and included a worship session at the Trappist monastery ruins in St. Norbert.

“We had hoped to set a space to meet God and each other, in a way that touched our minds and our hearts,” said Kathy Giesbrecht, associate director of leadership ministries at MC Manitoba, who led worship with Phil Campbell-Enns, associate pastor at Bethel Mennonite Church, Winnipeg. “[The week] probably went better than we imagined, and we had very high hopes going into it.”

The assembly’s first worship session included a welcome from Willard Metzger, executive director of MC Canada.

“This is your church,” Metzger told the youth, before inviting them to contact him any time they’d like. “Don’t just stand by and watch. Grab a hold of [the church] and make it into what you think God is wanting us to be.”

Later in the week, he posted on his Facebook page: “Feeling so encouraged after spending two days at the Fat Calf youth assembly. I have yet to meet a youth I am not proud of. The church is in good hands!”

Cole Froese, a 15-year-old youth from First Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, said that he was struck by the power of the story of the Prodigal Son. “The father loves [a son] who many would think isn’t worth [that love]. But to the father, the son is worth it,” Cole said, adding that he enjoyed the balance of worship, workshops and activities at the assembly.

Emily Bauman, a 14-year-old youth from Elmira Mennonite Church, Ont., added that Snare’s messages caused her to look at the story of the Prodigal Son in new ways. “I didn’t link the story as much to God [before coming to Fat Calf]. I thought it was a story about people loving each other,” she said, adding that attending the assembly “was a great experience.”

Fontaine said that she and her fellow organizers were happy to see the level of engagement at the assembly: “It feels like we really struck a chord on so many levels. People really put their hearts and souls into this week, and it showed.” l

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