The Rev. A.J. Heine of St. James Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge spoke about his reaffirmed belief in today’s children during the annual Fall Prayer Breakfast at Episcopal High School on Sept. 14.

Heine showed a PowerPoint presentation about a youth mission trip from the summer, which he described as an example of the good that teenagers can do. About 50 teenagers and chaperones from St. James and the Church of the Good Shepherd in Lake Charles traveled to Oneida, Tenn., in July. They spent a week working on renovation projects including building wheelchair ramps and re-roofing homes.

During the trip, several factors helped bring out Christ in the teenagers, Heine said, including constant prayer.

“We prayed intentionally as part of everything we did,” he said. “There was this constant reminder, this sense, that we were ambassadors of Christ.”

Another important factor was the participation of adult chaperones. “The kids and adults were working hand-in-hand,” Heine said, “and that was really critical.”

The trip also included an articulated purpose and empowered action by the teenagers. “We were there to transform lives in the name of Christ,” Heine said.

Heine said that it was also important to structure the teenagers’ free time. “The day was filled not just with busyness,” Heine said, “but with importance.”

Additionally, Heine said that Christ was brought out in the teenagers through self-denial. The teenagers gave up the comforts of home ranging from beds to private bathrooms to parent-prepared meals. Heine said this allowed them to experience “the joy of discovering things that are there for all of us,” such as gazing up at a star-filled sky during nightly prayers.

Episcopal’s Fall Prayer Breakfast is an annual event for school parents and alumni. It was planned by the Episcopal Parents’ Guild and Altar Guild.