What does it take to transition from childhood to adulthood? What ideas might one rethink? What commitments might one make? What aspirations might one set for the future? What empathy might one cultivate for others? In the year-long Coming of Age series I developed and taught at Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, we addressed these questions (and more) to help students be intentional about this transformation from childhood toward young adulthood. During this year-long program we introduced spiritual practices to youth participants, practiced deep sharing and deep listening, learned about our religious roots and histories, explored our respective personal/family histories, explored diverse social contexts like poverty and homelessness, and learned about racism, sexism, and other forms of othering and oppression. We traveled to Boston to visit sites of our Unitarian Universalist history.
With each Coming of Age class at Denton, I worked with them to create a worship service that represented their experiences. Together, we selected readings, music, and other rituals to make the experience meaningful. During the services, students shared what moves them, what motivates them, and what gives them hope. They spoke about their beliefs and how their beliefs are evolving. They shared a message for all ages for the young children of the congregation. They led special music. Although some of them have participated in worship leadership before, this change toward collective leadership with new levels of responsibility is a marked difference that is inspiring for the children and adults of the congregation (and of course for the Coming of Age students themselves).