Shereen Marcus

An Immigrant Church No Longer Shereen Marcus

The Orthodox Church models itself on Apostolic roots of "togetherness" and "a common life." (See Acts 2:44). The Church is the Body of Christ with Jesus Christ as the Head making every member important as the next, especially the children. It seems to reason that the Orthodox Church is the perfect place where youth feel a sense of identity, direction, and belonging. All too often, in North American Orthodox Churches, the youth do not. What is seen instead is when a youth graduates high school they "graduate" the Sunday school program and they fall away from Church because it was never more than a place where they were served. What the North American Coptic Orthodox Churches must come to realize is that Sunday school curriculum is a valuable tool and a valuable part of a Youth Ministry effort, but it is not and should not be the only part. The Coptic Church is no longer an immigrant Church in the United States and Canada. Its growth calls for reshaping Youth Ministry into a multi-tiered approach; one that allows a place for spiritual identity, role models, meaningful friendships, and most importantly, their own identity in the Body of Christ. Otherwise, the fall-away will continue. The youth need to grow to understand that being a child of God is not a compartment reserved for Sunday, but an innate part of who they are for eternity. Our living God, moreover, is not a mere character in an intellectual textbook, but our Creator who desires to have a personal relationship with each one of His children. There is a growing hunger among the youth in the Coptic Churches of North America, and parishes have a unique opportunity to respond by reshaping youth ministry beyond the Sunday school model.