FALL 2018 Fall 2018 • $8.95
Journal of Children, Youth & Family Ministry
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Moving Forward You’re passionate about nurturing and strengthening the faith of young people and their families. Let Luther Seminary expand and enrich your education to connect to God’s ministry among young people, as God is active in the midst of their reality. Master of Arts in Children, Youth and Family (CYF) Ministry The CYF Ministry concentration provides students with academic courses, community discipleship, and hands-on ministry experience that prepares students for leadership in various ministry settings. Master of Divinity—Concentration in Children, Youth and Family Ministry Designed for individuals who are interested in a ministry to young people and their families in either a church or para-church ministry context, this degree program provides theology, theory and practice in a holistic educational environment.
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Taking science in American youth ministry from an afterthought to a primary concern
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FALL 2018
PUBLICATION INFORMATION Published by: ELCA Youth Ministry Network www.elcaymnet.org
CONTENTS Welcome! 4 Todd Buegler All In: Luther, Christian Faith and the Public Sphere 5 Francisco Herrera
The Church Is the Curriculum: Activating Youth and Children to the Cause of Justice 7 Chris Finke
Bible Study: Micah 6:8—Do Justice 9 Mindy Makant
Facebook Crowdsource: Talking Politics 10
Interview with Rachel Alley, Program Director for Youth Ministry of the ELCA 12 Bunmi Ishola Subscription Information: call 866-ELCANET (352-2638) or visit: www.elcaymnet.org connect@elcaymnet.org
Design and Layout: Michael Sladek Impression Media Group www.impressionmediagroup.com
Managing Editor: Erin Gibbons
Connect Editorial Board: Todd Buegler, Nate Frambach, Erin Gibbons, Dawn Rundman, Michael Sladek
Cover Photo: Michael Sladek www.msladekphoto.com
Modern Youth Activism: 10 Insights from a High School Senior 14 Chris Finke
UPCOMING CONNECT ISSUE THEMES:
Why Nobody Wants To do Bible Study Anymore (Winter ‘19)
ELCA YOUTH MINISTRY NETWORK BOARD Becky Cole: Board Member
Sue Megrund: Board Member
Dan Fugate: Board Member
Dr. Jeremy Myers, AIM: Board Member
Rev. Regina Goodrich: Board Member
Tom Schwolert: Board Chairperson
Kinda Makini: Board Member
Rev. 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. 3
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Dear friends,
NETWORK NEWS
I used to love politics. I really did. I watched it the way some people watch professional football. I enjoyed the exchange of ideas; I loved the debate; I loved the idea that as a culture, we sought the common good, and that the people we elected into political position represented an idea or a philosophy that could move our nation, state, county or community forward. And I wanted to believe that political dialogue can bring out the best of intentions in all of us. I still love politics. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say that I still want to love politics. But it feels like the tenor of the national dialogue has changed, and now, like a case of national road rage, all we seem to do is entrench ourselves and yell. I find myself pretty dismayed. Nowhere does this make me more nervous than in my own congregation. I know that every week in the pew, I have people present who represent both liberal and conservative perspectives. (In fact, I have two members, from opposite parties, who are running against each other for seats in our state legislature!) So my questions have quickly shifted way past “how do we do ministry in a conflicted culture?” to “how do we even begin the conversation?”
Congratulations to Rachel Alley, who has been called to serve as the Program Director for Youth Ministries in the ELCA Churchwide Offices! Rachel most recently served in the Southeast Synod. You can read a full interview with Rachel in this issue of Connect.
The 3rd Tuesday Conversation has reinvented itself. Since 2010 it has been produced as monthly webinar. 3TC has transitioned to a monthly podcast,
And with young people, many of whom are forming their belief systems and their sense of identity, how do we accompany them as they try to figure out what they believe about both political issues and the political system? It’s not easy. I see some young people echo the positions they hear from their parents, while others make sure that any adolescent rebellion they live out includes a rejection of the politics of their parents. The church, by definition, is political. Every time Jesus spoke out against the pharisees, or when he turned the tables, or healed on the sabbath, it was a political action. So in the world of the church, how do we speak about the political nature of the teachings of Jesus without being partisan? As we approach the November mid-term elections, the Journal’s editorial team thought that we should jump into the conversation. We don’t have any easy answers, other than to continue clinging to the promises and teachings of Jesus, to pray for wisdom and to not be afraid to engage in the conversation. Societal progress happens in relationship and dialogue. Maybe…just maybe…the church can be the safe place for those conversations to take place.
released on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. You can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. More information is available at elcaymnet. org/3TC. If you get a moment, we’d love it if you’d leave a review of the podcast, to make it easier for more people to discover! Thanks!
Applications are being taken to participate in the Network’s Discipling Cohorts Initiative. By joining a cohort, you’ll be taking an impor-
Peace,
tant step in growing in your vocation and Todd Buegler Executive Director – ELCA Youth Ministry Network Pastor – Trinity Lutheran Church; Owatonna, Minnesota Todd@elcaymnet.org
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your spiritual journey. More information is available at DisciplingCohorts.org.
FALL 2018
ALL IN: LUTHER, CHRISTIAN FAITH AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE
by Francisco Herrera
Since its inception, the Christian faith has had to wrestle with how following Jesus relates to incredibly complex, and often dangerous, political and social conditions. The Gospel of Matthew records some of the most vivid examples of this, especially whenever Jesus is confronted with the reality of Roman taxation. Sometimes the poor carpenter/ preacher responds to discussion of taxation with cleverness and guile—“Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give unto God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21)—other times in commentary compliance—“But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake (the Sea of Galilee) and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours” (Matthew 17:24-17). In these two stories, where his responses to Roman taxation may mean life or death, Jesus weighs risks and outcomes carefully before responding in such a way that is positive and creative, diffuses immediate conflict and keeps both his detractors and supporters thinking. Sixteenth-century Saxony was no different, either. Himself at the vortex of the Protestant Reformation and all of the socio-political intrigue that ensued, Martin Luther regularly demonstrated comparable savvy when navigating the treacherous confluence of ecclesial and political power so common at the dawn of modernity. So for the sake of presenting some thoughts on how Luther might advise Christians to handle thorny issues in our own time and place (the 21st-century United States), we’re going to spend a few hundred words going over his early treatise, “Temporal Authority: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed” (1523) and review some of Brother Martin’s thoughts on the relationship between Christian faith and secular power.
