Winter 2009 • $8.95
Journal of Youth & Family Ministry
Covenant of Comfort The Waters of Life Calendar of Youth Ministry Events & Programs Much more...
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Publication Information Published by: ELCA Youth Ministry Network www.elcaymnet.org
Table of Contents Welcome!
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Todd Buegler
Covenant of Comfort: How Baptism Supports the Christian Life
The Waters of Life
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Carole Joyce
Baptismal Identity Bible Study RENEW | EDUCATE | CONNECT
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Jeff Mays
Coming Home: A Reflection on Baptism
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Wes Menke
Baptism: A Parent’s Perspective
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Debbie Sladek
Baptism Bible Study
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Erik Ullestad
A View From Elsewhere Subscription Information: call 866-ELCANET (352-2638) or visit www.elcaymnet.org connect@elcaymnet.org
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George Baum
On The Way
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Bill Bixby
Calendar of Events Contributing Writers: George Baum, Bill Bixby, Guy Erwin, Carole Joyce, Jeff May, Wes Menke, Debbie Sladek, Erik Ullestad
Design and Layout: Michael Sladek Impression Media Group www.impressionmediagroup.com
Copy Editor: Debbie Sladek
Connect Editorial Board: Rod Boriack, Chris Bruesehoff, Todd Buegler, Anna Mercedes, Andy Root, Debbie Sladek, Michael Sladek, Rozella Poston
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R. Guy Erwin, PhD.
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Future Connect Themes: Rooted (Spring ‘09) Excellence (Summer ‘09)
Welcoming (Fall ‘09) Cross-Generational (Winter ‘10)
ELCA Youth Ministry Network Board Rev. Larry Wagner: Board Chairperson Rev. Beverly Conway: Board Member Rev. Dave Ellingson: Board Chaplain Rev. Dr. Nathan Frambach: Board Member Julie Miller: Board Member
Charlene Rollins: Board Member Linda Staats: Board Member Yvonne Steindal: Board Member Bill Bixby: ELCA Youth & Family Ministry Todd Buegler: Executive Director
The ELCA Youth Ministry Network exists to strengthen and empower adult youth ministry leaders in service to Christ as a part of God’s mission.
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Network News Bites
Welcome! I thought I understood baptism. I really did. I had been confirmed. I went to Bible studies while I grew up, I was a religion major in college and then I went to seminary. I had read Luther on baptism, as well as many other good, Lutheran theologians. Baptism? I had it in the bag. I could teach it . . . preach it . . . explain it . . . On a cognitive, intellectual level, I knew all of the good, Lutheran answers. Then something happened that rocked my world: the baptism of Lori’s and my first child, Nathan. When I stood and held Nathan at the font, and when my colleague poured the water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, it was almost like I heard a voice speaking to me. The voice said, “He is mine.” And in that moment, at a level deeper than intellect and cognition, I understood something: Nathan didn’t belong to Lori and me. He had been entrusted to us to care for . . . it was as much a matter of stewardship as it was one of love. But ultimately, Nathan belonged to God. And so do I. And so do you. And so do the young people with whom you work. With this issue of Connect, we continue our journey through the ten words that we believe define effective youth and family ministry:
• Discipleship • Baptismal • Rooted • Excellence • Welcoming • Cross Generational • Advocacy • Congregational • Partnership
The Network welcomes two new members of our Board of Directors: Linda Staats and Julie Miller. We also welcome back Charlene Rollins who was appointed to another term. And we give thanks for the work of Molly Beck Dean and Jeff May, whose terms are completed. 37% of ELCA Youth ministers report that e-mail is their primary method of communicating with young people. 28% text message and 25% use Facebook. We’ve started new online polls and surveys. Go to www.elcaymnet.org/ surveys to see what’s there and to contribute your opinion. Congratulations to Dave Scherer, “Agape”, for receiving the Network’s “Tom Hunstad Award for Excellence in Youth and Family Ministry. More details can be found at www.elcaymnet.org/ hunstadaward.
Ultimately, effective ministry with young people isn’t about program; it is about identity. It is about God’s claim that each of the young people with whom you work “are mine.” As adult youth ministry leaders, we help to steward their faith journey, accompanying them and occasionally reminding them “who they are” in their relationships with God. We pray for you as you do this work. We hope for our effectiveness. We plan for ways that the Network can continue to support you in this. There are great articles in this issue; please dig in. Discuss it with your peers and colleagues. Jump onto the discussion board and add your voice to each article to the conversation. Blessings on your ministry!
