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YOUTH MINISTRY
Fellowships Build Relationships
by Beth McConnell
Planning some informal, fun-filled experiences can be a good catalyst for building good relationships with teenagers. Holidays provide a wonderful opportunity for planning such events. Egg hunts and parties are less enticing by the time we get to the teenage years, but youth still love entertainment and fellowship. Why not organize a party to celebrate Easter? You could share stories of various cultural traditions and folk stories surrounding the holiday.
Hot cross buns are traditionally served on Good Friday and during the Lenten season, but they are good anytime. You may want to serve these at your party. You could purchase them from a local bakery or make them yourself. Consider asking the baker not to ice the buns so your group can prepare them for the party or for gifts. Your youth could deliver them to homebound folks, a children's Sunday school class, the church ministerial staff, or another special group. Any time spent in sacrificial giving is an appropriate Easter activity.
If you choose to bake rather than purchase them, the following recipe makes about thirty buns. Adventuresome folks might even involve teenagers in baking hot cross buns from scratch. Imagine this picture on your youth area bulletin board: a burly football player wearing an apron and dusted with flour!
Bun ingredients:
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup softened butter or margarine
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup dried currants
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 egg yolk
In separate containers, bring both the water and the milk to 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the warm water in a large mixing bowl and dissolve the yeast in it. Add the warm milk, sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, and flour. Beat until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well after each addition. Stir in the dried fruit and any additional flour needed to make the dough soft.
Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and elastic (about 6-8 minutes). Place the mixture in a greased bowl, turning the dough over to grease the top of it. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size (about an hour).
Afterwards, punch down the dough and shape it into thirty balls. Place them on greased baking sheets. Using a sharp knife, cut an "X" onto the top of each roll. Cover them and let them rise until they have doubled in size (about 30 minutes). Beat the water and egg yolk together and brush over the rolls. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes. Let them cool on wire racks. Finish by drizzling icing over the top of each roll, following the outlines of the cross cut into the roll.
To make icing, combine one cup of confectioners' sugar, four teaspoons of milk or cream, a dash of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Adjust sugar and milk to make a mixture that flows easily.
Beth McConnell is a minister at a church in Columbia, South Carolina.
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