I. LUTHER IS BOTH SUSPICIOUS AND HIGHLY CRITICAL OF THOSE WHO WIELD POLITICAL POWER, IN HIS CASE THE SAXON PRINCES. Luther pulls no punches here. Since the princes are the ones in charge of keeping order in our fallen and sinful world, they must by default conform themselves to it by ruling with
force of arms rather than love.1 This means that “they have to do what is antagonistic to God and agreeable to the world,” and hence are always prone to “rage and mock at the gospel.”2 At this point in his career, too, Luther is particularly incensed by princes who had begun confiscating both Bible translations and copies of his writings in response to pressure from the Holy Roman Emperor.3 In doing so, he continues, these princes “presumptuously set themselves in God’s place, lording it over men’s consciences and faith, and schooling the Holy Spirit according to their own crackbrained ideas.”4 It is bad enough that such men are even in power, Luther says, but it is even worse that such “scoundrels” continue to be called “Christian princes” and “gracious lords” even though they actively “(fleece) the poor” and “(vent) their spite on the word of God.”5 Luther didn’t necessarily begrudge political leaders and servants of the state for their work, as he also understood that maintaining order—especially when it came to restraining the worst acts of the unrighteous and wicked—would always be a brutish task.6 But Luther almost gleefully reminds the reader of an old German proverb that “a prince is a rare prize in heaven,” and hence they are never to be seen as models of morality and goodness— their job virtually guarantees they’re incapable of it.7
II. LEGISLATING MORALITY. Luther thought it was a horrible idea, though the reasons might surprise you. In the United States, there are frequent discussions about how much political leaders may use their power to advance their religious beliefs and how much religious leaders may use their pulpits to advance their political beliefs. Luther expressed this conundrum as “worldly princes (political leaders) rul(ing) in a spiritual way and spiritual princes (religious leaders) rul(ing) in a worldly way,” and for him it was deeply problematic.8 Simply put, when the political and spiritual leaders mix these duties, they both end up giving the impression that worldly citizenship and heavenly citizenship are attainable by the same means—by 5
what we do or don’t do—instead of by faith.9 Temporal government in its proper place, Luther writes, “has laws which extend no further than to life and property and external affairs on earth,” but never the soul—so the state needs to leave such private matters of faith to the individual believers and God.10 These may seem second nature to us now, living in a country where the division between Church and State is a regular topic of debate, but Luther’s reasons for the separation are different from what we usually hear in 21st-century United States discourse. Because for Luther, demarcating distinct spheres of influence for the church and the government has little to do with power and influence—the basis for much contemporary debate on the subject—and everything to do with people’s eternal souls. In this treatise, Luther writes that every time the state tries to enact moral/spiritual choices into law, it “compels weak consciences to lie, to disavow and utter what is not in their hearts...thereby loading themselves with dreadful, alien Sins.”11 So when “temporal authority...presumes to prescribe laws for the soul,” it “encroaches upon God’s government,” and puts at risk of sin and condemnation those it purports to govern and save, as well as those who run the government itself.12 So the idea of enacting secular laws “to coerce the people…into believing this or that” not only doesn’t truly help people to become better Christians or model citizens, it instead “driv(es) people to eternal death.”13 How then are people to be taught to lead more attentive, moral lives? Sola scriptura – Scripture alone. Since political leaders and the laws they enact, as Luther so bluntly notes earlier in the treatise, are incapable of “show(ing)…the way to heaven,” humanity must then lean on the only truly reliable way to do so—God and, more specifically, the hearing and study of Scripture.14 What’s more, once such faith makes someone a “real Christian”—someone so connected to the Holy Spirit that it “makes them do injustice to no one, to love everyone”—such
a citizen is utterly incapable of doing wrong to anyone at all, and of their own “loving accord (does) all and more than the law demands.”15 How? Luther leans on Paul in Romans 12:10 to spell this out—“Each shall consider the other his superior”—and, similarly, 1 Peter 5:5—“All of you be subject to one another.”16 In such an arrangement, then, where fellow Christians consistently see each other as their fellow “superior,” with only Christ himself as the truest “superior” of all, by doing so, they are both supremely under each other’s authority and an authority over each other—or as Luther had so famously stated earlier: “A Christian is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to all.”17 Consequently, in a society composed of such people there is “no need for benefits from prince, king, lord, sword or law,” making all legal, criminal or civic enforcement completely useless and unnecessary.18 Now of course Luther is very aware that forming a government which presumes its citizens would behave in such a loving and open manner would be disastrous—the government and its leaders are “like a shepherd who should put together in one fold wolves, lions, eagles and sheep, and let them mingle freely with one another.”19 Since the wicked always outnumber the good, Luther continues, humanity will always need “those who arrest, prosecute, execute and destroy (them),” and to govern a populace without such needs in mind is terribly naïve and irresponsible.20 However, it is worth noting that despite his own persecution at the hands of the Holy Roman emperor and sometimes fraught relationships with the secular powers of his day, Luther clearly believes that on some level it is at least possible for human beings to live together in harmony, via the power of the Holy Spirit through the hearing and reading of God’s Word—and that we should never forget that.
III. CHRISTIAN ADVOCACY “Since a true Christian lives and labors on earth not for (them)self alone but for (their) Timothy E. Lull, editor “Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings.” Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1989. 694. 2 Ibid., 687. 3 Ibid., 658. 4 Ibid. 5 “Luther Writings,” 658. 6 “Luther Writings,” 664. 7 Ibid., 694. 8 Ibid., 690. 9 Ibid., 680. 1
neighbor, (they do) by the very nature of (their) spirit even what (they themselves have) no need of, but (is) needful and useful to (their) neighbor.” 21 Luther leaves no doubt—Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves might bear its first fruit in individual responsibility and relationships, but its full harvest takes root and sprouts and grows when this love expands so abundantly that we eagerly seek to carry our neighbor’s burdens and struggles on their behalf. As mentioned before, Luther believed that since true Christians have the Holy Spirit in them, they should be able to settle problems without the intervention of external authority.22 “On behalf of others,” however, these same Christians are to “seek vengeance, justice, protection and help and do as much as (they) can to achieve it.”23 We are even, in fact, “under obligation” to do so.24 Luther even goes so far as to say that though true Christians are to eschew leaning on secular governance—either out of suspicion of its corruption or ambivalence towards its supposed benefits—still yet at times we must “serve the governing authority…for the sake of others,” willfully engaging in the often fraught work with secular power so “that (others) may be protected and that the wicked may not become worse.” 25 Therefore, if your neighbor is a victim of racism, though you yourself may not be, Christian love dictates that you must act on their behalf “as much as you can” to fight the systemic sin which they have suffered. Similarly, if a coworker is being harassed because of their sexuality and gender, even if you yourself are no such victim, Christian love dictates that you must act on their behalf, so that “(they) may have peace and that (their) enemy may be curbed.” 26 Don’t like corrupt politicians and their abuses? Then along with protesting and agitating for their removal, consider initiating or supporting a political campaign for another to take their place, or take their place yourself. Simply abstaining from wicked acts Ibid., 679. Ibid., 682. 12 Ibid., 679. 13 Ibid. 14 “Luther Writings,” 680. 15 Ibid., 663. 16 Ibid., 691, 665. 17 Martin Luther, Timothy Lull editor, “The Freedom of a Christian,” 1520. Minneapolis, MN; Fortress Press. 2016. 18 “Luther Writings,” 661.
is one thing, but actively taking upon mantles of great responsibility –even reluctantly so—is a profound example of Christian love and witness, and when an individual believer (let alone a community of believers) takes up such burdens, it is impossible that God won’t respond with guidance and power to your every decision and deed.