Nominations for open spots on the Network board for terms that begin in February of 2010 are now open. Go to www.elcaymnet.org/ leadership for more information. The Network regional facilitators welcome Kim Sandfort (region 2), Jamie Travers (region 3), Karla May (region 7), and Robby Johnson (region 9) into their midst. Thanks to Erin Morris, Raul Garcia III, Chris Bruesehoff, and Erik Mathre for their service.
Rev. Todd Buegler Executive Director – ELCA Youth Ministry Network Pastor—Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Maple Grove, MN Todd@elcaymnet.org
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(continued on page 6)
Covenant of Comfort: How Baptism Supports the Christian Life by R. Guy Erwin, Ph.D.
Sprinkled or immersed, poured over or dipped in the font, there have been as many methods of conferring the sacrament of baptism as there have been points of view as to its meaning. Who it is for, and when it should be experienced, how it should be done, and in what way it changes the person who undergoes it—these are all very basic questions, and every one of them has been bitterly argued about by Christians. What is uncontested, however, is the importance and primacy of baptism as the central sacrament of the Church, the primary and most profound way the grace of God is given concrete and tangible presence in the life of each Christian.
So what is baptism, and what does it mean to us? Does it take away all our sin and give us a clean slate? Martin Luther struggled with this issue in his controversies with those he felt were giving the sacrament a wrong emphasis and distorting its effects. Early in his career, Luther challenged those who considered baptism a kind of magic spell that took away sin by the priest’s action, a kind of silver bullet that erased the inherited (or “original”) sin that each human person, even infants, carried within them as part of Adam and Eve’s legacy. In that way of thinking, all human life is caught up in unavoidable sinfulness, except for the moment in which baptism removes sin and with it the barriers between human life and genuine holiness. The problem, though, with this way of thinking is that that sinless baptismal moment is so brief! Even infants incapable of willful sin give in (as St. Augustine famously reminds us) to a natural, unconscious selfishness—not even to mention the complexity of the hearts of the adult baptized, who can hardly be cleansed fast enough to get “dirty” again in some way, at least in the depths of their hearts.
This obsession with recovering or maintaining the sinless moment of baptismal cleansing led in the Middle Ages to the construction of an elaborate penitential system to manage post-baptismal sin: confession and absolution, purgatory, and ultimately, the infamous “indulgences”—forgiveness certificates drawn on the church’s bank of merit and obtainable by payment of a fee. Through all this, people could try to keep check on their sin and through the judicious application of good works somehow come out ahead at the end of life—or at least no farther behind than necessary.
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Our baptism is not something we
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In baptism, through human action—and some water—each person receives the presence of the Holy Spirit, is connected to the dying and living Lord as a member of the body of Christ, and becomes in a new and unique way a child of God and a permanent member of the believing community. Jesus’ own baptism in the Jordan lifted an ancient renewal and cleansing ritual bath to the level of what Christians have come to call “sacrament”—a promise of God’s grace and love presented in water, blessing, and dedication. But for a simple action using water, the most common of elements, baptism and its effects remain an enormously important and complex and at times contentious theological subject. Even more than that, for most Lutherans who have been baptized as infants, the question is “What does this long-ago and unremembered act of baptism have to do with me right now?”
In an attempt to tie baptismal restoration directly to eternal life, early Christians sometimes tried to keep the time between baptism and death as short as possible. In contrast to our baptizing infants, they sometimes waited until they felt death approach before (literally) taking the plunge. Even the great St. Augustine delayed his baptism until he was fairly sure that past midlife he could lead a life he thought would be less full of temptation. But this caution resulted in many not being “full” members of the Christian community until the very end of their lives, and to us seems clearly not to be what Jesus meant by “making disciples of all nations” or building up the church as the body of Christ. So some method had to be developed to deal with the fear of sin and judgment even among the baptized.
make true by wanting or believing— it is something God does to us, for us, and in us.
Luther believed that the power of baptism lay not in its magical power to remove original sin (though it might remove the fear of it), but in its potency as a tangible sign of God’s love and forgiveness—not just in the sacramental moment of the pouring of water, but in every single day of the baptized person’s life. He called baptism a “covenant of comfort,” because even though one couldn’t remember one’s own baptism as an infant, one is constantly reminded of it by living and worshiping among other baptized persons, and by daily re-claiming its privileges in prayer and Christian life. When Luther advises Christians to make the sign of the cross when
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they rise in the morning and lie down at night, he is asking them to remember that it is in that sign—the sign of the cross, of Jesus’ victory over death—that they are baptized and marked forever. It is as people of the cross, people with a claim on God’s promises in Jesus, that the baptized know themselves to be forgiven and loved. Though temptation and selfishness and sin may remain, the knowledge—the fact—of baptism gives people a way of coping with the challenges of Christian life in a world of temptation.
we know that it is not our “wanting” baptism or finally believing right or repenting enough that makes baptism work, but rather God’s promise of grace and acceptance. Baptizing children makes it clear that that we know that baptism is not about us but about God. That’s also why we don’t repeat it when we feel like we need a refresher—we don’t believe we can invalidate our baptism once it’s performed. Our baptism is not something we make true by wanting or believing—it is something God does to us, for us, and in us.
