Fall 2011 • $8.95
Journal of Children, Youth & Family Ministry
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On Spider Webs and Lions Unexpected Connections Wilderness Connections And Much More...
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Bring free financial education workshops to your congregation Award-winning information Many of our more than two dozen workshops have been recognized for excellence in financial literacy education (EIFLE) by the Institute for Financial Literacy. • My Retirement Matters (2011) • College Matters (2011) • Identity Theft (2010) • Charitable Giving (2009) • More than Money Matters® (2008)
Our informational workshops are: • Interactive and informal. • Focused on stewardship—managing the resources God has entrusted to our care. • Led at your church by your Thrivent Financial representative. • Offered at no cost or obligation to the congregation or participants. Workshops are available on a range of topics: • Money basics for kids and teens. • Life events (marriage, job change). • Basic money management (debt, credit, saving). • Giving back. • Investment and financial strategies.
The national EIFLE award acknowledges “innovation and quality of financial literacy education.”
To learn more, visit Thrivent.com/findaworkshop or contact your Thrivent Financial representative.
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Publication Information Published by: ELCA Youth Ministry Network www.elcaymnet.org
Table of Contents Welcome! 4
Todd Buegler
On Spider Webs and Lions: Connecting for the Sake of Our Youth
Connected Case Study: Unexpected Connections
RENEW | EDUCATE | CONNECT
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Tom Gustafson
Connected Case Study: Breaking Out of Your Four Walls
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
Contributing Editor: Debbie Sladek
Connect Editorial Board: Chris Bruesehoff, Todd Buegler, Sue Mendenhall, Jeremy Myers, Andy Root, Debbie Sladek, Michael Sladek
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Deb Hutterer
A View From Somewhere Else
Contributing Writers: Mary Kaye Ashley, George Baum, Matthew Bolz-Weber, Cheryl Esposito, Tom Gustafson, Christian Hicks, Deb Hutterer, Jeremy Myers
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Matthew Bolz-Weber
Connected Bible Study
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Christian Hicks
For Your Spirit: Wilderness Connections
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Cheryl Esposito
Connected Case Study: Connectedness
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Mary Kaye Ashley
Connected Case Study: Playing Well With Others
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Jeremy Myers
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George Baum
Calendar of Events
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Future Connect Themes: Ministry of Inclusion (Winter ‘12)
LIFT & Children, Youth & Family Ministry (Spring ‘12)
ELCA Youth Ministry Network Board Julie Miller: Board Member Charlene Rollins: Board Member Linda Staats, AIM: Board Member Yvonne Steindal, AIM: Board Member
Valerie Taylor Samuel: Board Memeber Rev. Larry Wagner: Board Chairperson Rev. Mike Ward: Board Member 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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Welcome! “You don’t play in a vacuum!” This was the cry that our exasperated high school band director would sometimes make when we weren’t playing well together in rehearsal. Apparently we would forget to blend together. We would forget that we weren’t a group of individuals playing our instruments. Our band director’s goal was for us to become more than the sum of our parts. We were to link together our gifts and talents, and play as one. Sometimes I think we do ministry in a vacuum. I think we forget that we are not alone in caring for the lives, the well-being and even the faiths of young people. Flash forward about 25 years. Our community’s “Healthy Community, Healthy Youth” initiative was drawing people within our community together once a month for breakfast. We’d meet early in the morning at a local restaurant, which would donate coffee, orange juice and rolls. It was an open community meeting about the welfare of young people in our community, and how we could make Maple Grove a better place for our kids. Every month we’d have the mayor, members of the city council, the police chief, the park and rec superintendent, pastors, youth ministers, parents, school principals, business owners and others. All gathered together for conversation about our young people. Now I will grant you that not all of these people and organizations share the same mission. But I do believe they share the same goal: to work for good in the lives of young people. And even more, I believe that God works through all of them, whether they know it or not. The world in which God calls us to do ministry is not a vacuum.. It is an eco-system, and it is a place that we connect with others who work with young people. We partner with the city, with other congregations, with the schools...we are not alone in the work we do. As a matter of fact, it might be God’s call to the church to issue the invitation and to host the conversation. God calls us to work together. We can be the ones to initiate that conversation and to begin to partner. This month in Connect we explore how, where and why we partner and connect. God’s blessings!
