Youth and Young Adult Ministries

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

The May program is one week long, for anyone 18 and over who is involved in youth ministry in any capacity.  The focus will be theological grounding for youth ministry, skills development, retreat and reflection and living in community in our beloved Brough House on the campus of Huron University College.  Tuition for the week is $350.00 and you are responsible for your own transportation. (limited travel subsidies are available).  If you are looking for theological formation and skills specifically for youth ministry, please consider the program, and look for details on our (all new) website www.askandimagine.org (including on-line registration).

Many past participants have been ordained clergy who want to hone their skills and theological grounding in youth ministry.  Tell other youth ministry volunteers and staff whom you know and point them to the website.  People have already started registering for this program, so don’t wait too long.

Are you looking for funding for a new youth and/or young adult ministry initiative?   The Eastern Synod is committed to supporting faith and justice based programs involving youth and young adults.  If you have a good idea and people to make it viable but don’t have the funding to make it happen, submit an application.  2013 ES-YAYA Grant Application

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

Greta Conrads at an Eastern Synod Congregational AGM

This July 3-7 twenty young adults will form a youth delegation at the first ever Anglican-Lutheran Joint Assembly in Ottawa.  Four of those youth will be delegates from the Eastern Synod.  There was a conversation on the floor of our last Eastern Synod Assembly where we talked about the importance of the youth voice on the floor of convention.  In a previous post I commented:

We heard these same sentiments from our youth at Assembly this past summer.  Our youth are tired of the tokenism we offer them in the life of the church.  They are tired of the entertainment slots we give them at our gatherings.  They want to be integrated into the life and purpose of the church the same way everyone else is.  They don’t want to be ‘youth delegates’.  They want to be delegates.

Consider the motion on the floor of the Eastern Synod Assembly this past summer that spoke to increasing the numbers of youth at Assembly.  I spoke against that motion.  We do need a larger young adult contingent at our Assemblies.  But changing a number in a constitution will do little to make that happen.  I applaud the energy and excitement people have for youth, just as I applaud the motives of the mover of that motion on the floor of Assembly this past summer.  We need that energy, excitement and positive motivation to move youth and young adults more fully into the life of the churches we are a part of.  That takes work.  But imagine what our communities would look like if our youth and young adults were leading worship regularly, leading committee work, serving on council, elected as delegates to Convention and Assembly.

Many congregations are getting ready for their Annual General Meetings.  This is the time that we vote for delegates going to Assembly this summer.  This is your moment as a congregation.  Will you vote in the same old warm body?  Or will you actively seek out that young adult in your midst who represents that change so many of you called for on the floor of our Eastern Synod Assembly last summer?  This is a choice.  It will take work.  But it is God-pleasing work that needs to be done if we want to fairly represent the demographic that exists in this Evangelical Lutheran Church of ours.  Be the change that wants to happen.  Like Greta, there are many of our young adult Lutherans watching and waiting for this kind of opportunity.

Attention all Anglican and Lutheran youth ages 13-18and Youth Leaders! We invite you to come to the annual Youth Conference which takes place Friday May 25th until Sunday May 27th at Huron Church Camp. Join us for a weekend of getting to know youth from all corners of the diocese, help bring together a vision for the future, and learn about and discuss current issues in the church. Read more »

Here is a novel idea:  a virtual conference.

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is preparing this Green and Just Virtual Conference so that Lutherans around the world can discuss the connections between economic and ecological justice.

LWF is issuing this  broad and inclusive invitation to church leaders, people active in sustainable development, interested pastors and lay leaders, youth leaders.

This is an opportunity to participate in the international Lutheran community. Read more »

A new study has found that when sports coaches included a discussion about violence in dating abuse with their male players – they gave examples, and stress the importance of speaking our when they see abusive behaviour toward women. Although the effect was small compared to a control group that didn’t have the discussions, the athletes who did receive the chat were more likely to say they would intervene with a peer if they saw abuse. The coaches focused on changing a culture of acceptance within the teenage circle.

As pastors who deal with youth in confirmation are we not well-positioned to do the same?

Here’s a Washington post story with more details about the study:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-checkup/post/can-young-mens-athletic-coaches-help-stem-dating-violence/2010/12/20/gIQAAQIdbS_blog.html

We watched this movie recently with a small group of youth, starting at age 10. It’s a new documentary, simply called Happy, that explores some of the research about happiness in an accessible and interesting way. The documentary takes the audience from Japan, where long work hours have had a terrible impact, to Denmark, exploring the positive impact of neighbors helping neighbors. About an hour in length, it’s a great way to get into a discussion about what makes us happy – family, friends, self-reflections – and what doesn’t – materialism and too much focus on our own ambitions. Although it’s reference to religion is fleeting, it is easy to link to the message of the gospel, and can prompt a great discussion. Here’s the home page for the documentary: http://www.thehappymovie.com/press/ You can download it off iTunes.