For Lutherans today, who still for the most part born are into the family of faith and brought up in Christian households, to think of one’s own baptism as a life event seems somewhat theoretical and abstract, something one is told about but doesn’t remember. But it then becomes a part of a collective memory, held by one’s parents and godparents, perhaps one’s whole home congregation. In all churches where the baptism of infants is practiced, when the baptized one comes later to understand the sacrament, it is usually through the testimony of others—experienced secondhand—and witnessed to through the recounting of stories by family and friends, evidenced perhaps by a fading, cherished certificate stored lovingly among the dusty souvenirs of infancy.
Some Lutheran worshiping communities are rediscovering the joys of remembering baptism by making their baptismal fonts into water features, with flowing, splashing, or trickling water a permanent presence in their worship space. The custom of placing a large basin of water in the midst of Eucharistic worship, particularly in the Easter season, is also a way we can revive a sense of being God’s “watered people” in our worship. “Living wet” is sacramental, too— emphasizing our identity as people of the font also reminds us that we are people of the table, too. Washing before eating; how much more basic can you get? As fundamental as it is, baptism is a paradoxical sacrament: universal but often unremembered by the recipient; often done without assent, but capable of being deeply felt and enriching; unrepeatable, but constantly reinforced in liturgy and worship; and—ultimately—something that makes us forever different, but doesn’t change us completely, but helps us in our ongoing effort to lead the lives of disciples.
In churches where adult baptism is the norm, and for those in Lutheran churches who were baptized at a later age, a direct recollection of the event can be a cherished memory, a source of joyful remembrance. Especially for those of the generation whose parents are Christian but who decided to “let the children decide for themselves,” the choice to be baptized is often a momentous one and the event itself profoundly moving. But those who were baptized as infants are not left out; our liturgical patterns bring our baptism back into focus every Easter, as well as during every new rite of baptism we witness, or every confirmation or receiving of new members by affirmation of faith we take part in—indeed every Sunday when we say the creed, we remember that it is into that faith that we were baptized.
Dr. R. Guy Erwin is the Belgum Professor of Lutheran Confessional Theology at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. He joined the CLU faculty in 2000 after several years of teaching at Yale Divinity School. He specializes in Reformation history and the theology of Martin Luther, but has developed a strong interest in Lutheranism in the 18th century Enlightenment. In addition to his teaching, Dr. Erwin is very active in ELCA affairs and represents the ELCA on the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council
Why don’t we only baptize adults, then, like many evangelical and Pentecostal churches, and wait until the baptized person can fully participate in the experience? First, because in baptizing even children we believe we follow the command of God; second, because
of Churches.
Network News Bites (continued from page 4) Over 500 people have participated so far in the pilot of the Network’s online training program. Semester 3 starts in April!
Stay tuned: The Network’s salary survey results will be coming out soon!
Network membership is at an all time high!
The Network will again be hosting the “Adult Academy” at the ELCA Youth Gathering. Check out the ‘decompression rooms’ on the 2nd floor of the convention center.
Did you know that the Network has a Twitter feed? Stay in the know! Find out more at http://www.twitter.com/elcaymnet.
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The Waters of Life by Carole Joyce
Honk. Honk. Honk. We could hear the horn honking for miles across the quiet streets. On our youth service trip to Mexico this summer, we learned that the honk of the water truck driving through the neighborhoods in Juarez can be a hopeful and welcome sound. To communities without running water the honk of the “agua” truck is a life-giving noise. Before every baptism, our pastor asks the children: “What do we use water for?” Their answers: “for drinking,” “for watering plants,” “for washing,” and “for baptism” seem quite simple, but they remind us of the necessity of water for life. Water is vital to all living things. Just like the agua truck, the waters of baptism are life-giving.