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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Network News Bites Bringing a group to the Gathering this summer? Be sure to sign up for the “Gathering Sites Bus Tour” to get a handle on where you’ll be bringing your group. Get the lay of the land! Sign up atwww.elcaymnet.org/E2012BusTours.
The Network is partnering with the ELCA Youth Gathering to provide free training webinars for adult youth ministry leaders. There are 7 different titles! And the webinars are recorded and archived. To download and make use of the webinars, go to www.elcaymnet.org/ elcatraining.
Regions 3, 7 and 9 are all electing Regional Facilitators at their regional caucuses at the Extravaganza. RF’s communicate with the members and help to facilitate local networking in their regions. You can make a nomination at www.elcaymnet.org/renominationform
Congratulations to Erik Ullestad and Ben Morris, who were just named to open seats on the Network Board of Directors, and congratulations to Julie Miller, who was appointed to a second term. We’re deeply grateful to Charlene Rollins and Linda Staats, who are completing their terms.
On Spider Webs and Lions: Connecting for the Sake of Our Youth by Jeremy Myers
On Sunday October 2, 2011, Dr. Peter Benson died after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was the president of the Minneapolisbased Search Institute, which has pioneered groundbreaking research in the field of positive youth development. Dr. Benson was a visionary who was more interested in exploring all that is right and good with our kids than all that is bad. One project Dr. Benson is best known for is the 40 Developmental Assets and the subsequent call to entire communities to connect in order to ensure that all of our children have as many of these assets as possible. This article is written in honor of Dr. Benson, his work and his vision that all children would have what they need to thrive. This article is written to call the church out into their communities to make the necessary connections for our children to thrive and have hope.
• we should always be happy • we can fix any problem • we have the right to have what ever we want, and; • we should protect what is ours. This dominant script only leads to fear, anxiety, hoarding and turf wars. As the failure of this dominant script becomes more obvious, we become more anxious. When we become more anxious we tend to circle the wagons and look inward rather than outward. Institutions in this country are circling the wagons and looking inward and our children are suffering because of it. The church has an alternative to this dominant script, according to Brueggemann. It is a story of generosity and hope and honesty about our own brokenness and confusion. This narrative about generosity and hope in the midst of brokenness and confusion is what we call the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel calls us into the world and frees us and empowers us to join together to proclaim and enact this good news. We do this for our children by connecting with all others working on behalf of our children and youth.
The Lion Ain’t Sleepin’ Tonight
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This gospel calls us into the world and frees us and empowers us to join together to proclaim and enact this good news. We do this for our children by
Our children are having the things they need to thrive pulled out from underneath them. Meanwhile in the church, all we seem to be able to do is to wonder why they stop coming after confirmation. If you are at a church that is constantly wondering how to do youth ministry when your “numbers are so low”, then please hear this as a plea to look around you and see all the youth in your neighborhood and community who need you. If you are at a church that has no shortage of young people running through your building, then please hear this as a challenge to engage more deeply in the lives of those youth.
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Many communities across the country are suffering in today’s economy. In St. Paul, Minnesota (where I reside), school budgets are being slashed, public libraries are cutting hours and recreational centers are being closed. My wife and I purchased a home in a strong St. Paul neighborhood based on the neighborhood’s public amenities. Within a few months, the coffee shop changed ownership and teens were no longer allowed to gather there, the recreational center closed and the library was put on the Mayor’s short list to be shuttered. Our young people were losing their public spaces. On top of this, the two elementary schools in the neighborhood are severely under-resourced. This is not only happening in our neighborhood or our city. It is happening across the country.
connecting with all others working on behalf of our children and youth.
Urie Bronfenbrenner was the founder of Head Start. He developed the bioecological systems theory of human development, which basically claims that you cannot fully understand a kid without understanding all of the systems that play a role in her life. That twelve year old girl who drives you crazy every Wednesday evening at confirmation carries with her the weight of a complex web of systems which include her own biological makeup, her family, her school, her parents’ workplace environment, her neighborhood and the overarching cultural expectations of twelve year old girls. We cannot truly proclaim and enact Christ’s good news in her life if we are discon-
Weaving the Web Walter Brueggemann claims that all of our lives are shaped by a dominant script of therapeutic, technological, consumerist militarism that makes us all believe that:
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nected and unaware of all of these systems in which she “lives, moves and has her being” (See Paul’s speech to the areopagus).
