Episcopal Church of the Redeemer

Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

Tag: Episcopal Youth Event

  • The bulletin insert for August 17, 2025

    The bulletin insert for August 17, 2025

    This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

    Episcopal Youth Event and Encuentro de Jóvenes Episcopales

    The following letter from the Rev. Lester Mackenzie, chief of Mission Program, provides an update on The Episcopal Church’s two largest events for young people. It was published on July 25, 2025.

    May grace and peace be with you during these warm summer days. After listening carefully and discerning with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, our leadership team, and many of you across the church, and reading this report on EYE (Episcopal Youth Event) from 2021, I write with a full heart and deep hope for the future of our youth gatherings. We are all asking the same questions; and after much prayer and conversation, I want to share where we feel called to go next.

    As Bishop Sean has said, “We will be a strong, adaptive church that communicates and embodies the depth of Christian spirituality and works toward The Episcopal Church’s vision of God’s kingdom by supporting ministry on the ground in dioceses.” This vision guides these plans.

    EJE 2026 – A Celebration in Iglesia Episcopal en Colombia

    Encuentro de Jóvenes Episcopales (EJE) will meet July 13–16, 2026, in Medellín, Colombia. This gathering will give Province IX a beautiful chance to celebrate faith, culture, and the gifts our young people bring. Our Mission Program team will work closely with Province IX leaders to bring this to life.

    Looking Ahead to EYE 2028

    After EJE 2026, we will pause to pray and reflect on what Episcopal Youth Event should look like in 2028. This space will help us hear what our communities most need. Some have wondered if EYE could happen alongside General Convention. After looking at that carefully, we decided combining them would stretch our volunteers too thin and make it harder to honor the unique spirit of both events. We will preserve the essence of each gathering and fully support the Official Youth Presence at General Convention.

    Regional Gatherings

    During late 2026 and 2027, we will invite dioceses, regions, and provinces to host smaller, more local gatherings where we can learn, connect, and try new ideas together.

    After EJE 2026, we will gather young people, mentors, and leaders—especially those from communities of color—to help us imagine what comes next. You can expect to hear more about the timeline and opportunities to participate by fall 2026. We will move forward with purpose and care.

    As I sit with all of this, I keep thinking about Esther and her moment of purpose. Maybe you are here “for such a time as this.” We must trust that good will grow from this work, even if we can’t see it all yet. I ask for your prayers and your partnership. Here’s how you can join us:

    • Lift up young leaders in your communities.
    • Share this vision with others who care about youth ministry.
    • Walk alongside us as we move through this transition.
    • Pray for our youth, their families, and the adult mentors who walk alongside them.

    Thank you for everything you do to keep the holy fire alive in our young people. Your dedication makes all the difference.

    With deep gratitude,

    The Rev. Lester V. Mackenzie, AHC (Associate of the Holy Cross)
    Chief of Mission Program, Presiding Bishop’s Office

    Weekly bulletin inserts

    This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

    Sermons That Work from the Episcopal Church

    Sermons That Work

    For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds. Small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between use the resources that Sermons That Work provides.

    Sermons That Work podcast
    The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preaches at Episcopal Youth Event 2023

    Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preaches at Episcopal Youth Event 2023

    [Episcopal News Service — College Park, Maryland] As soon as Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s face appeared onscreen, the room erupted in cheers. Hundreds of attendees at the Episcopal Youth Event, or EYE, had eagerly awaited his arrival for worship on July 6, 2023, and celebrated as he took the stage to preach.

    “I don’t have the mobility that I used to have,” said Curry, 70, who was admitted to the hospital in May and continues to receive treatment for heart conditions. His appearance at EYE is one of just two in-person events on his schedule this month, in addition to a July 9 appearance at It’s All About Love in Baltimore. His normal liveliness, though, appeared little diminished as he took center stage at EYE, and the crowd of young people responded with frequent applause.

    “It was a really cool experience because I’ve never been to any sort of big kind of church or big worship before,” said Nico Pastore, a 16-year-old from the Diocese of Hawaii whose home church numbers around 40 people and often worships in Hawaiian as well as English.

    Some youth at EYE said they have met Curry before at events across the country, and some have only seen him on social media. Even before his in-person appearance, cardboard cutouts of Curry also have been a notable presence at EYE . Some attendees told Episcopal News Service their parents are jealous that they get to see him preach.

    Presiding Bishop Curry’s Sermon at the Episcopal Youth Event

    Curry’s sermon invoked the biblical story of Esther, picking up where Missouri Bishop Deon Johnson, the opening keynote speaker, left off the day before. The presiding bishop emphasized the courage and serendipitous timing that characterizes the story of the Jewish woman who risks her life to save her people from annihilation.

    “We need some Esthers today,” Curry repeated. He drew connections between the plight of Esther’s community and injustice today, which requires young people to stand up and act.