IV. FINAL THOUGHTS But what is particularly heartening about Luther’s musings in this early treatise is the simple fact that—for the budding reformer, academic and pastor—there really wasn’t such a thing as “neutral ground.” If your neighbor was under duress, Christ’s command to love your neighbor as yourself meant you had to help them. If your community lives in fear—and this is doubly so for those of us who profess to be leaders in the church—it is a denial of the gospel to let that fear run amok. And though not all of us may have the physical, psychological or financial resilience to run a political campaign, march for days in summer heat or confront abusive supervisors and employers, still, during such times the Holy Spirit will prompt us as to how we might help—and when that moment comes, we must respond.
Francisco Herrera studied classical music in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri and then Geneva, Switzerland. After feeling the call to ministry, he returned to the US to enter seminary, completing his M.Div. from Chicago Theological Seminary. Since beginning his Ph.D studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), he has also been developing his skills as a seminary instructor, both at LSTC and the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest. And when he isn’t doing any of those things, polymath and scatterbrain that he is, Francisco likes to write worship and devotional music, blogs at www.loveasrevolution.blogspot.com, tweets at @ PolyglotEvangel, and travels the country as one of the central leaders of #decolonizeLutheranism.
Ibid., 666. Ibid., 677. 21 Ibid., 669. 22 “Luther Writings,” 669. 23 Ibid., 675. 24 “Luther Writings,” 671 25 Ibid., 668. 26 Ibid., 669.
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FALL 2018
THE CHURCH IS THE CURRICULUM: ACTIVATING YOUTH AND CHILDREN TO THE CAUSE OF JUSTICE by Chris Finke In August 2017 a housing complex opened in a suburb just southwest of Minneapolis. The event itself—new apartments in a rapidly growing metro area—is unremarkable. What is remarkable is that this building was built for homeless young adults. What is surprising is that this project opened in Edina, Minnesota, a well-to-do suburb disinclined to build low-income housing. What is inspiring is that this building became a reality because of the tireless activism of kids—specifically, the kids of Edina Community Lutheran Church. The opening of the 66 West Apartments project represents a seven-year commitment from Edina Community Lutheran’s children, youth and adults. That cross-generational effort follows the model of the church. According to Kelley Rowley, director of Children’s and Family Ministry, Edina Community Lutheran is a place where “educating and engaging (children and youth) in loving and serving our neighbors” is “absolutely relevant” to their work. Such engagement sees results, including political results, as 66 West demonstrates. Scary as it may sound. Politics is everywhere, and as divisive as ever. That division frightens many, and steers many church leaders away from anything that might come with a whiff of the dirty word. Still, churches all over the U.S. are doing political activism. More than 90 percent of congregations, for example, are involved in hunger ministry, according to Lauren Morse-Wendt, deacon, mission and ministry developer at Edina Community Lutheran. Many advocate—in church basements, at city council meetings and at state capitols—on behalf of homelessness, LGBTQ equality, refugee rights and countless other government-funded, justice-oriented issues. Involving children and youth on these issues is not just important, but necessary, according to Edina Community Lutheran. A huge part of forming our faith “is being mindful of the other
and being aware of the oppressed,” Rowley says. “I just can’t imagine doing ministry for children without advocacy.” I recently spoke with Rowley and MorseWendt about their work with children and youth, and how it connects to advocacy and politics in the church setting. Both talked about the deep connection between the baptismal vocation of Christians working toward justice, and how advocating on behalf of justice is, in its purest form, the very definition of Church. This conversation has been lightly edited. Connect Journal: Tell me how you think about advocacy and how advocacy is wrapped up with concepts like mission and justice. Lauren Morse-Wendt: In our congregation, we believe that God is calling people into real and transformational relationship in the world. We believe there is five different ways to engage in that. So for each issue we take on, we pray on, give to, learn about, serve with and advocate for. We believe that advocacy is an essential part of transformational relationships. Kelley Rowley: We come at everything we do as a whole church. So kids, youth and families are part of all the different forms of being a church in the world. And obviously service is a big part of that. CJ: Is there a theological background you refer to specifically regarding the kind of work you do with kids in these areas? KR: I bring everything back to our baptismal vocation and the promises we make together as a congregation to have them be a part of our community, to be among us. The theology of children is not only should children be part of us, but that because of their spirituality and the things they don’t have to unlearn, that actually becoming like a child is something 7
that we’re called to do. So doing all these things together—advocacy and serving and caring for our neighbor—is the result of our baptismal promises. I think it’s a fulfilment of those promises when we love and serve our neighbor. CJ: Do you see this as political work? LMW: We hear more and more that people are not interested in church because church feels irrelevant; the church isn’t talking about what people are actually dealing with. And the reason that people get involved in advocacy is because these are issues that people care about. You’re dealing with issues of hunger because you’re concerned about people in your neighborhood or around the world that are starving. Or you’re concerned about the lack of funding for mental health issues because a loved one suffers from mental illness. Or you’re concerned about marriage equality because you’re a gay or lesbian person and you want to get married. CJ: How do you frame the idea of politics inside of your church? LMW: If the church isn’t talking about them and engaging in them, then I think there’s a disconnect between what we’re called to do as a church. CJ: How do you measure success in this work? KR: I’m all about creating space for questions. And one of the main ones being who is my neighbor and how do I love my neighbor? I think that success just comes from living differently because of who we are and being involved in all kinds of different ways, loving and serving our neighbor. LMW: Ultimately success is overcoming the lie that our culture tells us, that it’s all about you. Christ tells us that it’s not—that it’s about something bigger. And being involved in advocacy and using your voice takes intentionality,
and part of the church’s role is to teach that from a young age. KR: Children are told all the time that they don’t have power, and I want my children to know they have power, and they have a voice, and they need to use it for good. There’s too many ways that the world is shutting that down. We provide opportunities in the church to empower kids to use that voice. CJ: “Politics”—just the word, the concept is becoming more acidic—is becoming more divisive. There’s a notion that all life is now politics. How do you navigate that in this moment in time? LMW: I try to steer people away from political language. Because what we’re doing is deeper than that. What we’re called to is justice work. And I think talking about it as politics limits people and gives them an excuse not to be involved because politics is somehow looked down upon in our culture. We are called to engage in issues of justice whether that is changing hunger policies or housing funding, education—these are natural fits for congregations. KR: We are called to justice and mercy and to walk humbly. I don’t use the word “politics” much either. But you can’t just eliminate a big part of reality because it comes with this word “politics” attached to it. CJ: Talk about intergenerational ministry—how and what it means for young people to work with older generations. LMW: In the same way that we worship as one with all the ages together, and we learn as a community together, then we should serve and advocate together. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke about how the beloved community isn’t about your congregation being nice to one another; the beloved community is about going out into the world and upending in justice, breaking down all barriers, and I would say that generation barriers is one of those. CJ: We can do that, but the question is still, why should we do that? Why should people work in cross-generational communities?