Many of you are doing this. The question, “How do you connect and partner with the school districts/school buildings in your community?” was posed on the ELCA Youth Ministry Network’s Facebook page. Neil from Charlotte said, “We have a partnership with the middle school just up the road from the church. Provide a weekly meal for free to the families and then provide clubs for the students and classes for the parents such as ESL, financial planning, etc.” Terri from California said, “We host a Homework Club during the school year that provides after-school homework help to students. Volunteers from our congregation walk the students to the church after school and remain with them to provide homework help and reading assistance.” Ginger from Maryland said they “host a weekly Wake Up Wednesday breakfast for high schoolers and . . . a weekly Safe House for middle schoolers (which includes free tutors).” Honestly, we were expecting a whole page full of responses.
Brueggemann urges us to go about the work of freeing people from the dominant script of anxiety and scarcity by proclaiming freedom in Christ. Freedom in Christ becomes known through relationships. Bronfenbrenner urges us to have a holistic understanding of the young person. Christ’s good news – the alternative to the broken dominant script – draws us deeply into this holistic understanding of the young person. As we enter into relationship with young people in this way, we will begin to find ourselves drawn into all areas of their lives. We will become public advocates for children and their families in their schools, in their neighborhoods and in our culture. Ministry on behalf of children and youth is not only done in churches. It is also done in schools, public libraries, and recreational centers, on sports teams and in centers for the arts. Our shared call to minister on behalf of our children and youth is a call to connect with all of the institutions and individuals in our communities who work for and with young people in order to ensure their sense of hope. This has never been more important in recent generations than it is today.
Why are we sitting in our youth rooms twiddling our thumbs wondering where the kids are at? Our call is not to get kids to come to church but to go into the world and connect with others who share our call to proclaim hope, freedom and new life among our children and youth.
Casting the Web
Bringing Down the Lion
What does this mean? It means many things. First, we must learn how to listen to our communities in order to hear their joys and sorrows. Find out when the next community meeting is in your area and attend it. Second, it means we need to connect. Find others at those community meetings who care about children and youth. Call the schools, call the recreational centers, call the afterschool programs and find a way to gather all of these stakeholders together. Third, it means we need to learn how to map the assets and needs in our communities. Where is there life and hope for the young people in our community? Where is there desperation and despair? Fourth, it means we need to know how to organize. Mobilize those stakeholders and those assets to boldly move into those places of desperation and despair.
Peter Benson would often quote an Ethiopian proverb when he would speak to groups. It is a fitting way to bring this to a close. “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.” Amen?
Jeremy Myers teaches Youth and Family Ministry in the Religion department at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN. He lives in St. Paul, MN with his wife and two kids. You can read more of his writings at http://jeremypmyers.wordpress.com/ .
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Connected Case Study: Unexpected Connections by Mary Kaye Ashley
How much does connectedness matter? Let me tell you a story about a little youth ministry called Summer Stretch. This summer, some 3,000 people will spend a day each week serving in Christ’s name. They/we are Summer Stretch—and I came to be involved randomly through an important connection in my life.
Burnsville?” “Why, yes,” I said. “I’ve been volunteering there this summer and it’s great!” The next year, three Catholic parishes and one Lutheran congregation all did Summer Stretch in their places. These churches all knew friends or colleagues already involved in the program. Summer Stretch collaboratively planned volunteer training and recognition and an end-of-summer event for all the youth at the local amusement park, ValleyFair.
David (a friend of mine who was in high school when I was in seminary) and I were walking late one evening. David’s parents are good friends of mine and lived three houses from me. Every once in a while, David and I would go walking and catch up on each other’s lives and cares. He asked me this question on that evening: “Do you miss working with kids while you’re in the seminary?”
Because it was fun, and because I got to see old friends and make new ones, I stayed involved for almost twenty years, and I still am. Growing church involvement seemed to happen kind of organically—traveling along relationship lines between youth ministers, spreading in neighborhoods, and wandering across denominational lines.
“All the time.” I said. I was focusing on getting through some academic requirements, and so, I was youth “group-less.” David said, “I’ll bet you could work with our group, just for the summer—with Summer Stretch!”
Every few years, I’ll look at the congregations involved and ask, “How did we (Summer Stretch) get to Nisswa, Minnesota?” and someone will answer, “Carrie’s sister is the new youth minister there.” One of my summer interns’ next job was in a Congregational church in Amery, Wisconsin. The next summer, I learned that a handful of churches in Wisconsin are doing Summer Stretch.