    “We know some folks are put down,” Curry said. “We know some folks are mistreated. We know that nations invade other nations, but who knows? Perhaps you were born and made for such a time as this.”

    And ain’t nobody supposed to be in the closet

    One comment about Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, earned even more applause and cheers.

    “Esther eventually became high up and became queen,” Curry said. “Mordecai told her one thing: ‘Don’t let anybody know you’re a Jew. Don’t let anybody know.’ He wanted her in the closet. And ain’t nobody supposed to be in the closet.”

    For 17-year-old Julian Kofoot from the Diocese of Iowa, it was impressive that such a public, religious figure could make bold statements referring to LGBTQ+ acceptance.

    “As a bisexual who’s been scared to come out my whole entire life to literally anybody, that really inspired me,” Kofoot said. “I should be my true, authentic self.”

    The importance of loving yourself

    To demonstrate the importance of loving yourself, Curry told the story of his old cat Muffin, which he adopted when he was a young priest in Cincinnati.

    The rectory where Curry’s family lived at the time was infested with mice, so they adopted Muffin from a house where another dog and cat would terrorize Muffin, leaving her scared and missing patches of fur. Only after Muffin settled in the Curry household, where they showed her love, did she come out of her shell and kill the mice.

    Response to the sermon at the Episcopal Youth Event

    Mars Chappel, 15, and her friends Caitlin, Makenzie and Lilly from the Diocese of Maryland considered it a highlight of the sermon.

    “He connected it in such a good way that was like, ‘this is a metaphor,’ and we were like, ‘oh my God, we thought it was just this one story,’” Chappel said.

    The story also struck a chord for Jackson Burger of the Diocese of Northern California. In the past year, the 17-year-old has moved three different times, and he left his parents. He said the key to getting through is prioritizing his own well-being before he can help others.

    “You need to make sure you’re doing OK in the mental health department before you can make sure other people are doing well in the mental health department,” Burger said. “And sometimes you need to call upon other people.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CuXPGz_uEIt/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=6e8893cb-13f3-4a89-933c-99775db2f173

    James Ordona, an 18-year-old from Guam, also knows how important finding both self-acceptance and community support is.

    “I never knew that this community, this church community of ours, was so openly wide,” said Ordona. He said that as a Filipino in Guam, he has experienced prejudice from others just based on what island he is from.

    “Some Filipinos don’t accept me,” Ordona said. “They think I’m lesser than they are. So we had to move from different churches because they were somewhat scared or thinking we’re inferior. … So when we found [our current church] we found a place to be ourselves.”

    The power of love

    This is the power of love, according to Curry, the power to proclaim who you are and to value the humanity of those around you. “When love rules, everybody will be treated as God’s somebody no matter who they are,” Curry said. “When love rules, we will find life abundant and for each.”

    —Logan Crews is an Episcopal Church Ecojustice Fellow and serves on the student leadership team of the World Student Christian Federation-United States.

    Presiding Bishop Michael Curry speaks during ReviveATL in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 22, 2020. Photo: Diocese of Atlanta

    Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

    Being a Christian is not essentially about joining a church or being a nice person, but about following in the footsteps of Jesus, taking his teachings seriously, letting his Spirit take the lead in our lives, and in so doing helping to change the world from our nightmare into God’s dream. ―Michael Curry, Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus

    The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.

    Presiding Bishop Curry was installed as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He was elected to a nine-year term and confirmed at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 2015.

    Read Presiding Bishop Curry’s biography and find out about the Jesus Movement.

    The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Presiding Bishop Michael Curry shares Pentecost message

    Presiding Bishop Michael Curry shares Pentecost message

    Celebrating the gift of the Spirit on Pentecost to guide us “in the deeper ways of God’s love,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invites Episcopalians to pray for the hundreds of young people gathering July 4-8 at the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) in College Park, Maryland. Some event sessions will be livestreamed for public viewing.

    “We are in such a time as that, when the spirit that Jesus promised will lead us and guide us in the deeper ways of God’s love, and God’s way of life, not only for us, but for the entire human family, until the way of life as Jesus taught us becomes our way of life,” Curry said. “It is the way of love, and the Bible says, ‘God is love.’ And that makes beloved community possible.”

    Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023, EYE is the church’s second-largest event after General Convention, drawing nearly 1,500 young people ages 15-19 from every province. Typically held every three years, this will be the first gathering since 2017, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    This year’s dual-language theme for EYE—developed by the youth planning team, which seeks to emphasize welcome and invitation to all young people throughout the church—is “Regreso a Casa: A New Age of Faith.”

    “Regreso a casa—returning home,” Curry said. “Returning home: faith in a new age, a new age of faith. The Spirit will guide us all. I am so looking forward to being with you.”

    EYE programs focus on helping young people develop leadership skills, spiritual practices, and early stages of vocational discernment. In addition to meeting and socializing with other Episcopalians from around the world, EYE participants will spend time in worship, large-group presentations, small-group discussions, and workshops on a variety of topics. Learn more and view schedule.