KR: Our neighbors are people of different generations, people of different cultures. If we’re living and working in silos, it’s not realistic to the message we’re trying to teach—that we together are the church, that we together are a beloved community. CJ: How does the work you’re doing as a congregation in service and advocacy benefit the congregation itself? What are the benefits to the people doing the work? KR: I’d say we’re fulfilling our baptismal promise with this work. I begin everything with baptism. Faith formation is a lifelong thing, and in doing this work, we’re fulfilling our baptismal promise. That’s what we believe this work is all about. LMW: To respond to the question in a very practical way, people are looking for congregations that are not afraid to use their voice and power for good in the world. Our congregation has doubled in size in the last decade. Many of the people that visit and join are doing so because they’re looking for a church that actually cares about Jesus’ mandate toward social justice. CJ: We have elections coming up. Working in advocacy, and working around what has become or always been political issues, is there some way that work directly relates to your work with children, youth and adults to the direct line of politics? LMW: As a congregation we’re very clear that we advocate for issues, not for candidates. We would never address the specific candidates who are running, beyond encouraging people to do their civic duty and vote in general. CJ: What advice would you give to other churches who are not doing this work, or are but aren’t thinking of it in terms of politics/advocacy, etc. KR: It’s a response to God’s love for us that we love one another. I would encourage churches to do that because I can’t imagine doing it any other way. LMW: I would encourage congregations that are hesitant to begin with low-hanging fruit. What is a non-controversial issue in your 8
congregation, and who are the community partners you’re already working with? If your congregation has a high value around ensuring that all people are fed and are already working with the local food shelf, then bring in the local food shelf and ask them to talk about what they need from the government in order to succeed. Almost certainly you will hear that over 80 percent of their budget is government funding that is constantly threatened with being cut. If hunger is a non-controversial issue, your people will be way more likely to pick up the phone and call the state legislature collectively, and you’ll be much freer to preach about that issue than perhaps an issue that you’re not otherwise talking about and not already partnered with a local ministry about. KR: I think most churches are involved in issues of charity. But I think that charity without justice is pretty cheap. I think it’s a pretty awesome gift you can give your congregation if you get them involved in both charity and justice. LMW: Advocacy doesn’t have to be getting on an airplane and going to Washington D.C. It can be partnering with your local Lutheran Social Services office to do a petition one Sunday after church. No one is forced to sign a petition that they might not agree with. But we certainly have other issues we are not of one mind in, in any congregation. Just because you’re preaching about a particular policy doesn’t mean everyone has to agree with the letter of the law.
Chris Finke is a reporter living in St. Paul, Minnesota.
FALL 2018
BIBLE STUDY: MICAH 6:8—DO JUSTICE by Mindy Makant
INTRODUCING JUSTICE Divide participants into groups of two or three. Give each group a piece of white paper and markers. Give them two minutes to work together and come up with a definition for “justice” that uses exactly 23 words. When the two minutes is up, ask if any group was able to come up with a 23-word definition. Invite those groups to share their definition(s) first. Then have each group share their definitions regardless of word count. Discuss the definitions: • What are some common themes? • What does your group think “justice” means? • What are some similarities and differences among the definitions?
BACKGROUND ON MICAH Micah is a prophet who speaks to people on behalf of God. The book of Micah is a mixture of judgment and of promise. God’s judgment is against those who take advantage of the poor and the vulnerable. And God’s promise is for a day when God’s kingdom will come and there will be peace and justice for all. It is in this setting that God tells Israel— again—exactly what it is that God expects of God’s people. “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) This is a verse worth putting at the very top of your list of things to memorize! Students often come to me asking a variation of the question—how do I know what God wants me to do with my life? Well, Micah tells us. God wants us to do justice. But what exactly does that mean? The Hebrew word translated “justice” in this passage is “mishpat.” “Mishpat” has a range of meanings. It can mean a judgment (as in a of a judge), something that is right and proper, rendering unto another what is due and also doing that which is right and worthy of being done.
Given the context of Micah and of Micah’s (and God’s!) focus on the ways in which people with more power are mistreating people with less power, one way of understanding what it means to do justice is to work to be in right relationship with others (God, neighbor, world).
JUSTICE = LOVE Find several pictures of “Lady Justice” blindfolded and holding scales. Show them to the group, and talk about them: • What do these images suggest “justice” means or requires? • Why the scales? (Justice is often defined as equality and sameness. But is it? Is it justice to give everyone exactly the same things? What if they have different needs? See what examples people can think of.) • Why the blindfold? (Justice is often understood to be “blind”, that is to not see race or gender or age or socio economic status. But is that possible? Is it just? If justice is how God calls me to be in relationship with my neighbor don’t I need to first see my neighbor?) If justice is about creating and sustaining right relationships, justice is something we do. It cannot be an abstraction, an idea. One of the core beliefs of Christians is that Jesus is the justice of God. This means that we can learn what it means to do justice from Jesus. Invite a volunteer to read Matthew 22:36-40 aloud to the group. The law and the prophets are all summed up by these two simple (but not easy) commandments. Love God. Love neighbor. And just a few chapters later Jesus insists that loving one’s neighbor—especially one’s most vulnerable neighbor—is how we love God! Invite someone to read Matthew 25:31-46. The ask: • What is meant by “the least of these”? (In this passage Jesus tells us that whatever we do to the “least” we do to Jesus. I don’t think that “least” here suggests degrees 9
of divine value. It is not that the poor or the elderly or the young or the sick (groups who were devalued in Jesus’ day) are less than. It is, rather, that in the fallen world we live in—which is still much like the world of Micah—those with more power too often use that power to devalue those with less power.) • Who are the “least” in our communities? (immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, etc.) • How do we identify the “least”? (Who has limited access to power? To goods and services? Who has little or no voice in your community? Whose voices are mocked?) Jesus is not using metaphorical language. He is not exaggerating to make a point. Jesus clearly tells us that the way to love God is to love our most vulnerable neighbors. And justice is how we love our neighbors. Especially justice for the “least” in our society. Cornel West, an advocate for social justice, has famously said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” So really this is simple (but not easy) math. God commands us to do justice. God commands us to love God and our neighbor. Loving our neighbor is how we love God. Justice is how we love our neighbor. If this math is true, justice cannot be an add-on to love; it is what love looks like, and it is what discipleship looks like. This is why in baptism a promise is made, and when a person is confirmed this promise is re-affirmed “to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.” (ELW 237) So, this leads to a final, critical set of questions: • How might we take seriously that the “least” are Jesus in our midst? • What can we do to love the Jesus that shows up in our midst as “least”? • How is justice always political (which means it is public and not a matter of private feelings)?
