Teens unplug to connect with God

VIRGINIA BEACH

AT 17, Mason Ewbank is part of a plugged-in generation. "I have an iPod, a cell phone, a Facebook page and a home computer," he said after playing video games on a recent afternoon.

But Ewbank is also part of Kempsville Presbyterian Church's youth ministry, which is headed this weekend to a monastery where IM and Twitter make way for contemplative prayer and old-fashioned conversation.

Youth director Adam Whitescarver said he's steering teens clear of techno-gluttony, asking them to make time for more traditional spiritual practices.

"Our point isn't just to get them away from technology - the goal is that we'd connect them with God in all the ways available," he said.

At 27, Whitescarver is no old man, but he sounds like a sage when describing how new media consumes many young people he knows.

Typically, "There's so much distraction that a lot don't learn how to sit still and focus on the Lord,"

Whitescarver said. In his ministry, "One of the things we run interference on is technology."

One of Whitescarver's stock speeches for teens is the need to manage technology use. "You can't just let them have technology. You have to teach them how to have technology."

Whitescarver is not anti-tech. He has an undergraduate degree in electronic media and a graduate degree in film production.

He also oversees KPC's Facebook page for the youth ministry. The social networking site forwards weekly devotional texts and ministry updates to KPC teens.

But as part of his own spirituality, Whitescarver taps traditional Christian practices not in vogue among some modern faithful.

He journals. He reads his Bible. He prays silently.

"I'll be quiet and just focus on God and do nothing - I don't have to say anything in prayer." He often plays a recording of Russian Orthodox worship music as a backdrop for his meditation. "It's like this 120-voice choir with incredible basses that sing this gorgeous music."

Whitescarver's affection for tradition makes him part of a trend Calvin College scholar Quentin

Schultze sees among young adults.

"Many youth find low-tech, high-contemplation worship to be quite appealing," said Schultze, who studies faith and communication. "Youth are looking for ways of connecting with God that do not require the latest tech fads."

Schultze noted that at Calvin, an evangelical Protestant college in Grand Rapids, Mich., students clamor to sign up for the school's annual field trip to the Kentucky monastery of Thomas Merton, the late, famous Catholic monk.

Similarly, KPC teens are open to old spiritual practices, Whitescarver said.

"When they do start doing those and have tasted it, they're willing to say, 'I'm ready to make this a priority in my life, to put down things and manage my technology.' "

The KPC youth retreat is at Livingstone Monastery in Newport News. A former Catholic convent, it is now an evangelical Protestant center with a variety of congregations that share its worship space. It also has residents who live according to religious precepts.

The retreat will include prayers at 7 a.m., noon and 9 p.m., as well as quiet devotional time for more prayer or reading Scripture, Whitescarver said. The students also will perform intercessory prayer in small groups.

"The way we're defining it is prayer where you're one-to-one praying to God, just loving," he said. "Intercession is, you're praying for others." Free time, group meals and hiking also are planned.

Arielle Lyons will be on the retreat. The home-schooled 14-year-old said she normally spends 30 to 60 minutes a day on her Facebook account.

"Facebook is addicting," she said, and she agreed with Whitescarver's critique of techno-overindulgence. "You could be doing social things that are less artificial, like seeing your friends in person or talking with them on the phone."

A drummer and aspiring musician, Mason said he depends on technology to hear his favorite music, but he also agreed with Whitescarver's call for moderation. "MySpace, Facebook - I probably do it a little too much. I'm trying to do a little better on that."

Mason also wants to set aside quiet time more frequently "just to keep a one-on-one basis with God daily."

Mason said he'd probably arrive at the retreat with his cell phone and some self-control.

"During the teaching sessions and stuff like that, I'll respect their wishes to not use it. I can resist not using it for that time."

Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com