Youth and Young Adult Ministries

The Eastern Synod is finding new ways to engage youth and young adults in a meaningful way. Watch this for a fresh new vision for YAYA ministry.

Children enjoy a tangible way to understand the stories of the Bible.  Here are a couple of Holy Week and Easter recipies that can help you share the story of this sacred time of the year in a fun and meaningful way.

Crown of Thorns Snack

You take some frozen bread dough, roll it out into strips, braid the strips together, form it in the shape of a crown, add some round edge toothpicks (for the thorns), sprinkle the top with spices (cloves, ginger, cinnamon), brown sugar, lemon juice and bake it …

Last Supper snack

Red & Green Grapes, Pita Bread, Cheese & apples

And for Easter Sunday, why not make some Empty Tomb / Resurrection Pastries?

Empty Tomb / Resurrection Pastries

You take a Pillsbury crescent rolls and roll the dough around a marshmallow (which represents Jesus’ body).  Add some melted butter or margarine to represent the oil Jesus’ body was anointed with and some cinnamon to represent the spices.  While baking the marshmallow melts and you have an empty tomb inside.

And here are some more Easter Snack ideas:

http://littleblots.com/LessonEaster.html

http://www.sundayschoolcrafts.com/Easter_Story_Cookies.html

Thanks to Anglicn Diocese of Ottawa Baptismal Ministry Formation Director Lisa Chisholm-Smith for sharing these ideas.

Sunday morning is a good chance to pass on all kinds of tips for parents. Perhaps it’s even just a line in the bulletin. Here’s a story that demonstrates the value of one safety trick parents may not have considered: giving your kids a code word so they know that the person picking them up from school or an activity has actually been sent by their parents.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/10-year-old-ontario-girl-uses-code-word-to-thwart-attempted-abduction/article9989954/

This being Lent, what is meant as a time of focused contemplation, here’s a great article about what not to do if you want to be happy. In the end, it boils down to the central lesson of the gospel: love others as you want to be loved. But here are some specific tips to get there. http://lifehacker.com/5991218/want-to-be-happier-stop-doing-these-10-things-right-now

Last October, a young woman named Malala Yousafzai was heading home from school in Pakistan with her classmates when two masked men boarded the bus. They asked for her by name, and when they identified her, they shot her twice in the face. The men belonged to the Taliban, and they had tried to kill Malala because she had been speaking up for the right of girls in Pakistan to get an education. She had been blogging anonymously for this cause with the BBC, but her identity was figured out. Malala almost died for her efforts.   Read more »

It’s hard to think of a time in which parents have been more focused on their children – providing them with the best opportunities, the best chance at a good education, the best extra-curricular activities. The term helicopter parent describes this new perspective: moms and dads flying around and over their kids making sure they are getting all the benefits.  There are many factors behind this trend: Read more »

Happiness is a hug when you get home? We have a pretty clear rule in my family: when someone arrives home, it’s expected that the rest of us will stop what they are doing and greet them at the door, with a hug and at least a hello. Who wants to come home to a house where nobody acknowledges your arrival? Just last week, my eldest son interrupted a facetime with a friend to give his mom a hug when she got in from work – it turns out his friend has just done the same way with his mom. But this small consideration has fallen by the wayside is some busy households: an American study reports that in 40 per cent of arrivals  by mom, and 50 per cent by dad, there was no greeting at all: just crickets. “Honey, I’m home,” certainly has an old-fashioned note to it , harkening back to the days when everyone was dutifully waiting for dad walk through the door.  Now, in most families, everyone comes home at random times – and usually goes out again in rapid succession. Still, life is short, and a hug at the door takes, what, 30 seconds?  That’s 30 seconds to make someone feel like they have come home to a family that values their presence over whatever activity is occupying them at the time.  However tight time may be, that seems like a pretty good investment.

Today, children across the province of Ontario are wearing pink clothing to school.  It is part of an anti-bullying campaign.  The youth of our province and our country are committed to causes closely tied to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This weekend 16 youth are gathering to spend 40 hours together in an Eastern Synod congregation.  Their time will be spent developing a greater understanding of who they are and what they stand for.  Bullying is on the rise while character education is on the decline.  With increased demands on parents at work and financial realities facing our school systems, faith communities have an opportunity to feed a need in our society. tothisday

Read more »

The August program is two weeks long for young people who wish to explore life and leadership at the intersection of faith and culture.  It is for ANY young person (not just Anglican or Lutheran) who is interested in the program aims.  The August program has many new components to it, including a three-day adventure training expedition – water, air and land.  The cost structure has changed too – successful applicants are given full scholarship to attend, but must provide their own travel.   Again, visit the website for details and applications process.  www.askandimagine.org

If you have any questions about the programs, please write to us at director@askandimagine.org