Jessica Dyck's reflections

My Experience of !Explore

Reflections after the summer 2006 !Explore experience

I first heard about !Explore from my cousin Thomas. He was in the very first !Explore group (summer of 2004), and gave nothing but rave reviews. After the summer of 2005, a promotional DVD was sent out to all the churches. I viewed it and was hooked.

A quick overview of the program: !Explore is split into two different experiences—the “group experience,” which is based out of AMBS, and the “congregational experience,” that takes place in each participant’s home congregation.

!Explore participants choose a theological question they want to examine. Each study group is partnered with an AMBS staff member who acted as a mentor to the group. This was one of my favorite parts of !Explore because, with only five participants in a group, each person was given more opportunity to ask questions and get answers from someone who really knew what they were talking about. Questions in my group ranged from “How did the Bible come to include the books that it does?” to “Can a person be a Mennonite without being a pacifist?”

My congregational experience was especially great because I got to customize my own program to fit my interests and skills. I prepared and shared a message with my congregation, co-led the junior youth Vacation Bible School program, and organized a youth service at my community’s youth centre. The experiences were especially great because I felt support from adults in the church, and I received comments from church members encouraging me. I am excited to see the future of the Mennonite Church; the future is bright.

But I believe the youth of today are seriously under-used and under-valued. Invite the youth of your congregation to do scripture reading and even worship leading. These are the future pastors, deacons, elders, Sunday school coordinators and worship committee heads, so early involvement in the church is a key to youth feeling accepted and appreciated.

Jessica Dyck
Poole Mennonite Church
Milverton, Ont.