But baptism is not just about the water. In baptism, water is used with God’s Word and by God’s command. With Jesus’ words, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Mt 28: 19) Jesus tells his disciples and all his followers to share the Good News of God’s saving love with the whole world and to baptize. Baptism carries with it God’s promise too. Jesus says in Mark 16: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” The water and the words of baptism bring people young and old into God’s saving promise of forgiveness and eternal life. Through baptism God gives us the foundations of life—identity, belonging, and purpose. We become children of God, claimed and loved just as we are. Our identity is beloved child of God. The waters of baptism unite us to the community of those who believe today and throughout the ages. We belong to God’s family. Baptism also gives us purpose; we are called to join with God’s mission to care for each other and all of creation. These issues of identity, belonging, and purpose are ones which are especially important in the lives of youth. As young people struggle to answer these questions for themselves—Who am I? Where do I fit in? What can I do?—the waters of Baptism can help shape their answers.
Water is a powerful symbol of life and hope reminding us that all we have is from God. God gives us the gift of life through water. God sustains us in life with water. God cleanses us with this gift of water. Water is the “earthly element,” the physical sign of the sacrament of baptism. The power in baptism lies in the combination of tangible, touchable water with God’s Word to give God’s grace and forgiveness. Through baptism, God’s people are drawn into relationship with God with things they can touch and feel—the baptismal water and the sign of the cross marked on the forehead.
So whether it is the honk of an agua truck, the gurgling of a stream, the roar of the ocean, or the pouring of water into the baptism font, may the sounds of water be a constant reminder of God’s never ending promise to you through the water and the Word.
Water can also be dangerous! Think of the death and destruction of tsunamis, floods, and hurricanes. Indeed, the waters of baptism are about both death and life. In baptism we are joined with Jesus in his death. United to Jesus we die to sin and our old way of life, but death through baptism brings us to new life in Jesus. “Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) Our old lives are transformed as we enter into God’s kingdom, the surprising world of power through weakness and life through death.
Carole Joyce (AIM) has a passion for passing on the faith. She has been blessed to work, learn, and teach across the generations in congregations for 25 years. Carole recently completed her MA in Children, Youth, and Family ministry at Luther Seminary and is currently called by Good Shepherd in Plainview, MN and Mount Olive in Rochester, MN to facilitate Passing on the Faith and Faith in the Home. Carole also coaches and supports congregations around children, youth, and family ministry issues.
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Baptismal Identity Bible Study by Jeff May
Preparation Have a sheet ready with the following passages of scripture printed on them: • Romans 6:1-11 • 1 John 3:1-3 • 1 Peter 2:9 • Romans 12:4-8 • Titus 3:3-7
While this study is prepared for congregational youth ministry teams, you may wish to adapt it for use with your youth. Have a large image of a tree with roots hanging on a wall or on the floor. Make sure the space around the tree is open. On a separate paper, write the words ROOTS, BRANCHES, LEAVES, and FRUIT. Post the list next to the tree. Get some different colors of Post-it notes. Prepare some proclamations for the ending minutes.
Together we will create an identity tree.
Opening Listen to “Who Are You” by The Who.
Why does this song by The Who continue to be relevant for us?
Ask these questions for brief discussion to introduce the theme of identity.
What things define who we are?
Gathering Evidence Identify the following major components of a tree: roots, branches, leaves, fruit
Branches give support to us as we grow. On another color of notes write those things/people which are our venues of major support. Include things from family, work, and play, friends, faith, etc. Leaves are the outward signs of who you are. It’s what people see in you most readily. Use another color of notes for these. They might include things like your skills, gifts, passions. Fruits are those things about you that could make the world a better place. Again, use another color of notes.
Get into groups of three and collect your thoughts around those things which establish our identity. Make sure to consult the scripture passages. Make sure that folks don’t get hung up on the question of upon which color Post-It Notes particular things should be listed. The process of gathering is most important here. Roots help to ground us, give us a solid foundation. On one color Post-It notes write (one per note) those things/people which are the foundations to our identity—family love, community values, God’s claim on us, etc. Remember that roots are not always seen by others.
As a whole group, fill out the tree you placed earlier by placing the colored notes on it. I suggest letting each group place their roots, then each group place their branches, etc.
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Processing the Evidence Ask some questions. What seemed to be recurring themes? Which of the four colors is most important to establishing identity? Which of these things does our congregation value?
Now suggest that the group remove those parts of the tree which have nothing to do with the promises of Baptism. A savvy group will note that there are none to remove. If your group decides to remove some of them, you may wish to challenge this—in baptism, all of our life is embraced by God.
