CHRYSALIS
Before it becomes a butterfly, a caterpillar goes through a
growth stage, which is called a “chrysalis”
Chrysalis
CHRYSALIS is for High school young persons, 16 – 22 years old. These years are a critical time in a person’s spiritual formation. During this time, young people make major decisions about religion, lifestyle, vocation, and lifelong relationships. Chrysalis challenges them to grow not only in mind and body but also in spirit and faith.
The Chrysalis weekend events, referred to as Flights, are offered separately for girls and boys to allow youth freedom to explore their relationship with God without worrying about how they may appear to the other gender. It provides an opportunity outside their local congregations or youth groups to grow in their faith alongside their peers.
An ancient Christian symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection, the butterfly illustrates one model of spiritual journey, caterpillar, cocoon(chrysalis) and butterfly. Dying to what it was, the caterpillar becomes what it is meant to be. Similarly, our Christian transformation involves dying with Christ to our old self through faith in God’s accepting love, rising with Christ to a new life motivated by hope in God’s promises and going forth with Christ in love to joyfully share Christ’s ministry of reconciliation and love with an alienated world.
Sponsor a Caterpillar
Serve on Team
F.A.Q.
Be a Part of Making a Change – Sponsoring
The fact that an Emmaus ministry experience passes from person to person reflects the relational nature of God and the manner in which God purposefully reaches out to people through people. Good sponsorship is vital to the Chrysalis community and therefore a few points need to be remembered.
Pray and seek God’s guidance before approaching a potential caterpillar, remember this is where a participant’s journey begins.
The aim is not to “get all my friends to go” or to fill up a roster, or to fix people’s problems. The aim of sponsoring is to bring spiritual revitalization to Christians who, in turn, will bring new life and vision to the work of the church in their congregations, homes, schools, workplaces and communities.
After prayerful consideration, discern whom God wants you to sponsor. Work with another sponsor to prayerfully consider sponsoring more than one young person from a church so that they will have friends with whom to share the event and it’s follow-up.
Continue to pray for the person’s openness to God’s call to discipleship rather than how to persuade him or her to attend the Chrysalis Flight. Meet with the candidate’s minister to prayerfully consider the sponsorship.
Discuss with the candidate the purpose and benefits of Chrysalis. Share the elements and value of Chrysalis with the parents or guardians, this will help alleviate any concerns they may have. Explain the costs involved and seek a commitment from the candidate by asking them to complete the application form.
Include the participant’s parents in Send-Off, Sponsors’ Hour and Closing. Be there to encourage the participant along a fourth day journey, help them feel included by taking them to gatherings and assisting them in joining a Next Steps group.
It is important that the sponsor is someone the participant knows and looks up to. Sponsors do not serve as team members on the Flight with people they are sponsoring. The absence of the sponsor gives the caterpillar the space they need for their own interaction with the experience of God during the Flight.
- Sponsor young adults who hunger for “something more” and who want to grow spiritually.
- Sponsor young adults who genuinely desire to know more about Christ and the life of faith.
- Sponsor young people who already attend church and youth groups, leaders in the church youth groups.
Remember when we sponsor youth of various races, economic backgrounds and churches young people come to see that they are one in Christ and that their true identity transcends ethnic, cultural, denominational and economic differences.
Always pray and seek God’s guidance before sponsoring, your commitment to the young person extends into the fourth days. Sponsorship is an act of love for God and for the participant. Through sponsorship we become instruments of God’s design and prevenient grace.
Requirements For Team
The atmosphere of Chrysalis is an atmosphere filled with joy and love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If these fruits of the Spirit are present, Christ is present. Christ will work through the team, drawing the participants to respond freely to Christ’s call of love.
Remember when you commit yourself to work on a Chrysalis team, you are offering yourself as an example.
WHO
Chrysalis teams need adults of all ages and backgrounds who have a relationship with God. Young people need the opportunity to work with adults who care about and enjoy them, especially adults who do not currently work with youth in their churches. Please just be yourself when serving on a Chrysalis team, interact without regard or mention of rank, status or title, this will allow the young people to relate to you as an individual who is also learning to live by God’s grace.
HOW
The spirit of servanthood lies at the heart of the Chrysalis team. We are there to selflessly serve the participants. Team members serve with a willingness to take direction, to be obedient and to have discipline. A Chrysalis event glorifies only God, we are one team, one message and one body of Christ. Let the discussions flow from the participants’ experiences; allow them to create their own table name, poster, skits etc. Trust that the participants will have a joyful encounter with Jesus through the Holy Spirit’s direction and the team’s servanthood.
WHY
A Chrysalis team shares the desire to express Christ’s love, they have a unity of purpose despite the diversity of individuals. A Chrysalis team represents a Christian lifestyle of prayer, study and action.
Please prayerfully consider the level of commitment required of you when you are asked to serve on a team. I would encourage you to read the “Canon of the Chrysalis Team”.