Greetings, St. Andrew’s Family!
I am pleased to present to you an update on my recent reports from 2024 from my final months as Youth Elder on Session.
In January—continuing a series on “C” words—I wrote and presented on the topic of criticism. Noting the fact that there are destructive and constructive ways to deal with criticism, I broke down the steps to productively respond to criticism including active and intentional listening; repeating and rephrasing the critique back to the other person to ensure absorption, understanding, and clarity; evaluating the merit or value of the other person’s viewpoint; and affirming and appreciating the other person for bringing this to you.
In February, I focused on “consequences,” which addressed the broader topic in the Christian faith of sin. Highlighting the concept of reaping what we sow, I explained the components of God’s forgiveness of our sin including the judicial pardon and the restoration of fellowship. Then I explored the idea of grace being free while sin is cheap. Grace is free because of the price of the cross and sin is cheap up-front, but it is costly long-term.
In March, I closed out my series on “C” with the word “celebration!” From a bird’s eye view, I described what celebration is, what it does/its purpose, and what it looks like in practice. Overall, celebration is the outpouring of hearts that are overflowing with God’s goodness. As celebration comprises both remembrances and responses, so too does it express and form our faith.
In April, I took a “180 turn” from the topic of the previous month to address the spiritual discipline of lament. Many churches and people today lack the capacity to lament because it is so often neglected and stigmatized. I examined the “power in processing” phenomenon and provided steps to teach the practice of lament to aid in emotional healing and authentic relationship with God and others.
In May, I researched and presented on the value of centering scripture reading in church life and the lives of Christ followers—arguing for the importance of Scripture/God’s Word to our faith walk and in the community of believers. I fleshed out the idea and process of “communal reading of scripture,” and gave tips for building and maintaining a meaningful scripture-reading practice.
In June, I narrowed in on another spiritual discipline—that of “reflective prayer.” I explained the benefits of this kind of “meditative” style of prayer that include improving our mental health and increasing compassion. I walked Session members through the process of engaging in reflective prayer noting the importance of creating an atmosphere for prayer, tuning into God’s presence, focusing in on our emotions, and looking inward to God’s voice and movement in our lives.
I have learned so much from serving as an elder these past two years, and I thoroughly enjoyed researching and delving into these faith topics, writing about them, and having the opportunity to present my findings to my fellow elders. Thank you, St. Andrew’s, for supporting me in this work, and I look forward to many more years of serving and teaching in the Church.
Lila Woodard
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