“Oh sure,” I thought, “just what every Catholic youth minister is searching for, a female Lutheran seminarian who wants to join them in ministry.” Turns out, David was right, and Summer Stretch, and its leader Tim, welcomed another heart and pair of hands. Summer Stretch came into being because the youth minister at Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville, Minnesota, was connected enough to the community to know all these junior high/middle school youth in Dakota County. This is the county in the country with the highest concentration of children under age eighteen who have both parents employed full time. Junior high/middle school students are too young to be employed and feel too old for childcare—an available pool of people to serve, eager to do grown-up mission trips, and energized to be with friends. From this, Summer Stretch was created.
Summer Stretch also helps build connections within congregations—from the moms and grandmas who make lunch every week, to the “natural mentors”—people who already had a passion for an area of ministry or outreach and took a half-day off to help others get excited about their area of service. This summer, there are about seventy-five congregations involved in three states, that we know of! As new people inquire, we make new friends and build new connections. About 2,500 of us gathered at ValleyFair on August 4, celebrating friendship and service in Christ’s name.
The first summer, serving about forty kids, went well, and everyone seemed to have fun. The second summer, Tim didn’t think to cap registration, and when he returned from vacation it was to 106 kids—so far! Because friends were welcome, many invited theirs!
You’re welcome to join us! For an invitation to a January 2012 orientation meeting about Summer Stretch in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area, please email our “keeper of the list” Heidi Tousignant at heidi@guardian-angels.org and she’ll be happy to add you.
During the second or third summer, someone in the parish knew a local news reporter, who joined us one day for check-in with small groups and devotions with the large group. Small groups were sent out to more than ten service sites for the morning, collecting food for the food shelf, filling glue bottles and testing markers for the parish’s education office, raking up glass and debris in the yard of an elderly member hit by straight line winds, assisting with making lunch for the 150 youth who would return from serving, sorting donations at a battered women’s shelter, planting flowers at a hospice home, and pushing wheelchairs to mass at the nearby assisted living facility. The news program ran a lovely story and a friend called me and asked, “Have you heard about this Summer Stretch thing in
For more information about this ministry, email me at carimae24@comcast.net or call (612) 532-7083.
Mary Kaye Ashley is a child of God deep in relatedness & blessedness. She helped launched Summer Stretch at her new home church in Richfield, MN this summer. Her current work as a pastor on leave from call includes supply preaching, parent/family education, youth ministry leadership & child care for 11 families of new friends - and awaiting God’s next surprise!
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Connected Case Study: Playing Well With Others by Cheryl Esposito
“One youth group in two locations.”
Well, maybe it wasn’t quite that easy—truth be told, it was rather complicated that first year. While our adult leaders worked great together, it was harder to get the youth to really connect with one another. They always gravitated to the youth they already knew. It took them a long time to be comfortable going to the “other” church for an event. They were surprised whenever we did something “new.” But, as leaders, we made the commitment to be intentional and patient. We worked hard to get to know the youth from each church. We found subtle ways to get the kids to mix up who they were sitting next to or who they worked with on games or projects.
That’s the easiest way I’ve found to explain what God has been up to over the past few years in the life of Redemption Lutheran (ELCA) and Rhawnhurst Presbyterian (PCUSA) Churches in Northeast Philadelphia. You see, something rather strange has happened in our little corner of the city: God is teaching us how to play well with others! It may seem shocking, I know, as so often in the Church’s history we have done a better job of competition and self-promotion than we have of cooperation and working together. Yet God is showing us what it means to really be connected.
For a while, I didn’t think our little experiment would work. The youth were still really cliquey, and there were church members from both congregations who did not get what we were doing. (Some at Rhawnhurst felt they were “farming out” their youth ministry to “that Lutheran church,” while at Redemption some felt they were “losing” their youth minister to “those Presbyterians.”)
Our story of playing well with others began in May 2007, when I was working as the Youth Director at Redemption. One day, Pr. Keith McClain of Rhawnhurst Presbyterian approached Pr. Mary Konopka, Redemption’s pastor, and me to talk about youth ministry. One idea that came out of our conversation was that it was silly to try and compete with one another: our churches are less than a mile apart, our youth go to the same schools, live in the same neighborhoods, even have the same friends. What might it look like, we mused, if we did something . . . different?