Sorting Out the Evidence Now ask the group to choose about 8‑10 notes which represent areas where your congregation is/can be instrumental in impacting the identity of its youth as baptized children of God. As a group, choose one of these notes to work on first.
In pairs, discuss how your congregation can most greatly impact the identity of youth in relation to this particular note. Share ideas/thoughts with the whole group. You may repeat this several times, and save some of them to talk about each time your team gathers. Close this time with prayer.
Using the Evidence End with a time of proclamation. Get various folks to read/ proclaim the following (add more as you wish):
• Baptism makes us sisters and brothers in Christ. • Through Baptism I experience God’s mercy.
• In Baptism God has claimed me. • By Baptism I am one with Christ.
Jeff May is a parish pastor in Oaklyn, NJ, where he lives with his wife, Karla. He is working to resuscitate a virtually non-existent youth ministry in this new call to St. Mark’s. This is a very hopeful challenge!
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Coming Home: A Reflection on Baptism by Wesley Menke
I love coming home. My mom tells me that whenever our family came home from a trip I would greet all of the familiar landmarks: “Hello Disney Lane!” “Hello Oak Creek!” “Hello big red house!” I was excited to return to the familiar, to the known. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy traveling, indeed I did, but after a journey there’s no place like home.
I struggled to answer Peter, “Baptism is when someone is welcomed into God’s family. They receive God’s promise of salvation and eternal life. They believe in Jesus and know that Jesus loves them.” He looked at me for a moment, looked as though he had a very serious thought, and then said, “Have you seen the Fantastic Four? It’s a cool movie! The human torch is my favorite!” I laughed to myself and said, “Really? Tell me about him.” Peter did. He also told me how he was a little nervous to meet his mom’s new boyfriend, but excited about all they were to do this summer. He was also nervous about starting middle school. He was afraid people might make fun of him because he talked differently and maybe his Spider Man hat was kind of dorky. I tried to assure him that his hat was cool, and that he sounded fine to me. We discussed more movies, and did a word search together. I told Peter that if he was ever in San Clemente he could come to our church by Pedro’s Tacos, and even come to our youth group.
So I was happy to be coming home from a journey with our high school youth group. We went to the 2005 Western States Youth Gathering in Seattle and river rafting in Oregon. But I was also sad that an extraordinary experience had come to a close. As we boarded the plane in SeaTac airport, I was looking forward to sharing the last few moments with our group. We boarded the plane and ironically I was sitting next to a stranger. I had the window seat and next to me sat a boy who introduced himself as “Peter.” He was eleven, and would be entering the sixth grade in the fall. Peter was on his way to visit his mom and spend the rest of the summer in Orange County, California. He was a very curious boy. He liked to ask lots of questions. “What’s your name? Where are you from? Why were you in Seattle?” I did my best to answer, but the four hours of sleep the night before were catching up with me. I started to drop hints like, “We are a youth group on a trip and geez am I tired! We didn’t even sleep!” Peter, however, persisted.
When we landed at John Wayne Airport and deplaned I said goodbye to Peter and saw him greeted by his mother, not with a warm hug, but with an awkward smile and pat on the shoulder. Our group formed a circle in the terminal to share some closing words and goodbyes. As we held hands and prayed I looked beyond our circle and saw Peter walking next to his mother. He stared at our group curiously and maybe even longingly. It struck me that we were not so different. We were both caught in between homes. Peter was caught between two parents. We were caught between the closeness of a bonded youth group and our families and “normal” lives. I love coming home. I believe that one day we will all be home, together, worshiping and praising one God. All will be together, sitting at a common table at the feast that knows no end. Until then, we are given the task of living in this world, in the valley, in the airport, caught between two homes, where God has promised to be faithful and where God has called us to bear witness to the goodness of God’s grace so that Peter—and all of us—might not be so unfamiliar with home. Maybe that is what baptism is.
Wes Menke aka “Señor Wes” is a youth minister and Spanish teacher at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in San Clemente, CA. He serves on the board of Transformational World Opportunities, which works for justice and transformation of lives along the border of Mexico. Wes and his wife Sheri are living proof that a “summer camp romance” can last!
I couldn’t quite figure out why Peter was so interested in our group. At one point I leaned forward to talk to someone from our group who had been baptized in the Deschutes River. Peter cut in “What’s bap-i-tized Wes? What’s bap-i-tized?” I considered the question for a moment and then realized that Peter knew practically nothing about church, about Christianity, or even about God’s love.
