YMCo Practical Theology Resources
Lent 2023

Lent beckons us into the life of Jesus and his ministry out in the world, inviting us to closely follow his journey of justice, all the way up to the Cross. As we follow the stories of Christ’s life during Lent, we remember that he lived a life of practice. Jesus sought to take his teachings and do something with them. For us, his life is a call to action.

    With this invitation into practice in mind, we have assembled a page of practical resources you can use to cultivate justice-work in your own community. From curricula and lesson plans to podcasts and webinars, this collection of resources is designed largely for practical use in Christian settings. This guide is arranged around themes of justice, and each section focuses on a specific topic. You’ll find resources for talking about justice, environmental issues, race, gender, sexuality, globalization, and how to make change in your own community. It is ecumenical, multicultural, and diverse in nature, but it is by no means comprehensive. These resources are not specific to Lent, and they may benefit you year-round. We hope that, as you encounter the stories of Jesus’ life this Lenten season, you’ll be drawn to the practices of radical love that Jesus calls us to, and maybe you’ll return to these resources to use in your own life of ministry. 
    
    We’ll be highlighting a few resources each week during Lent on social media. Follow along @YouthMissionCo on Instagram and Youth Mission Co on Facebook.

Week 1: Justice, Love, and Christian Life
[Curriculum] YMCo’s Journey of Justice

• This year-long curriculum for youth facilitates a conversation about injustices and their systemic origins. It includes 1:1 mentorship between the group leader and YMCo staff about how to hold these conversations.
• Link: https://www.youthmissionco.org/ylc-program.html

[Video] “Changing Mission for Good” with Shawn Duncan at TheoEd

• Shawn Duncan explores what responsible mission can look like when we reconsider what Jesus calls us to do. Discussion questions included.
• Link: https://www.theoed.com/shawnduncan

[Sermon Audio] “Justice is What Love Looks Like in Public” with Cornel West (2011).

• Cornel West, in this sermon delivered at Howard University, talks about love, justice, and leadership. He gives special attention to the importance of younger generations. [CW: references to derogatory language.]
• Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGqP7S_WO6o&t=21s

[Podcast] “Learning How to See with Brian McLaren: Start with the Heart (feat. Jacqui Lewis)” by the Center for Action and Contemplation.

• Brian McLaren and Jacqui Lewis discuss the Christian call to a life of love and what that love looks like in the world.
• Link: https://cac.org/podcasts/start-with-the-heart-feat-jacqui-lewis/

[Article] “Let Justice Roll: Worship Planning Resources with a Justice Theme” by Jay Blankespoor and Elizabeth Vander Haagen.

• This article offers questions and resources for thoughtfully integrating justice themes into worship throughout the year, not just on a special designated Sunday.
• Link: https://www.reformedworship.org/article/june-2003/let-justice-roll-worship-planning-resources-justice-theme

[Bible] The Poverty and Justice Bible (CEV)

• Looking for a new Bible for your youth group? This CEV Bible from the American Bible Society includes commentary about poverty and social justice throughout.
• Link: https://www.christianbook.com/the-poverty-and-justice-bible-cev/9781585169733/pd/169733

Week 2: Food, Hunger, and Environmental Justice
[Video] “12 Baskets Cafe: Bearing Witness to the Truth of Abundance” by Rev. Dr. Shannon Spencer at TEDxAsheville.

• Shannon Spencer, a friend of Asheville Youth Mission and founder of one of our community partners, 12 Baskets Cafe, addresses the mentality of scarcity we have, the reality of God’s abundance, and the problem of food insecurity in this 2018 TED Talk.
• Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TguNg_58qeY

[Youth & Children’s Ministry] “The Next Generation Rises” by Creation Justice Ministries

• This packet, originally designed for an Earth Day Sunday theme in 2019, includes ways to take action for environmental justice, information about the impact youth and youth groups have on the world, a Children’s sermon idea, and discussion questions.
• Link: https://www.creationjustice.org/uploads/2/5/4/6/25465131/earth_day_2019__-_next_generation_rising_.pdf

[Book] In Deep Waters: Spiritual Care for Young People in a Climate Crisis by Talitha Amadea Aho