    Text of the Pentecost message

    Regreso a casa, returning home. That is the theme of the upcoming EYE gathering of young people from throughout The Episcopal Church. I am so looking forward to being with you. Returning home: Faith in a new age, a new age of faith. That is the subtheme for this gathering.

    I’m mindful that many years ago a woman named Phyllis Tickle—who was a dear friend of mine—died and entered eternal life with our Lord. Before she died, she finished one of her last books. And in that book she said that we in our time will find ourselves living in a time when we must rely on the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised us to lead us and guide us along the way.

    At the Last Supper, Jesus said to his disciples, at one point in John’s Gospel he says, “There are many other things that I could have told you, but you can’t handle them right now. This much I will tell you: When I depart from you, I will send the Holy Spirit, and that spirit will lead you into all truth.”

    We are in such a time as that, when the spirit that Jesus promised will lead us and guide us in the deeper ways of God’s love, and God’s way of life, not only for us, but for the entire human family, until the way of life as Jesus taught us becomes our way of life. Because it is the way of love. And the Bible says “God is love.” And that makes the beloved community possible.

    So come and join us for our gathering. I can’t wait to be there with you.

    Regreso a casa, returning home. An age of faith, the Spirit will guide us all.

    God love you, God bless you, and see you in July.

    Presiding Bishop Michael Curry portrait

    Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

    Being a Christian is not essentially about joining a church or being a nice person, but about following in the footsteps of Jesus, taking his teachings seriously, letting his Spirit take the lead in our lives, and in so doing helping to change the world from our nightmare into God’s dream. ―Michael Curry, Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus

    The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.

    Presiding Bishop Curry was installed as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He was elected to a nine-year term and confirmed at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 2015.

    Read Presiding Bishop Curry’s biography and find out about the Jesus Movement.

    The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us.

    We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Read the weekly bulletin insert for January 8, 2023

    Read the weekly bulletin insert for January 8, 2023

    This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

    Episcopal Youth Event ’23

    Every three years, in accordance with General Convention Resolution #1982-D079, The Episcopal Church convenes an international youth event so “that the energy of the youth of the Episcopal Church can continue to be utilized in active ministry as members of the Body of Christ.” The 40th anniversary of the Episcopal Youth Event will take place July 4-8, 2023, at the University of Maryland.  

    Episcopal Youth Event participants from a previous event.

    The second largest gathering of Episcopalians, this event is planned by youth for their peers. The EYE23 Planning Team has youth representatives from every province of The Episcopal Church, guided by adult mentors. Together, they plan three meaningful days of program, hospitality, and worship. 

    Attendees to EYE participate as part of a delegation, coordinated by a registrar. In 2023, delegations will be welcome from dioceses as well as from other Episcopal entities, including parishes and schools. Registration for delegations are open January 6 to March 17, 2023.

    Youth from across the church are invited to participate in EYE23!  

    Youth 

    EYE23 participants must have turned at least 15 and be no older than 19 by July 4, 2023. Participants should be enrolled in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade during the 2022-2023 school year, or equivalent for students in non-traditional or non-US school settings. Youth can expect a fulfilling three days of workshops, small group discussions, and meaningful worship, and the opportunity to establish new and deeper friendships with teenagers from across the church, representing domestic and international dioceses. 

    Chaperones

    Chaperones have perhaps the greatest impact on the EYE experience for the youth in attendance. They are expected to set excellent examples in behavior and attitude as they provide safety for participants through diligent discipline regarding appropriate and healthy boundaries. Each delegation must have at least two chaperones, with the expected ratio of two chaperones to twelve participants (1:6). Visit the website for chaperone requirements and guidelines.  

    You!

    It takes hundreds of volunteers to make EYE23 a success. Visit our website for details on how to apply to serve on the Dorm Crew, Logistics Team, EYE Chaplain Team, Communications Team, Medical Care Team, or to volunteer on-site. We will also invite partners in ministry, organizations that serve youth and young adults, and others to be exhibitors at EYE23. Please email us if you are interested in being an exhibitor at EYE23.

    For the most up-to-date information, visit www.episcopalyouthevent.org or contact eye@episcopalchurch.org. 

    Bulletin Inserts

    This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

    Sermons That Work from the Episcopal Church

    Sermons That Work

    For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

    The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

Maundy Thursday, April 2, 2026. Services at 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm. Gethsemane Watch Vigil from about 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

Good Friday, April 3, 2026: Services at 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm.

Holy Saturday worship at 9:30 am.

The Great Vigil of Easter, Saturday, April 4, 2025. Service at 8:00 pm. This is the night....

The 2nd Sunday of Easter (Year A), April 12, 2026. Services at 8:00 am (no music) and 10:30 (music). Education classes resume next week.

Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
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