Close in prayer by reading one or both of these Prayers for Justice (ELW 79).
throne; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son. Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred that infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and, through our struggle and confusion, work to accomplish your purposes on earth; so that, in your good time, every people and nation may serve you in harmony around your heavenly
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may move every human heart; that the barriers dividing us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease: and that, with our divisions healed, we might live in justice and peace; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We asked people on the ELCA Youth Ministry Network Facebook page to answer this question: During this election season, how will you talk about faith and politics with kids and youth in your ministry?
serves as an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Youth and Family Ministry for Lenoir-Rhyne’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Dr. Makant is actively involved with the North Carolina Synod and the ELCA Youth Ministry. She was a major contributor to the Practice Discipleship Initiative.
beverage, glam things—they have to post the sealed ballots, AND we are “blessing the ballots” on Reformation Sunday. Laura Mauzy Bunch: This is our welcome statement every worship service at Servant’s Table Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma: “We come together as a community to be renewed in both the Word and the Bread. We leave our politics, nationalism and judgments at the door, and open ourselves to the work of Jesus. All who gather here tonight are welcome: no exceptions. Within this community, we each have a voice regardless of age, gender, sexuality, beliefs, doubts or anything else. It is simple: God loves you, and so do we. As we are transformed by God’s abundant grace, we are reminded that our place in the world is to serve, rather than to be served. So let us leave here tonight transformed and ready to be the hands and feet of God.”
Jacob Simpson: All of the young people in my congregation are non-white. So I’m making sure they know their personhood is affirmed and valued by God, if it is not by their government. Susan Williams: The two greatest commandments: love God and love your neighbor! All other verses that people quote from the Bible should be informed by this! Chris Duckworth: In my first call for a CYF position, I was asked if my politics informs my faith. I responded that (I hope!) my faith informs my politics. Paula Brue-Hasty: We’ve talked intimately about how fear is a liar and drives people to lack trust in our powerful God! Sometimes we fear others who are not like us. It’s natural, but we need to work against that force and allow God to mold our hearts to reach all people. We can’t do that if we build walls, use name-calling and let fear be our driver. We need to “pull over” and allow God to drive. And we need to remind ourselves that if we err, let it be on the side of grace. Kathy Fisher: I just want eligible kids to VOTE. So, I’m following #glamupthemidterms (thank you Billy Eichner) and offering Voting Kits for those hosting a “fill out your ballot party.” (We vote by mail in Washington.) Sparkly
Dr. Minday Makant
Colin David Pilkington: The crossroads of faith and politics is a tricky one. We encourage our students to love our neighbors as Jesus called us to, regardless of how they vote. I do encourage my students to follow Jesus’ example when it comes to making their decisions, and how in today’s world, Jesus would be at the forefront of protests against injustices. It becomes a balancing act of loving your neighbor when your neighbor may hate your guts.
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FALL 2018
RENEW
Come, be fed. Gather in worship and at the table. Be nourished through music, inspiring speakers, and each other. Take time for prayer, rest, play and holy laughter. Experience the disruptive love and grace of God through renewal.
Main Event: January 25-28,
EDUCATE
Come, be equipped. We bring together experts, practitioners, and draw upon the collective wisdom of you, the Network. Large group sessions feature keynote speakers that challenge, inspire, and speak to your heart. Workshops give you the nuts and bolts of ministry, “take-aways” you can start using the next week, and new ways of thinking about your ministry. Experience the disruptive nudging of the Holy Spirit moving you forward in ministry.
Intensive Care Courses: January 24-25 Hyatt Regency Jacksonville, Florida
Register now at: ext19.org
CONNECT
Come, be connected. We are not meant to do ministry alone. There is a dynamic, vibrant community of colleagues who share in the same struggles and joys that you do. Some of the most powerful moments at the Extravaganza happen not in the formal sessions, but in the lounge areas and restaurants of the hotel, as you sit across the from someone with the same job description and ask: “So what works for you?”, “What brings you joy?” Experience the disruptive joy of new and renewed friends in ministry connected through Christ.
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INTERVIEW WITH RACHEL ALLEY, PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR YOUTH MINISTRY OF THE ELCA by Bunmi Ishola Over the last 25 years, Rachel Alley has worked at three different congregations—small, medium and large—as well as within the Southeastern Synod. Most of her roles have involved working with youth and young adults, which she believes has helped prepare her for her new role as the program director for youth ministry at the ELCA churchwide office. This conversation has been lightly edited. Connect Journal: You just finished organizing your first event as the youth ministry director. How did it go? Rachel Alley: Yeah, the Youth Corps Leaders Team just met in August. I actually have been serving as an adult volunteer for the past two years on the team, and so now I’m kind of in charge of it. We had a planning meeting to get ready for the Youth Leadership Summit in November. It was four adults and 12 kids from all across the country (chosen by an application process every year for a two-year term). And they spent the weekend doing detailed planning work—creating PowerPoints, writing devotionals, writing their scripts. It just was a really powerful weekend for them. There was some bonding time and some fun, like swimming and canoeing, but also a lot of work went into developing this event that’s going to be happening in November. CJ: Shifting from a volunteer to a director role, were there any things you want to change for youth programs in the future? RA: I really want to see more opportunities for these kids to be able to speak with their bishops and other bishops about issues going on. My hope is to figure out a way that they can easily get their questions asked and their concerns heard. And we’re actually working right now on getting all of (the Youth Corps Leaders’) pictures
put up on the ELCA Youth Ministry website, as well as an email for them, so that bishops or anyone can reach out to them. CJ: What are some of the projects you’re working on and hoping to accomplish in your new role? RA: I’m working on creating some models of leadership camps for synods to be able to use. Our church is desperately in need of strong leaders, and we’ve had a really good experience in the Southeastern Synod equipping leaders through our discipleship and leadership camps. There are other synods that are doing that as well, but I’m thinking that every synod could do camps for equipping leaders and discernment. I’m pulling together a group of folks that either work with service camps, or similar discipleship and leadership camps and potentially mission camps, that have a history of doing well. And we’re going to come up with best practices and create different models for synods to be able to use. I think sometimes synods don’t do anything because they don’t know where to start. We know that faith formation does not just happen in congregations. It happens at camps, it happens in campus ministry, it happens in weekend events. So, to be able to give models to our synods will be really helpful. CJ: What other initiatives do you hope to see grow within ELCA communities? RA: I’m hoping that we can bring back, or create, some more faith formation resources for congregations. We already have a great one that details what should be accomplished at each level (life stage group). But I’d like to be able to create some more resources. I think our congregations are struggling with getting families to come to church on Sunday mornings and getting them to be super involved like they used to be 30 or 40 years ago. So, what do we need to do to help our kids and our families grow in their faith? I think we assume that our congregations are doing the work, but they’re not as well as they can. There are some that are certainly 12
