Face Time is the Diocesan Youth Program. It provides a first step in redeveloping ministry to and with our young people. The program has provided several opportunities each year to gather, learn, worship, create and minister in a variety of ways.

For information about scheduled events, click on the menu to the right.

Nightwatch 2002

A Trip of Wonder; a Trip of a Lifetime
by Dahn Gandell

Question: What do you get when you combine two coach buses, a van, eighty-three young people, twenty-one adult chaperones, and the largest cathedral in the world? Answer: Very little sleep and a pilgrimage that will never be forgotten by the one hundred and four of us who went on the Face Time “Nightwatch” trip.
On November 8, young people and adults from twenty parishes of our diocese made the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The buses were divided along geographical lines with one bus transporting folks from the western half of the diocese and the other transporting folks from the east. In addition, the Rev. Ken Bordner and his wife, Betty, drove their van, which was loaded with food and snacks. The two buses met en route and we made the trip into the city through the Lincoln tunnel together. We arrived at the Cathedral and unloaded sleeping bags, overnight bags, pillows, and food into the gymnasium. The Nightwatch staff greeted us warmly and quickly got the young people involved in decorating a banner, which was later used as the altar frontal for our midnight mass. After some introductory games, singing and ice-breakers, we went upstairs into the cathedral where we were met by two of the cathedral’s artists-in-residence, who led us into the sacred space where a large labyrinth was laid on the floor. Hearing Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” as we entered the cathedral was awesome. The artists were dancers, and they shared with the group their understanding of dance as prayer and invited us to pray the labyrinth as we walked or danced its interior.
After we finished our labyrinth exploration, it was time to explore the world-class exhibit of 14-16th Century Spanish Art currently on loan from the Spanish government and displayed in the Cathedral’s several chapels. The exhibit included works by Goya and El Greco, and one of the few Guttenberg Bibles. As we re-entered the Cathedral and approached the high altar, a flutist—one of the gifted Nightwatch staff--was playing a solo rendition of “Blessed Assurance” and then was joined by keyboards and percussion. By the time we finished our Eucharistic celebration, it was after 1:00 a.m. and we all bedded down with a 6:00 a.m. wake-up call in mind.
Saturday included a variety of service projects coordinated by a Quaker organization called Youth Service Opportunities Project. Splitting into nine groups, our young people and adults went to locations as far away as Brooklyn and Long Island to worked in soup kitchens, child and adult day care centers and a community garden. We all re-convened in the late afternoon for reflection. On our way to dinner at the South Street Seaport, we paused at Ground Zero to pay our respects. After relaxing for a couple of hours at the Seaport, we returned to the Cathedral for evening prayer and much needed sleep. On Sunday morning, we took a tour of the Cathedral, visited the gift shop, and then attended the 11:00 a.m. Eucharist where the Dean of the Cathedral personally welcomed us and had our group stand! On the bus ride home, the young people decided to collect money among themselves to help with the restoration of the Cathedral organ, which was damaged during the December 18 fire last year. Bishop McKelvey agreed to match the money they raised. The total will purchase a single flute pipe.
We are all hoping to make this pilgrimage a regular Face Time event.
The Rev Dahn Gandell is rector of St. John’s in Honeoye Falls, a member of the Face Time Team and a member of Diocesan Council.

The following poems were written by 9th grader Alyson Begly of St. Peter’s in Geneva.

Reflections on the 1st Day in the City
A poem about Youth Group’s 1st night in New York

Twisting and winding,
The labyrinth led 100 different
Hopes to its center.
With so much peace,
There was no room for words
-Only the silent echoing of the past
Off the stone walls.
Tracing your way to the center,
Through on thousand different thoughts
And dreams,
To release your hopes for the coming day
Up to God.
Later, after
100 candles had burned their way
Through midnight mass,
We willingly invited sleep
Into our tired minds.
The sun soon rose,
Ushering us into a day of service
But keeping thoughts of mazes
And candles fresh in our minds.

Reflections on the 2nd Day in the City-at the soup Kitchen
A poem about a day of service at a Soup Kitchen, serving individuals in the Bronx.