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Baptism A Parent’s Perspective by Debbie Sladek
On a recent school day, with temperatures hovering just above freezing, my son, David, threw on a hooded sweatshirt over shorts, grabbed a pair of ankle socks and sneakers, and went out into dark early morning drizzle to get our newspaper. “Aren’t you going to be cold—and wet?” I asked, already knowing the way he’d sigh, shake his head, and remind me emphatically for the umpteenth time, “NO!” I sighed back at him, shook my head, and mumbled something about kids born here being born with webbed feet and Gortex skin.
As Lutherans and Christians, we also live in a world steeped in water: the life-giving, sustaining waters of baptism. The church, just as in the Pacific Northwest, there exists a culture where lives are built upon and relationships formed amidst the waters. And when a child is brought to the baptismal font, even as an infant, this is where youth ministry begins, where the nurturing of a new life in Christ begins its journey. Those gathered around the font, the family, friends, and congregation members, promise on behalf of all believers to mentor a child throughout the coming years into what it means to love and be loved in Christ. As a parent, I see the adults in my child’s life, especially our congregation’s youth director, Sunday school teachers, confirmation leaders, and pastors, as partners. These are people who are integral in helping my husband and me teach our son about his faith, whether it’s during Sunday morning worship or a raucous weekend retreat to the mountains. I like to think that David is once again bathed in the waters of baptism whenever he is interacting with these Christian leaders. Even if he doesn’t quite realize it yet, these people regularly remind him that we are one in Christ, and their nurturing demonstrates God’s grace and unconditional acceptance, just as we are all loved into God’s family in baptism.
Debbie Sladek is the Communications Manager at Children’s Institute for Learning Differences on Mercer Island, WA., a freelance writer and editor, and a volunteer master gardener. Her favorite thing in the world is spending time with her husband and teen-aged son at their home in Sammamish, WA.
In the Pacific Northwest our children grow up surrounded and steeped in the imagery, language, and mythology of water. They drive across floating concrete bridges without giving thought as to why such things are engineering marvels. They know the subtle differences in rain, dry rain, sprinkles, showers, mist, and fog. Taking ferries across Puget Sound, living on islands, seeing Orca whales and bald eagles, and celebrating the return of the salmon to our rivers and lakes is just a very basic part of our lives. Water, in it’s many forms, is ever present and abundant and we take both its presence and its benefits for granted.
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Baptism Bible Study by Erik Ullestad
the Gospel: Baptism is a daily dying to sin and rising to new life in God’s love. the Point: The baptism that took place when you were a baby still matters today.
Opening (10-20 mins.) Prior to your meeting time, affix an image of baptism on the center of a 4’ x 6’ sheet of butcher paper: (perhaps a baptismal shell with drops of water, a baptismal font, or an actual picture of a baptism.) Post the butcher paper image on a prominent and accessible wall in your meeting space.
3. When all the lists are completed, read all the items aloud. After each item is read, ask the kids to respond with a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to the question, “Does this activity punish you if you don’t attend.” 4. Calculate the percentage of items listed on the butcher paper that hold students accountable for participation. Write that number somewhere on the paper.
1. Each person should be given a washable marker. It works best if everyone has their own individual color. 2. Ask everyone to find a spot on the butcher paper to write down all of the activities, clubs, organizations, etc. that they are involved in.
Listening & Reflecting (10+ mins.) Ask someone to open a Bible to Colossians and read chapter 2, verse 12 aloud
Ask another person to open a Bible to 1 Peter and read chapter 3, verse 21 aloud:
“When you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”
“Baptism . . . now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
What does it mean to be “buried with Jesus in baptism?”
How can you “appeal to God for a good conscience” if you are baptized as an infant?
Reflect—What are some aspects of your life that need to “die” and be “reborn”?
What does it mean to you that the waters of baptism make you clean—both inside and outside?
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Share a few thoughts with the group, based on the opening activity and scripture:
• Your regular activities are a part of your life, but they are not life-giving in the way that your baptism is.
• Most of the items listed in our opening activity require regular participation.
• Even though nothing was required of you in your Baptism, there are still ways that you can respond to God’s promises as you grow older.
• Baptism doesn’t require anything of a baby— parents, sponsors, church, and God make promises in your baptism.
Wrap-Up Activity & Prayer (5 mins.) PRAYER
Have each student take their marker and draw a circle, box, cloud, etc. around their list of activities on the butcher paper. Then ask them to draw an arrow from their list and point it to the baptismal image in the center.