fabulous, but there are others that are really struggling. A number of years ago, churchwide decided to get rid of all of the faith formation positions, and I think we really lost track of how important those positions were to the church and to the congregations—especially in regards with providing resources. So my hope is that I can get back into that. I want to help move us forward into today’s world and today’s culture where we are so busy. I want to be able to work with others to help create resources that help congregations answer the question, “What does faith formation look like today?” CJ: What ideals guide these resources you hope to create? RA: Something that is really important to me is just welcoming all. And so, making sure that what we (the church) do is welcoming to the LGBTQ community, to our diverse communities—that’s important to me. Over the years, because of my experience, I’ve seen kids who have struggled and have had pain created by the church, and so I’m hoping that perhaps I can create a culture that is more welcoming to all. CJ: What message do you have for the ELCA synods and congregations about the need for youth ministry and the value of investing in our youth? RA: Everyone in a congregation should be involved in youth ministry in one way or another. It’s important that all adults are available and authentic and affirming to our kids. That’s been a mantra of mine forever and ever because sometimes, different generations think that because they aren’t young, or they don’t have youth themselves, they’re not important. But that’s definitely not the case at all. In fact, it’s more important that all generations are working with our kids. My hope and dream also is that every synod sees that youth ministry is so important, and that growing the faith of our young people is so important that they would have a staff person dedicated to youth ministry. Whether I can inspire that to happen or not, I don’t
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know, but I’m making that effort to reach out to each synod, find out who the person is that is involved in youth ministry in that synod—the number-one volunteer or the paid staff person—and really begin to help build the SYMBOL (Synod Youth Ministry Band of Leaders) network that we already have, and help them be even better and strong.
are serving, if they are a nurse or if they are a school teacher, they are still called by God to serve in this world in other ways. And we can’t do it alone just in youth ministry, but we have to pass them onto campus ministry or camps or whatever the next step may be.
It is really important to me to not only work with our churchwide staff in the different areas of faith formation, but I want to make sure that I am connecting with our synods and congregations. Passing on the faith is really important, and it is important that we are intentionally showing kids what’s next. When youth are finished with youth ministry, there’s campus ministry, there’s camps, there is discernment events and potentially seminary. I don’t think we do a really good job of helping our youth get to the next step and find their vocation. And that’s very, very important to me. No matter whether they
RA: Can I share my favorite Bible verse? Which is Jeremiah 29:11. For me, it is important to help our young people see that and to know that God is in control and the He has plans for us, for our future. And they need to have some peace rather than trying to be the best and make the highest scores and all that kind of stuff. So that Bible verse has always been important for me, but especially now as I see the stresses related to this latest generation. Helping them know that God is present with them in their lives and to give them some hope, that’s really important.
CJ: Any last thoughts?
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Bunmi Ishola recently relocated to Aurora, IL, where she works as an editorial assistant for an independent book publisher.
MODERN YOUTH ACTIVISM: 10 INSIGHTS FROM A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR Allison Breen, a 17-year-old senior at Southwest High School in Minneapolis, has a surprisingly attuned perspective when it comes to activism. She’s faced down police, argued the importance of direct action with fellow congregants at her Lutheran church and found a way to keep her mind healthy along the way. In taking to the streets, she’s not alone. Breen is a part of Generation Z, Americans born between 1998 and 2014. Breen talks about activism and social justice as a commonplace part of her daily life. That kind of values-driven existence is common among Gen Z, according to a report titled “Generation Nation” (collaborata.com/projects/198). Gen Z is the most diverse generation born in the U.S.—across racial lines, LGBTQ lines and economics. They’re also more socially active than anyone could have predicted. They’ve been called “Millennials on Steroids” by “Business Insider” and described by “Washington’s Top News” as a group “interested in being a driving force for change.” During a recent hour-long phone call, I couldn’t keep my admiration of Breen from showing. Below, I’ve distilled or conversation into 10 key elements of being an activist in America in 2018. We all have something to learn from young people like Allison Breen.
1. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. When it comes to the taxing nature of American politics and culture, it’s not just adults who are paying the price. Research has shown that young Americans are finding themselves fighting for wellness on multiple fronts. In the two years since the 2016 election, according the public research site “The Conversation,” “The majority of (14-24-year-olds) were experiencing, and continue to experience, physical or emotional distress in the current political
climate.” Emotional distress, eating disorders, insomnia, anxiety and depression are all on the rise among young people. Taking care of yourself is always beneficial, but it’s especially important for people who are engaging in political action. Breen, who takes anxiety medication, also sees a therapist to help her cope. Seeing her therapist has helped her “learn a lot more about my personal values,” Breen says. It also keeps her safe, as she has gained tools for “assessing those situations” that might bring personal or relational costs.
2. LEARN FROM YOUR ELDERS (YES, EVEN YOUR PARENTS). There’s no better model for a child than her parents, and Breen talks fondly about the work her mother has done to bring her up in a family that was aware of their status. Instead of rebelling, Breen took the tutelage into her own life and let it carry her activism. “My mom has worked on her journey of understanding white privilege while I was growing up,” Breen says. Those family values came as a result of her mother’s own persistence. In college Breen’s mom learned what many in the 90s were taught—that the best way to see the world is through a colorblind view. “And it’s been as I’ve been growing up that she’s been realizing how systematically incorrect that is, and how that only works for white people,” Breen explains. Understanding white privilege, and learning to reject it, is no small task. But with a willingness to model her mother’s work, Breen says, “We’ve all been benefitting from learning about our part in society.”
