30.11.2017
RevoLectionary – Connecting Young People and the Bible
The RevoLectionary is a weekly lectionary blog written by Irish young adults. Here, its founder Scott Evans gives a background to the blog and its aim to help young people find inspiration, challenge and wisdom in the Bible through reflections on the lectionary readings prepared by young adults. RevoLectionary is supported by the Church of Ireland Priorities Fund.
Throughout my time in youth ministry and chaplaincy, one of the key challenges I’ve faced and seen churches face is getting young people to engage with the Bible. Scripture is both fascinating and transformative but often not communicated to emerging generations in a language and medium that they find compelling. So what steps can we take to change this and to help young people find the same inspiration, challenge and wisdom that we do?
There is no silver bullet b ut , as we asked ourselves this question a couple of years ago, we knew that whatever we did would have to be available through new media, use young voices and be empowering as well as inspiring. In 2016, with the generous support of the Priorities Fund, we started the RevoLectionary blog, a website that releases weekly reflections on the coming Sunday’s Gospel reading written by a diverse group of Irish young adults. Emma Rothwell is the chaplain at Wilson’s Hospital School and Youth Officer for the Diocese of Meath and Kildare. Ferg Breen is a counsellor with experience working with at–risk youth. Susie Keegan is the Youth Officer for the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough. Emily Murtagh is a youth worker in Kilkenny with a degree in theology and world religions. Alex McElwee is a student in UCD where I am the Church of Ireland chaplain. We have different backgrounds, qualifications, vocations and stories that shape what we bring to the text each week in the hope that this variety and dynamism will spark thought and bring inspiration — whether the reader is opening the Bible for the first time or has to preach on that passage the coming Sunday.
In just over a year, we have released over 60 posts and the website has been visited thousands of times. As I wrote above, it’s not a silver bullet … but it is the beginning of something exciting. Not only are we engaging readers, we’re raising the profile of young leaders and I’m excited to see their voices being heard and making a difference. Over the next year, we’re hoping to broaden our output to topical articles about how faith relates to the world in which we live and to begin a conversational podcast where people can listen to lectionary passages being discussed and applied by young leaders.
Personally, I’m so thankful to those who have supported the project and, particularly, to our writers who have carved out space in their lives to share what they’re learning from our collective journey through the liturgical year. There are few things more beautiful than opening your email inbox to find a reflection written by an 18 year old looking for feedback on something they poured their heart into.
So if you’re preaching this Sunday, make sure to visit us on Tuesday. We won’t have all the answers and we’ll make mistakes as we learn and grow … but who knows? Maybe we saw something in the text that will inspire or excite you!
You can read the blog at www.revolectionary.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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