God, you give us new life every day through the waters of baptism. Help us to stand strong in the promises you made when we were baptized. Give us faith when we are unsure of how you are calling us to live. Remind us that you are with us alway—at school, home, at church, with friends, or when we are alone. Let us never forget that you are our God, and we are your children. Amen
Remind them that dying to sin doesn’t mean giving up what you’re already doing, but it might mean letting your baptism impact the choices you make every day. It also may mean doing things for reasons other than avoiding punishment.
Erik Ullestad is the Family Life & Youth Director at Windsor Heights Lutheran Church, West Des Moines, IA. He also contributes to Faith Lens, Reel World, Here We Stand Confirmation, Akaloo, and Spark resources. He blogs at www.erikullestad.blogspot.com. Erik attempts to live out his baptism as a husband to Allison and father to Anna, Isaac, and Evan. They enjoy playing baseball, basketball, volleyball, and watching movies together.
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A View From Elsewhere In Praise of Small Urban Spaces by George Baum
The short version is we moved from a 2,000 square foot house with finished basement and garage, with a huge backyard sloping down to the river, into a 750 square foot apartment in Manhattan. Extenuating circumstances: one daughter in middle school, one daughter in elementary school, one spouse in massage therapy school, one spouse in seminary. Expected outcome: emotional and physical distress, nervous breakdowns, heavy therapy bills. Unexpected reality: the best thing that could’ve happened to our family. I know it is hard to believe. But it is true. We are into our fourth year in this tiny little place, and three of us are still in school. When we talk to people back in the small town with spacious houses, there is trouble aplenty. Parents can’t keep track of kids because it’s so “safe” out there. They open the door and say, “be careful.” What else are you going to do? Lock your kids in their bedrooms? Follow your kids on their bikes? Here in New York City, we always know where our children are because we have to know where our children are. It would be the height of abandonment to open the apartment building door and tell our ten-year-old to go outside and play. Thus, playing outside means parents going along. Playing inside means parents playing along. We didn’t plan it this way, but living in an urban setting means our daughters are always accounted for. Of course, the fourteen-year-old is now at the age where we say, “Sure, go over to Union Square and meet a friend.” (A phrase that still boggles the mind as it leaves our lips.) And yet, when she goes, she texts us, she calls us, she takes care of herself. In some ways, fourteen going on thirty; in other ways, fourteen going on ten.
There is a more remarkable and unexpected thing happening to the relationships in our family. A small space means we have no choice: we have to get along. There’s nowhere else to go. We have to work it out, sooner or later. When one of us is angry or feels hurt, to say, “I’m going for a ride,” would mean getting on the subway and riding it to . . . what, Queens? We have come to find (whether consciously or not) that the only way to get along is to communicate. You can only sit for so long in one corner of the 12’ x 20’ living room before thinking, “you know, this is silly. Anybody heard any good jokes today?” Believe me, it hasn’t been easy to get to this point. But what we have gained far outweighs any loss of living space and external safety. I can’t help but wonder, if someone offered us a large house in the country for next to nothing (which is probably what they’re selling for in today’s market), would we take it? Well of course we’d take the house! I said we’re happy, not stupid. But I can just imagine us huddled together in one room, getting in each other’s way all day long, while the cat has the run of the upstairs. I can’t say how the move has impacted the cat, but I know he could always use more space to run around in making noise all night. He is the one member of the family who doesn’t seem to get the idea that he’s living in community.
George Baum plays in the band, Lost And Found (www.speedwood.com), and lives with his family in New York City, where he is in his fourth and final year (Godwilling) of seminary.
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Intensive Care Feb. 4-5, Main Event Feb. 5-8, 2010 Charlotte, North Carolina Stay tuned at www.elcaymnet.org
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On The Way by Bill Bixby
Can we talk about baptism and Christian vocation? Baptism shows up as the second major theme in the Network Definitions of Effective Youth and Family Ministry, and let the whole church say “AMEN!” Some folks—me included—might even place it first, but the really amazing thing is this: baptism is then described as a distinctive way of life. In this definition, baptism is not just a rite, nor anybody’s right, but a way to be and a way to walk in and for the world, every day. • Baptism is described as a way of life that is God-initialized
In fact, the Network definition could have gone on to say this too: baptism also de-thrones the god of violence as the prime solution to disagreements and conflict . . . interpersonal or international. And, baptism also de-thrones the god of consumption as the primary shape for our economic life and our relation to the planet. Talk about a countercultural vocation! Living that way, even for one day, can get us in trouble in a hurry. Is it any wonder that our central symbol is the cross? “ . . . you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”
and grace-enabled . . . every day.
TBTG! Every day!