• Directed toward people who work with youth (Gen Z), this book helps cultivate a practice of pastoral care for young people who have only ever known a world in climate crisis.
• Link: https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506469782/In-Deep-Waters

[Commentary] Hunger for the Word: Lectionary Reflections on Food and Justice-Year A edited by Larry Hollar

• Using the lectionary texts for Year A in the Revised Common Lectionary, this commentary looks at scripture through the lens of food insecurity and social justice. Additional versions are available for Year B and Year C.
• Link: https://litpress.org/Products/2920/Hunger-For-The-Word

[Video] “Preaching Resilience: Cultivating Climate Justice from the Pulpit” with Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Avery Davis Lamb.

• Creation Justice Ministries organized this webinar in 2022 to help pastors recognize the reality of the Climate Crisis and how to responsibly speak of it in worship. Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas is an Episcopal priest and environmental activist.
• Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnU9AAkaixM&t=9s

[Book] Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of God for a Planet in Peril by Elizabeth Johnson.

• Elizabeth Johnson reexamines the Christian notion of redemption for the reality of contemporary environmental crises.
• Link: https://orbisbooks.com/products/creation-and-the-cross-paperback

Week 3: Race & Reconciliation 
[Training Module] “Dismantling Racism with Youth” by the Yale Youth Ministry Institute

• This short, free, asynchronous training module helps faith leaders cultivate skills to talk about racism and anti-racism with youth.
• Link: https://yaleyouthministryinstitute.org/courses/dismantling-racism-with-youth/

[Poetry Collection] Beyond Greens and Cornbread: Reflections on African American Christian Identity by Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett

• This is a very short collection of poetry, echoing the structure of African American Spirituals, that examines God’s calling on the Christian life and the hopes of African American Christians.
• Link: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Greens-Cornbread-Reflections-Christian/dp/0817014179

[Article] “The Cost of Reconciliation: A Message for White Christians” by Rev. Ryan Wallace

• Reflecting on Revelation 7 and Luke 19, Ryan Wallace considers what the practice of reconciliation actually asks of us.
• Link: https://justiceunbound.org/the-cost-of-reconciliation-a-message-for-white-christians/

[Video Series] “Race and the Church: A Video Series and Discussion” by NEXT Church

• Four different BIPOC speakers offer a challenge for the church to combat racism and white supremacy. Each video includes discussion questions for reflection.
• Link: https://nextchurch.net/race-and-the-church-a-group-watch-video-series/

[Article] “All for Love’s Sake” by Kathy Tuan-Maclean

• Through personal anecdotes, reflection on scripture, and action items, Kathy Tuan-Maclean explains why anti-racism work is a work of love.
• Link: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/september-web-only/all-for-loves-sake.html

[Book/Guide] United Against Racism: Churches for Change: Facilitator's Guide by Lakisha Lockhart, Denise Janssen, Joseph Crockett, and Lynne Caldwell.

• This guide accompanies a book of the same name and offers church leaders a way to lead conversations about race and racism.
• Link: https://store.friendshippress.org/united-against-racism-facilitators-guide/

[Book] What Kind of Christianity: A History of Slavery and Anti-Black Racism in the Presbyterian Church by William Yoo.

• In a historical survey of the Presbyterian Church, William Yoo reveals the active role Presbyterians played in developing American slavery and argues that the contemporary Church must grapple with its history in order to advocate for racial justice. Yoo is an associate professor at Columbia Theological Seminary.
• Link: https://www.wjkbooks.com/Products/0664264670/what-kind-of-christianity.aspx

Week 4: Gender & Sexuality
[Video] “Biblical Language for a God Who Transcends Gender” with Dr. Wil Gafney at TheoEd

• Dr. Gafney looks to scripture for ways to name and speak of God to serve as alternatives to male-centered language.
• Link: https://www.theoed.com/wilgafney

[Book] A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth by Cody J. Sanders

• This guide helps pastors learn some basic language and skills for caring for the unique needs of LGBTQIA+ youth and their families.
• Link: https://www.wjkbooks.com/Products/0664262503/a-brief-guide-to-ministry-with-lgbtqia-youth.aspx

[Commentary] Queering the Gospel of Mark by Unbound: An Interactive Journal of Christian Social Justice