Our destinations were different,
But our goal was the same.
Racing subways
Took us with smiles
Blocks and blocks away
To make a difference.
We arrived, ready to help,
And were welcomed.
When the preparations
Were finished,
People began to filter in.
Their diversity filled
The room, and we
Were exposed to a different lifestyle
That many individuals
Don’t have the opportunity to see.
The hands of the clock flew,
Racing from hour to hour.
Our time expired
After what seemed like only one minute
Of service,
Our tired bodies were allowed to rest.
The subway raced us home.
The world flew by our windows
And our eyes closed
Remember the day
And knowing that we had become
Better people inside,
Opening our eyes to different ways of life
And not taking what we
Were given from God
For granted.

Some excerpts from the journaling along the way –

This trip was probably the biggest learning experience I have had in my life. The drop inn center was a chock – not due to the poverty, but the lives that these people had led. The liveliness and spunk that they had is a tribute to the word hope. Christ Hill, Trinity in Greece

We take things for granted. The people I met today did not do that. They had to have said Thank You 5 million times. I feel like a hero. And all I wanted to do was make one less person hungry tonight. I got a lot more out of this than I expected. Thank you YSOP. You rule. Danielle LaRock, St. John’s Church in Sodus

I felt bad when I saw a lady come in with something around her neck. It looked like an MP3 player! I thought to myself, “why is she at a food pantry if she can afford an MP3 player?” Later that might I saw the same MP3player at the mall and it was only a small radio for $9.99. I felt bad for judging someone from first sight. Stuart Keech, St. Luke’s Church in Fairport

To me the labyrinth represented my life. And how God sends you to all these places and gives you things to over come to help others and everything just to end up in one place. But everything you felt could never be put into words. Amy Marr, Church of the Epiphany in Gates

EPISCOPAL YOUTH EVENT

This past summer, twelve young people from the Diocese of Rochester attended a National Church event in Laramie Wyoming. For one week, these young people gathered with 1700 others from around the world to learn about the church and their call to minister as Christ's servants in the world. Below are some pictures for your enjoyment, and one of many reflections offered by those who attended.

Participants:

Kristen Acquilano, St. Mark's, Penn Yan
Kaylee Bennett, Trinity, Greece
Desiree Crosby, St. Peter's, Dansville
Erika Cutter, Good Shepherd, Webster
Lekeea McLaughlin, St. Peter's, Geneva
Lisa Nau, Epiphany, Gates
Keri Omphroy, Incarnation, Penfield
Rachel Palomaki, St. Luke's, Fairport
Mary Beth Rice, St. John's, Honeoye Falls
Theodore Scott, St. Paul's, Rochester
Laura Suchy-Dicey, St. Paul's, Rochester
Sarah Winter, St. Luke's, Fairport
Chaperones: The Rev. Kenneth Bordner, the Rev. Richard Towers, Marcia Beam

Greetings to all from Mary Beth Rice

As the school year ended, it looked like I'd be spending all of my summer at work. Then I received a call from my priest (Rev. Dahn Gandell), and she wanted to know if I'd care to attend EYE 2002 with the Diocese of Rochester. While I have been active in our own little parish in Honeoye Falls, I had never really participated in diocesan wide events and had never even heard of EYE (an Episcopal event on a national scale?). Did I want to go? It sounded great to me - and I definitely wasn't disappointed. The landscape was gorgeous and the campus of the University of Wyoming was jam packed with an incredible group of youths and adults. The intelligent, sincere and reflective conversations I was able to share with them, not only acted as a sounding board for my own thoughts and beliefs, but also demonstrated the energy and power of thought that the Episcopal Church possesses - on a scale I had never seen before. With my diocese, I snapped a photo of the Presiding Bishop and was able to meet many others who have devoted their lives to Christ.

One of the only complaints I might have concerning the week is that I didn't have enough time to converse and discuss with the wonderful group assembled there. It was almost overwhelming how many different personalities there were there, all with fabulous ideas and a willingness to share. Not only did I get to pick the minds of all these people, I was also able to practice my faith and worship with them. Celebrating the Eucharist and other services of the Episcopal liturgy with over one thousand other people in the same room completely brought to life the universal nature of the Episcopal Church. I hope it that for many, as it did for me, the willingness of youth to participate and the validity of their having a place in the church to donate their time, talent and treasure was made evident. Our church is truly living, growing and changing. The positive strength and vitality of those gathered at EYE opened my eyes to that. EYE 2002 is now an irreplaceable and memorable step in my discernment of God's call for me. As I continue to determine if the ordained ministry is what God has in store; I am studying English, Philosophy and Music at the State University of New York at Geneseo and am having a great time. From there, I wish to thank Dahn, the Diocese and all the participants for the wonderful experience that was EYE 2002.