Three Congregations Join Forces to Bring “Our Whole Lives Sexuality” to Youth

Saint Anthony Park UCC, St. Paul’s UCC on Summit, and First Congregational Church of Minnesota (Minneapolis) have teamed up to bring youth in their congregations together for Our Whole Lives (OWL), a program that helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their relationships, health and behavior in the context of their faith.

“OWL works better if you have 10-12 youth,” says Liam Magistad, Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries at St. Anthony Park UCC. “Together, the three congregations created a class of 7th, 8th and 9th graders. We were worried about how it would work to mix kids but frankly some of the strongest relationships are between youth from different congregations.”

Magistad, who is a certified OWL leader and an OWL “graduate,” is working alongside co-facilitators Lily Perkel (who is a community organizer with Girl Scouts River Valleys) and Eli’jah Carroll, Associate Pastor at St. Paul’s UCC on Summit. The OWL program focuses on six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. It provides not only facts about anatomy and human development but also helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of sexuality.

For more information about how these three congregations are working together, contact Magistad at liam@sapucc.org.