• This collection of articles offers perspectives on the Gospel of Mark from LGBTQ+ faith leaders, including YMCo Board Member Rev. Shelley Donaldson.
• Link: https://justiceunbound.org/queeringthebible/

[Digital Guide] Building an Inclusive Church by ReconcilingWorks

• With perspectives from a variety of Christian denominations, this guide helps faith communities cultivate inclusive spaces for people of many sexual orientations and gender expressions.
• Link: https://www.reconcilingworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/BIC-Toolkit.pdf

[Liturgy] “Worship for National Coming Out Day or Solidarity Sunday” by Rev. Wes Jamison at GLAD (Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples) Alliance.

• Following a Reformed Order of Worship, this resource provides liturgy to assist in planning a special service for National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11).
• Link: http://welcomingresources.org/worshipforNationalComingOutDayorSolidaritySunday.pdf

[Video Collection] Transgender and Nonbinary Justice Testimonial Videos by UCC Clergy

• In a series of short videos, clergy from the United Church of Christ offer affirming messages to trans and nonbinary individuals.
• Link: https://vimeo.com/showcase/9574790

Week 5: Global Voices
[Book] Liturgies from Below edited by Claudio Carvalhaes

• This is a prayer book made up of voices from the Global South, across four continents, and speaks from the wounds of colonization, violence, and poverty.
• Link: https://www.abingdonpress.com/product/9781791007355/

[Video] “Decolonizing Mission” with Hunter Farrell and Tony Igwe

• In a conversation about how race, colonization, and mission are entangled with one another, Hunter Farrell and Tony Igwe look at the problems in global mission ways to move forward.
• Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbRJk7spvdQ

[Article] “Youth, Religion, and Globalization in a Nutshell” by the Center for Youth Ministry Training

• This summary of a larger study reports how youth experience the effects of globalization and how it impacts their theological awareness, as well as implications this may have for ministry.
• Link: https://www.cymt.org/youth-religion-and-globalization-in-a-nutshell/

[Podcast] “Viva la Iglesia” on Disrupting Ministry

• Focusing on the experience of immigration and identity, Rev. Eliseo Morales and staff from Princeton Seminary’s Institute for Youth Ministry talk about cultural identities and youth ministry.
• Link: https://iym.ptsem.edu/episode-5-viva-la-iglesia/

[Article] “Kendra Buckwalter Smith on Authentic Global Worship” via the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship

• This short article considers how to integrate global elements into worship so as to gently push people out of their comfort zones and acknowledge the reality of our globalized and multicultural world.
• Link: https://worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/kendra-buckwalter-smith-on-authentic-global-worship/

Week 6: Local Voices: Justice-Work at Home
[Curriculum] YMCo’s Hidden Histories

• This resource allows youth and their leaders to look at their own city/town and begin to ask questions. Through fun activities, Bible study, and a project together, your youth group can dive into the histories and issues at work in your own community.
• Link: https://www.youthmissionco.org/hidden-histories.html

[Lesson Plan] “Vocation Exploration” by the Yale Youth Ministry Institute

• This free lesson plan provides activities to help youth figure out what God is calling them to do in the world.
• Link: https://yaleyouthministryinstitute.org/resource/vocation-exploration/

[Lesson Plan] “Building a Neighborhood Together: An Intergenerational Peacemaking Project” by Vera K. White with Hedda Sharapan

• Through this collaborative activity, churches can cultivate intergenerational community and learn to listen to insights from all ages.
• Link: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/resource/building-a-neighborhood-together-an-intergenerational-peacemaking-project/

[Poem] “Making the House Ready for the Lord” by Mary Oliver

• Link: https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/making-the-house-ready-for-the-lord

[Video] “Planting Seeds of Change” with Bounty & Soul

• This recorded webinar addresses the origins of change and the role of community in creating it. They emphasize personal care, intentionality, and how their stories shape the work they do. Bounty & Soul is a nonprofit partner of Asheville Youth Mission.
• Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNKxU49lwD4

[Article] “Why We Take Action for God’s Creation” by Creation Justice Ministries

• This brief outline offers suggestions for environmental projects you can accomplish in your own community.
• Link: https://www.creationjustice.org/action.html