I remember heading to youth group one night feeling disheartened and stressed. I still don’t remember what we were doing, or the exact words that were said. But in the middle of an activity, Joy Lorah, a leader from Rhawnhurst, made a sarcastic joke about one of the youth from Redemption. Without hesitation, he made a smartalecky comment right back to her. Now, to many people this might not seem like something to get excited about, but, in our group, which thrives on sarcasm and comedy, it was a bonding moment. Suddenly, I knew this was going to work.
Then, we did a few radical things. First, we prayed. A lot. All summer. With leaders from both our churches. That time of prayer became a foundation on which everything else was built. Second, we got some of the youth leaders together from our two churches and simply got to know one another. Third, we took a chance and jumped out in faith, deciding to merge our senior high youth groups. Looking back, I’m surprised we weren’t more scared at what we were about to do. This was a major change from anything any of us had ever experienced in church. Yet it felt so natural, so normal, that we knew it was the Spirit leading us on.
In Fall 2008, we made our experiment official. I became a joint paid staff member for both churches, and began alternating where I worshiped each week. We joined our junior high groups in September 2008, and later that year, our college and career group became a joint ministry as well.
In Fall 2007, we “unofficially” created a joint senior high youth group. No money was exchanged and no formal agreement was drawn up. We saw this as a trial run, a chance to see if this crazy idea of multiplying resources and connecting together might actually work. Rhawnhurst had more adult leaders. Redemption had more youth. Rhawnhurst had a fellowship hall perfect for basketball and soccer. Redemption had a youth lounge with a pool table and big, comfy sofas. Rhawnhurst’s senior high programming consisted of a monthly game night, Redemption’s of a monthly Bible study and activity night.
Now, four years later, I can’t imagine doing ministry any other way. It still has its challenges: we still have to find creative and ongoing ways to connect the youth, communicate with church members, and navigate two different church calendars. But, it also has unanticipated benefits. Not just our youth, but for our churches which have grown together. We come together regularly for community service projects, holiday services, and Lenten Bible Study series. The year Redemption had to shut down its fellowship hall for renovations, Rhawnhurst opened its doors and allowed Redemption to hold all their normal programming at Rhawnhurst. There was also that one miraculous Sunday morning when Redemption locked its doors, and we all worshiped together at Rhawnhurst as one congregation.
We looked at all this and said, “It is good!” and combined it together. We started talking about our ministry as “one youth group in two locations.” We varied which church we met at, depending on what we were doing. Then, POOF! We had one big, happy youth group!
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Out of those initial conversations in 2007, God also brought forth another experiment in connectedness called Rhawnhurst Turning Point. This is a separate non-profit that has been birthed out of our two churches to create a center for youth and young adults in our neighborhood. One of Turning Point’s goals is to connect churches and community members for service to, with, and for young people through programs such as a homework help center, a drop-in center, and arts and music programming. To us, this is simply an outgrowth of what God has been teaching us about the meaning of connectedness: just as people need to be connected in and between our church congregations, we are also called to be connected outside the walls of the church, with the community in which we live.
connected us, and God is keeping us connected, because it brings God glory. Our God is a God of connectedness and community, and what better way to model that for youth (and adults) than to actually live in community, connected with one another.
Cheryl Esposito serves as the Youth Director at Redemption Lutheran and Rhawnhurst Presbyterian Churches in Northeast Philadelphia, as well as the Director of Rhawnhurst Turning Point. She earned her MDiv from Palmer Theological Seminary in 2005, and has been working with youth and young adults in various capacities for over 10 years. Outside of work, she loves playing piano and guitar, camping, doing odd fix it jobs around her house, and spending
Because of all this, we’ve gained a reputation. People in our neighborhood know that we are those two crazy churches that do things together. Leaders in our synod and presbytery talk about us as the churches that are doing something different. To us, it’s just being church, doing what we believe God is calling us to do. God
afternoons relaxing at Barnes and Noble.
3rd Tuesday Conversations are monthly gatherings of friends. They are great continuing education events. They are chances to hear from, and interact with experts in the field. 3TC conversations are free for Network members.
Our schedule: December 20 January 17 February 21
Our conversations: We use online webinars. You can log in to a special webinar site and listen to the conversation while watching images on your screen. Or, you can watch on the computer while calling in and listening on your phone. You will have opportunities to ask questions as well.