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by Chris Finke
3. LEARN FROM THE YOUNG ONES. Youth, listen to your elders. But as vital is the opposite: Elders, be willing to listen to the young people in your life. This is something that Breen found surprising when she returned from Standing Rock, South Dakota, where she had gone to protest with the water protectors during their standoff with the federal government. Breen speaks passionately about sharing her story, and reports that when she returned to her church, she found “people that hadn’t heard of Standing Rock. Seeing people who didn’t know where I’d been or what was going on.” She shared her story, both in forums and interpersonally, only to find that many refused to believe what she had seen. “It’s difficult to believe that the government you’ve been raised to support—and you’ve been told is here to protect us—is not, that it’s not here to protect us,” she says. But people, especially adults, listened, and they learned. “It was eye-opening to see how shook people were by this. People were not realizing what was going on, seeing people be like, oh my gosh I grew up in the town next door, I grew up right were this pipeline is being built, right were this violence is occurring, and I had no idea.” Being a part of that process was “crazy,” Breen says. “People were taking that first step on realizing that when we as white people are not educating ourselves and learning about this, we are a part of the issue.”
4. EDUCATE YOURSELF. Among the issues that activates Breen is the Black Lives Matter movement. Being in a diverse high school in South Minneapolis has provided Breen with numerous opportunities to learn from others. One outlet for such improvement is a student-led organizing group
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called Educate Yourself. Led by people of color, Educate Yourself gives students a chance to learn local, national and global issues faced by people of color. Another learning experience is just paying attention. Breen says she became aware of the importance of Black Lives Matter after a series of shootings that took place in Minneapolis in the span of a few years. “It keeps happening,” Breen says, referring to the shooting deaths of Jamar Clark, Philando Castile and Justine Damond. All three were fatally shot by police in the Twin Cities in the span of about 20 months. “It doesn’t keep happening in our world, but it keeps happening in our backyard.” Learning of these shootings left Breen no choice but to “throw herself” into the movement.
5. KNOW YOUR HISTORY. While noting the systemic police violence that recurs regularly against black lives, Breen also points to the historic roots of police violence. The modern police system, Breen says, “was actually begun as a system to catch runaway slaves.” Her history is not wrong. While the concept of street-based law enforcement has existed since Roman constables, the American police force as we know it is a relatively recent creation. Prior to organized police forces, American cities and towns relied on night watch volunteers. It wasn’t until 1838 in Boston, Massachusetts that the first publicly funded, municipal police force came to exist, according to Olivia Waxman (time.com/4779112/policehistory-origins). Throughout the country, the protection of the slave economy drove militias to become organized as law enforcement. “Some of the primary policing institutions were the slave patrols,” Waxman writes. During the Civil War, the military took over the role of catching runaway slaves and putting down slave revolts. “During reconstruction, many local sheriffs functioned in a way analogous to earlier slave patrols, enforcing segregation and the disenfranchisement of free slaves.”
Knowing this kind of history, like Breen does, helps activists understand that the problem is never one bad apple, but a rotten tree with roots underlying an entire system of oppression.
6. BE BRAVE. Activism, it must be said, can be scary. Breen, her mother and her sister learned that first-hand when they joined the protests at Standing Rock. Breen told me the story of her time in South Dakota. Her family engaged in a direct action, walking with the Native peoples and allies who had joined for peaceful resistance to the government. “We stood hand-inhand with signs reading ‘Water is Life,’ ‘We are the Protectors,’ and we stood facing this line of militarized police that…it was terrifying.” Breen says the police had weapons pointed at the line of protesters, wearing SWAT gear. “We were saying, ‘We come in peace; we’re here to protect this water, not just for our children but for your children too.’” “As white people,” Breen says, “we’ve never been treated by police like that.” She says all three were in tears at one point, as an officer pointed a rifle directly at her sister. In the end, Breen says that her family was not arrested, despite an arrest rate of approximately 80 percent at that particular action. “I believe it was because we are white.”
7. INTERROGATE YOUR PRIVILEGE. Every white person in America has privilege. Whether or not we want to claim it, it’s there. And recognizing it is one of the first steps to musing it for good. Breen, who lives in South Minneapolis and attends an upper-class Lutheran church is more than willing to own her privilege. She belongs to a “white, highly educated, wealthy congregation,” she says. “And we have immense privilege.” Breen says she feels her privilege acutely when she’s at her church, but finds that experience itself helpful, as it tunes her into just how much privilege she wields. 15
8. ENGAGE WITH THOSE YOU DISAGREE. If Breen’s church provides her with a lens to reflect on privilege, it also keeps her sharp regarding her motives. According to Breen, her church is a place where people feel free to “show disagreement, if they don’t see eye to eye.” She prizes that openness, which is getting increasingly rare in America. More and more, citizens of the U.S. are shutting themselves into bubbles with like-minded peers. According to “The Atlantic,” “White Americans have 90 times more white friends than black, Asian or Hispanic friends.” That trend follows other metrics, including political, economic and employment demographics. We want to be with those who are like us, but the consequences are “blind spots” that keep us ignorant of realworld experiences common to people of color, immigrants and the poor. But Breen sees her time with ideological opponents as a benefit to her activism. Having to defend her actions keeps her sharp, she says, “because I have to articulate why I’m walking with the people I’m walking with.”
9. ACCEPT THE COSTS OF SPEAKING OUT. For Breen, the costs of her activism remain relatively small, a fact that she is willing to acknowledge. “When I was a freshman in high school it made me really nervous to walk out with school because I was always really nervous I was going to miss something in class, I was going to miss an assignment or pop quiz.” But for many activists, the costs can be real. Most commonly, protesters are subject to arrests, which, depending on your economic status, race, sexual orientation and other factors, can have lifelong lasting impacts. Mass arrests at direction actions are common, and becoming more so, as large-scale marches like the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. galvanize tens or hundreds of thousands of
individuals to take to the streets. Dozens, sometimes hundreds of protesters are regularly arrested in the U.S. during a single action. But avoiding arrest is not a threat meant to belittle the consequences of student activists like Breen. For some students, missing classes, missing tests, can have a detrimental effect on grades, college admissions and other nearterm plans. Whatever the costs, it’s important to make a fair, honest assessment. “I’ve just started realizing—what do I value more?” Breen asks. “Do I value this possible pop quiz that’s going to take my A-minus to a B? How important is that grade to me? I’ve been able to learn a lot more about my personal values and how to assess those situations.”
10. BE ROOTED IN YOUR VALUES.
Chris Finke is a reporter living in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Perhaps more than any other lesson to be learned from this young activist is simply this: Believe in something and in what you’re doing. “I see a lot of activists in Minneapolis and around the world who have their activism rooted in their faith,” says Breen. “I don’t know if I’d be able to get up in the morning if I thought all the cynical thoughts of humankind.” “I know it’s so cheesy but sometimes my mom will say, ‘What would Jesus do?’, and I really think he’d be walking next to us in the streets.”
3RD TUESDAY CONVERSATION: THE PODCAST 3rdTuesday Conversations are monthly podcasts, produced by the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. 3TC provides opportunities to: • take a break from the daily routine of ministry and grow in our vocation • learn from colleagues and experts in the field • participate in conversation with peers who can reflect on ministry, based on the content discussed 3rd Tuesday Conversations are open to all.
