Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Tristan Lotz | 190207-N-ME396-046 GROTON, Conn. (Feb. 7, 2019) Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) New...... read more read more
GROTON, Conn. – Chaplains, command and religious leaders of the community gathered at Cross Hall Galley onboard Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) New London for a local version of the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 7.
The Prayer Breakfast served as a chance for chaplains from different bases and military branches to meet, and featured a pastor from a local church as the guest speaker who spoke on methods of reaching out to the younger generation.
The guests gathered for a hardy Navy breakfast, coffee and smoothies prepared on request. As they finished up their meal, Capt. Paul Whitescarver, commanding officer of SUBASE New London, took the stage to say a few words about the breakfast and what a success 2019 has been.
“A few years ago we tried doing this prayer breakfast and we had maybe seven or eight people,” said Whitescarver. “This year we have surpassed that by about 15 to 20 times. Our country has a national prayer breakfast every year that is happening right as we speak. It started back in 1953. One of the things the 1953 Prayer Breakfast was supposed to do is get people to connect, and when you think about it, there is so much diversity of thought in D.C. It was a wonderful idea to get all sides to come together and be teammates.”
Following a benediction by Cmdr. Jamie Stall-Ryan, chaplain, SUBASE New London, the attendants welcomed Zakary Stevens, associate pastor at Groton Bible Chapel, to deliver a speech on generation gaps and the need for leaders from all walks of life to reach out to the younger generation.
“I am 29-years-old, which means that I am a millennial,” said Stevens. “I had a conversation with someone once who was talking about how to minister to millennials. They said, ‘something for 18, 19 year olds.’ I said, you know those aren’t millennials, right? Millennials are very different from current 18, 19 year-olds. Millennials are older and the upbringing I had in the 80s is vastly different from that of someone born in the 2000s or very late 90s. That generation is widely called Generation Z, sociologists call it iGeneration. 1995 to 2000 is a weird blurry overlap between millennials and this generation, but they are very different.”
Stevens talked about how history shapes generations and the way things like war and economic downturn have shaped the attitudes and outlooks of millennials as opposed to Generation Z.
“My generation was shaped very much by 9/11,” said Stevens. “Many of us remember that as a watershed moment. Safety became a priority and privacy got thrown out the window. We were trained not to think about privacy, it was a big part of the early 2000s. Generation Z has the downturn in 2008. This generation saw their parents having to sell their homes and grandparents coming out of retirement. They have never known a world without smart devices. They don’t know a world where the internet isn’t in your pocket.”
Stevens explained that despite the wonders of growing up in a digital world, Generation Z has also suffered a lot of social and psychological effects never before seen, including easier access to pornography and its effects on marriage and intimacy.
“This generation has grown up bombarded by advertising and news in a way that previous generations cannot relate to,” said Stevens. “This generation has by far struggled the most with problems of relational intimacy. This has to do with both the way relationships are portrayed in the media and access to pornography at unprecedented levels. The consumption of that kind of material is scientifically proven to hurt marriage and make couples have sex less often and make it less enjoyable.”
However, Stevens added the mind-boggling amount of choices and informational resources available to them has made members of Generation Z keen to find authenticity and truth in a world which appears full of lies.
“Passion communicates reality,” said Stevens. “Young people read the importance of what you say in the way you say it. They can get information anywhere. The question is not ‘what’s out there?’, it’s ‘who can I trust?’ When they come to you the question is ‘does the person’s level of excitement line up with how exciting the thing they are talking about is?’ When the subject is sad, does the presenter appear sad or are they just speaking monotone?”
Following Stevens’ speech, the guests were free to greet one another and socialize. Lt. j.g. James Holliday, chaplain, SUBASE New London Chaplain Center, shared his thoughts on the breakfast and the need for people of different generations to communicate and understand one another.
“The breakfast went great!” said Holliday. “People came out and filled up the whole reserved section. We had everyone from retired generals to a rabbi. It’s good to be able to reach out and serve other generations. Jesus met people where they were and that is what chaplains are supposed to do in the military. It’s about coming together as a community. We need to understand instead of denigrate.”
The purpose of the original National Prayer Breakfast was to bring national leaders together and that spirit was alive and well onboard SUBASE New London as command leaders, religious leaders and members of the community dined together and took away some new ideas on branching out to the generation of people who will one day succeed them in the fleet.
| Date Taken: | 02.07.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.08.2019 14:56 |
| Story ID: | 310063 |
| Location: | GROTON, CT, US |
| Web Views: | 92 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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