• Baptism is described as a way of life which draws us deeply
On the Way, and in the waters, with you,
into the dying and rising that takes place in the real-world
Bill Bixby, who has been an ELCA pastor for
lives of young people . . . every day.
twenty-two years and a blessed-by-youth minister for even longer, lives and serves in Chicago, IL as Director for Youth Ministry. From 2000 to 2007, Bill served (and sometimes taught at) two ELCA seminaries in a lively project of theological and vocational discovery with teens.
• Baptism is described as a way of life which grafts us into the fullness of Christian community, community which is about passing on a living faith, in mutuality across the generations . . . every day. • Baptism is described as a way of life which empowers us for serving in God’s mission of reconciliation and new creation . . . every day. And then the Network definition gets really bodacious. Baptism is described as a call that is countercultural. Say what? Check it out—the definition states that baptism de-thrones the god of performance, of merit, of success as the prime source of value in the lives of young people. Actually, in all of our lives. TBTG—Thanks Be To God!
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Calendar of Events 2009
2010
Youth in Mission Conference: Pastoral Care for Youth April 20-22, 2009 Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago (LSTC) Chicago, IL Contact: Heather Wallace, 773-256-0725, youthinmission@lstc.edu
SCOUTS SEEKING LUTHERAN CHAPLAINS FOR 2010 NATIONAL SCOUT JAMBOREE IN VIRGINIA. ELCA pastors and professional youth ministers who are registered members of the Boy Scouts of America are invited to apply. ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza February 4-8, 2010 Charlotte, NC www.elcaymnet.org/Extravaganza
Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry April 27-30, 2009 Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton, NJ Information or questions: 609-497-7914 2009 ELCA YOUTH GATHERING: JESUS JUSTICE JAZZ July 22-26, 2009 (Gathering) New Orleans, LA Information: www.elca.org/gathering July 19-22, 2009 (Definitely-Abled Youth Leadership Event and Multicultural Youth Leadership Event) New Orleans, LA DAYLE information: www.elca.org/lyo/dac MYLE information: www.elca.org/lyo/mac July 26-30, 2009 (Triennial Convention of the Lutheran Youth Organization) Hattiesburg, MS Information: www.elca.org/lyo/ ELCA Outdoor Ministry Conference November 2-6, 2009 Camp Allen Episcopal Conference Center and Camp Navasota, Texas Information: www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Ministry/Outdoor-Ministry.aspx
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New Year • New Look • New Studies
THINK ABOUT IT. Now featuring studies designed specifically for high school youth and parents of teens!
The Thoughtful Christian.com is filled with studies ranging from one to six sessions. Each session is designed for approximately forty-five minutes and comes with a Participant Handout and a Leader’s Guide. The studies can be downloaded in Acrobat PDF format, printed out, and photocopied for use in classes or personal study and devotion. In addition, leaders can e-mail the Participant Handout to students in advance of the next meeting. New studies, including rapid responses to current events, are added to the site on a weekly basis. The studies are grouped into six categories—In the News, Bible and Theology, Spirituality, Christian Living, Contemporary Issues, and Popular Culture.
www.TheThoughtfulChristian.com
Youth in Mission programs for 2009 Serving Christ in the World—June 13 – July 4, 2008
Current high school sophomores and juniors will explore how God is calling them to serve in the world. This three-week immersion takes youth to Chicago, and Mexico. In the classroom and in local communities the youth discover ways to serve Christ in the world. Applications are due ASAP.
Beyond Belief—Year-Round Opportunity
Beyond Belief connects high school youth groups with the seminary and with Chicago’s service organizations for ministry opportunities. Youth group leaders are able to mold the program to fit their group’s spiritual and scheduling needs. Please call to inquire about Youth Center housing availability prior to registration.
Pastoral Care for Youth: A Conference for Youth Ministry Workers— April 20–22, 2009 Our first annual conference for youth ministry workers and clergy will be held at LSTC. This year’s topic, chosen by a panel of youth ministry workers, is Pastoral Care for Youth. The keynote speaker will be Prof. Robert Dykstra from Princeton Theological Seminary. Registration closes, March 20th. More information about our programs and events can be found by contacting us at: 800-635-1116 ext 725 or 773-256-0725
youthinmission@lstc.edu www.lstc.edu/yim yimad09.indd 1
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ELCA Youth Ministry
your Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday partner in ministry.
ELCA Youth Ministry
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 8765 West Higgins Road Chicago, IL 60631 1-800-638-3522 www.elca.org/youth www.elca.org/lyo www.elca.org/gathering 19
ELCA Youth Ministry Network 11821 98th Pl. N., Maple Grove, Mn 55369
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