UPDATE: Youth Assembly 2016 has been cancelled, due to a shortfall in the number of registrations. See here for more information. Youth who are not attending Assembly 2016 but wish to speak into the Being a Faithful Church and Future Directions Task Force discussions are strongly encouraged to have conversation with their congregation’s adult delegates so that their voices can still be heard at Assembly. Specially designed youth curricula can be downloaded from CommonWord.
Reece Friesen is the creator of Pax Avalon, a comic book featuring a costumed superheroine. He is also married and the father of five daughters ages 6 weeks to 12 years. And he’s a pastor at Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church in Abbotsford, B.C.
So what ties all of those threads together? A decidedly Anabaptist perspective with a focus on community.
Friesen is bringing his passion for both to Youth Assembly 2016 as a keynote speaker, a role he will share with Chris Lenshyn, also a pastor from Abbotsford. Together they will explore the theme, God~Faith~People and idea of “covenant” with attending youth—or the “#thecovenantcrew.”
Despite society’s focus on the individual, Friesen sees covenant as a commitment between God and community. And the key to true community, he says, lies in tearing down walls between age demographics so that faith can be handed down from one generation to the next.
Though Friesen works primarily with children and youth, tearing down walls of ageism is something he’s worked hard at in his role at Eben-Ezer. “If we don’t tear down the walls, we’re actually working pretty hard at doing the opposite. The best way for young people to flourish is by spending time with people of other generations who can mentor them in faithful living.”
As well as providing lots of opportunity for youth centred worship, conversation and fun, Youth Assembly 2016 plans several intersections of youth and adults for shared discussions about the Future Directions Task Force final report, and Being a Faith Church perspectives on sexuality.
Friesen believes that interactions is important. “If we understand that covenant is a call to be faithful with God, we come together to listen. We open our ears to hear God better.” He that such opportunities teach young people much about how to engage in conversation and move forward. “Is it in peace with gentleness and respect, or do we get loud and proud and arrogant? Jesus wouldn’t be arrogant or proud.”
Friesen began his career as a youth pastor in a group where youth didn’t spend much time with other generations. He noticed that they quickly hit a ceiling in faith development. “At first I thought the kids weren’t motivated [to get involved], but really, they could only grow so far because they weren’t connected with more mature believers.”
He adds, “We bought into the business model of specialization to accommodate different learning styles and abilities, but at the end of the day, discipleship doesn’t specialize.”
Growing up as a visual artist, Friesen had trouble finding ways to express his gift in the church, where music, drama and sometimes dance are more readily acceptable. Post-high school travel brought him in touch with international artists who used their craft to express stories of their communities—and that inspired a turning point. He began to look at art as an expression of community rather than self. “The world views an artist’s message as his or her own, but in the church, the artist helps give expression to what’s going on around them—the stories of their community.”
Friesen’s passion for the Anabaptist faith community helped shape Pax Avalon, the comic book featuring a superheroine who brings hope and healing into a world of violence. The main character, Julianna Pax Embry, helps Friesen build community in a new way. He regularly attends comic-cons—conventions for fans of comics, movies and science-fiction.
“I’ve made friends from diverse backgrounds,” he says. “People I might not normally encounter . . . those who are leery of the Bible, of Christianity, of salvation.” They are curious about Friesen’s perspectives of ethics and comics, and that curiosity prompts them to keep inviting him back to related events as a writer and artist. “It’s amazing the relationships and doors that have opened.”
It’s also one more way to pass on Anabaptist perspectives of faith to younger generations.
Friesen says he hopes that youth will leave God~Faith~People with the understanding that they can learn how to be faithful by looking to the generations before them. “We can’t place our hope in organizations or processes, but in God who gives us capacity for faithfulness. This is impossible if generations isolate themselves.”
See more on Youth Assembly 2016:
Youth invited to join #thecovenantcrew
Keeping up with #thecovenantcrew
Making room for dialogue with #thecovenantcrew
Youth preparing to join the conversation
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