Learn more at elcaymnet.org/3tc 16
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To unpack the relationship between college students, campus ministries and local congregations, one need only ask about food. Everyone in campus ministries will tell you: Food is a big deal. Free food works like Pavlov’s bell. If you cook it, they will come. But not always for the same reason. Ask a minister working on campus, and they’ll tell you that students are looking for a place of their own. Out of the house for the first time, they’re solely responsible for their time: getting to class, getting their work done and fulfilling their educational and physical needs. During those first years on your own, even the most basic needs, like feeding your hunger, can be overwhelming. Come to the local ELCA campus church, and you’ll find food meeting all of students’ needs. Often this food is literal: We all have to eat. But in the words of campus ministers, the food they serve is just as often metaphorical. Sometimes it’s both. Whether it’s for fun or service, feeding yourself or another, the measure of campus ministry can be extrapolated from how they talk about food.
FOOD, SHELTER, AND A SENSE OF BELONGING Among the student body of the University of Florida, 10 percent suffer from food insecurity. “That’s a huge number,” says Sharon O’Brien, diaconal minister of the University Evangelical Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Florida. The problem is not just students. “We have staff that are hungry too,” O’Brien says. “The minimum wage is high, but the cost of living is higher.” Food insecurity is a growing problem on America’s campuses. The inability to secure a reliable source of nutrition leaves students struggling “to reach milestones, such as yearto-year persistence and certificate or degree completion,” according to recent Higher Ed research. As a result, these students “need additional institutional support to continue their studies.” National data on the number of students going hungry is difficult to gather, in
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part because self-reporting food insecurity comes with stigma and shame, according to the Washington Post.
wiggle their way over like monsters.” This is how Pastor Scott Maxwell-Doherty described the event, anyway.
The monsters he mentioned were Cal LuThe problem was only noticed at the univerNow experience ELCA Youth Ministry Network anytime, theran students, drawn to the scene by the sity level in recent years. O’Brien noted that anywhere . . .renew your faith…experience powerful edufamous In-N-Out Burger. “The overwhelming “UF only discovered in the last few years that cation opportunities wherever you Who’s are, and connect with question was: doing this, why are you students were being affected academically who share ministry. doingjoys this,and and struggles does it costinme anything?” because they were hungry.peers ” To address the the same Turns out it didn’t cost anything; Lord of Life problem the school created Fork and Field just putting out free burgers. “We food pantry, which provides healthy food and Yes, put all this at yourwas fingertips--with the state of the artknow food brings young people to the table, ” Pastor education to all Gators “about how to make app for your iPhone or iPad. This app is free and gives you Maxwell-Doherty told me during our phone balanced food choices.” The food secuunlimited access to these great features: call. Being a food truck, I knew the table was rity issue is a big one for Lutheran Campus metaphorical. Ministries at UF. They organize food drives Streaming videos of education events--watch and and service opportunities ·with Fork and Field listen from home or anywhere! Instantly access Bringing people to the tablekeynote is a theme of at the 65-year-old University Evangelical talks from past Extravaganzas, webinars ministry from 3rdTuesday Maxwell-Doherty’s this year. Room at Lutheran Church. the Table was Cal Lutheran’s chapelAll theme for Conversations and the Practice Discipleship Initiative. last year, and Pastor Maxwell-Doherty says I spoke with Pastor O’Brien about her work these resources are literally in the palm of your hand! the chapel ministers and speakers have helped on the University of Florida and around the everyone wonder, “How big is the table? How synod’s colleges. And our conversation con· News and Events - stay up to date on Network happeninclusive is it? What do we do when we recogtinually returned to the need to feed hungry events setexclusive?” reminders, get nizeown thatcalendar, it’s become students and staff, thoughings. their Add efforts also to your directions, and share with friends-on the spot! reach into the local community as well. Those were the same questions that wandering hungry students brought to the In-N-Out University Evangelical Lutheran Church · Discover Our Mission, Vision, History, Leadership Burger event. Bring people to the table hosts Family Promise, which allows homeless Teams and More - it’s a “Network Leadership Directory” inwith free burgers, but let them know why you do it. families to live in the church for a week. These your pocket, with leadership roles, bios, and more. Plus all families can use the church’s resources to look “We got to identify as a faith community that the info on the Network’s history, and where we’re going worships every Sunday night and let them for work and meet other basic needs, while together! know they’re always welcome.” campus groups provide meals and make connections with the families. Sometimes, Contact Info - Got Identifying questions?asCall or e-mail directly a faith group isusthe purpose of students will visit with the·families as they these “fun food events, ” Maxwell-Doherty move from church to church around the from the contact page. says. But the point is not to put butts in pews. Gainesville area. “We don’t do these things to build attendance. · Support the Network Easily! - With just two clicks! Attendance might be the result of, but not a Pastor O’Brien was clear that Lutheran CamCompletely secure, you can make gifts or donations to precondition for. We want to do this because pus Ministries at UF goes beyond the reach of support Network simply it’s fun.”and quickly. food drives and serving food to the the homeless. But the reality remained clear: Hunger was Invite Others and Fun, Share - Share effortlessly on simply put,content appears to be one of the the issue. “Make no bones·about it,” O’Brien central goals of campusSMS, ministries and Lord of told me as we wrapped upyour our conversation. favorite social site: Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail. Life on everything, the Cal Lutheran It’s not their “Food is a big issue. You will always stu“Go viral”find with anything and andcampus. help others only effort; issues oriented work drives their dents are interested in a free ” staymeal. connected! ministry as well. For example, this year, a wider HOW BIG IS THE TABLE…AT YOUR ELCA effort to aid Syrian refugees energized Why wait? Downloadcampus. this freeStudents app today in the App packs Storefor created school FOOD TRUCK? and Google Marketplace. children and collected clothing and blankets At the beginning of last semester, Lord of Life, for Syrian refugee families. The charity event the campus church of California Lutheran was an attempt combat the impulse, University, hosted a food truck from In-N-Out Renew, Educate and Connect. Put thetoentire Network in common in the face of global crises, to “throw our Burger. “That smell goes out, and people just
your pocket!
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FALL 2018
LOST AND OUND
RESENTS THE
FESTIVAL
The Reformation Continues
June 16-22, 2019 Wittenberg,Eisleben,Eisenach, Berlin, Leipzig, Torgau, Erfurt Walk in the steps of Martin Luther and learn that Church history can be a whole lot of fun. Bring the family, the youth group, or the whole congregation! Learn, Serve and Celebrate together in Germany.
Get all the details at www.luther500festival.com 19
ELCA Youth Ministry Network 150 Oakwood Lane Owatonna, Mn 55060
TALKING P LITICS 20
