Youth and Young Adult Ministries

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 »

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

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Last week when the restaurant Applebee’s tried to set an 18 per cent tip for a meal, the Atlanta pastor who’d dined out, crossed it out, gave no tip and wrote a note: “I give God, 10 %, why do you get 18?” The waitress posted it online and earned a pink slip. The pastor has been widely derided. Of course, as the following article in Slate points out, the minister’s math is fuzzy: a waitress is getting a portion of a restaurant bill; tithing is based on income – so it’s not like the waitress is getting more in the end. But the article goes on to make some interesting points about why tips have gone up, while tithing has dropped. Not all of it applies to Canada, where mega churches are not the norm, but still an interesting read.  http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2013/02/alois_bell_applebee_s_tip_why_do_americans_tip_more_than_they_tithe.html

59 Cents CampaignAre you looking for a justice event for your youth and young adults.  Here’s a good one.   Make 59-Cent valentines for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, in support of the 59 Cents campaign. This campaign is a response to recent government cuts to healthcare for refugees. It’s an important cause, and you can learn more about it here: http://www.59cents.org/ 59 cents represents the cost per Canadian to restore full funding to the health care program. This symbolic gesture sends an important message to our government that we want to take care of some of the most vulnerable people among us.

Are you looking for a life-changing event?  Look no further.  Canadian Lutheran World Relief has a fantastic event planned.  In May 2013, Canadian Lutheran World Relief will take a group of young adults (18-35) to Peru to experience its unique culture and see first-hand the development and environmental projects it supports on behalf of Lutherans in Canada. This Global Encounter experience will give participants the opportunity to witness work in which CLWR engages through its partner organization, Diaconia, as well as visit a Lutheran congregation, and cultural sites.  For more information about how you can get involved, check out http://www.clwr.org/Get-Involved/YouthGEPeru.htm

As John the Baptist would be the first to tell, and not very politely at that: No story is ever as simple as it seems. Life, though we want to wrap it up in a neat little package and tuck it under the Christmas tree, just doesn’t stay wrapped, and certainly doesn’t stay neat. It’s messy and it’s complicated: and it’s wrong to suggest it’s anything but. In fact, it’s right about when we try to tie life up with a pretty bow, with a right and wrong, black and white, true and false, that things tend to fall apart, and with some rotten consequences. It’s only when you think you know the answer, that you judge. It’s only when you assume the truth, that you are intolerant. Nothing is as simple as it seems.

Last week, I was one of many people who was heart-warmed by this viral photograph. Read more »

What if a church just gave their collection plate away – every penny of it? There’s an interesting new book out about a church that tried it. For one year, they gave money to serve needs in their neighborhood, including groceries, and medical bills Read more »

Looking for a Christmas Pageant for your community of faith.  This is based on an initiative to be more generous this Christmas called 1gift4good.com.

It’s easy and engages youth and young adults in a practical way.

1gift4good Christmas Pageant

There’s a great story about the seven-year-old boy who called 911 after his Grandpa passed out while driving him to soccer. The little boy, Evan, figured out how to make the call on his cellphone and spoke calmly with the 911 operator for 13 minutes until a police car could arrive. It struck me Read more »

The internet is the new ground zero for social activism – and churches need to get on board with this. Facebook is more than a place where you post pictures of your kids – it’s also where you can decide to donate your organs. Twitter isn’t just a silly place where you share what you ate for dinner – it’s the place where presidential debates are discussed in detail live.
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