Times: All 3TC conversations begin at: 2:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Central 12:00 p.m. Mountain, 11:00 a.m. Pacific
Join the conversation! www.elcaymnet.org/3tc 9
Connected Case Study: Connectedness by Tom Gustafson
As a high-schooler, I often had permission to drive my parents’ ’63 Chevrolet Impala to my part-time job at a local grocery store. The car radio was often turned on, tuned in to a “teen” station. There was a great song that frequently played that had the words, “Precious and few are the moments we have to share.” This phrase has stayed with me over the years, and recently its wisdom has come alive for me. These words remind me of how deeply we are, and need to be, connected to one another. In the years I’ve been privileged to serve in youth and family ministry, I am constantly reminded that the moments we are with one another are very precious indeed, and whether these moments are in fact moments, or hours, or days, or months, or years—those moments and hours and days and months and years are too few. CONNECTEDNESS AS POSSIBILITY Within my first few days of serving at Messiah Lutheran Church, the youth and family minister from a neighboring congregation called to welcome me to my new position and to the neighborhood, and to expressly invite me to a youth workers monthly gathering. I can’t tell you how great that was to begin in youth ministry with a phone call like that! And meeting monthly with other youth ministers opened up a new world of possibilities for “connectedness,” whether it was youth trips, youth-led worships, or neighborhood events. It has also turned the wheels in my own brain to look out beyond the walls of my own congregation for mutual ministry possibilities. And they are there, you can bet on that. I invite you to close your eyes for a moment and dream wildly about your youth ministry. C’mon, you can do it! Dream big! What would really bless your ministry and marvelously move it forward? And to whom could you reach out to in order to make it happen? Maybe it’s a youth-run business, a state-of-the-art tutoring center, an African drumming or drama ministry. Maybe it’s a new Bible study or Sunday school dream. Maybe it’s a new or gently-used church van, or a half dozen basketballs that actually hold air. Whatever your idea, dream, vision—how could it take wings? A friend of mine likes to say, “It’s there to happen.” I’m starting to believe him. CONNECTEDNESS AS NECESSITY Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). The main connection in our lives is with Jesus. From this life-giving and foundational relationship flows our connectedness to everyone else. The saying is sure: “A person can do many things all alone, but being a Christian is not one of them.”
I’ve spent only a brief time in Sequoia National Park in California. Those incredible Sequoia trees are truly magnificent. And equally magnificent, I believe, is the fact that the roots of those mammoth trees are all tangled up with one another—they are actually helping to hold up one another! What a great lesson we can learn from the Sequoia trees—they need each other to make it—to survive and thrive. And we, too, need each other to make it—to survive and thrive in the lives God has called us into. As much as we at Messiah like to collaborate anyway, I would say that over the years some events have necessitated collaboration. We are big fans of the ELCA Youth Gatherings, we’ve offered various church-league basketball teams, we love vacation Bible school in the summer, and we participated in a 30-hour famine. I consider that connecting with others was a necessity to participate well in these events, and we were happy (and relieved!) to do so. These “necessary partnerships” have amended my thinking to the place where I now consider all of our connections with others as necessary—we can tap into other’s giftedness and they can tap into ours, we are all more and more pulled out of ourselves and into the lives of others, our ministries move forward, and the connectedness blesses all involved. And that’s the subject of the next section— Blessing. Connectedness. You’re wondering if you need it? I say to you, “You do!” CONNECTEDNESS AS BLESSING Being connected has always led me here—Blessing. Not a lot of the time, or even most of the time, but always. We connect with others for a variety of reasons. Maybe connectedness allows us to participate in an event, or to increase our ministry effectiveness or outreach, or to learn a new skill, or maybe it’s to meet new people. Whatever the reason, being connected blesses. God’s people are talking, working, dreaming, praying, studying, playing, being challenged, building, learning, and being God’s people together. About twelve years ago, on Confirmation Sunday near the end of the worship service, our interim pastor presented our newly confirmed young people to the congregation. He then proceeded to announce that these young people were not going to make it—his pause at the end of that phrase seemed like about five minutes, as my jaw felt like it hit the top of my hymnal. Then he completed his sentence—“unless this congregation surrounds them with a web of support, of prayer, of friendship, of encouragement.” It was a wonderful moment—a blessed moment as God’s Holy Spirit brought everyone in that sanctuary powerfully together.
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Several years ago we were invited to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project in Colorado. Four congregations—Roman Catholic, United Church of Christ, an Islamic Mosque, and Messiah Lutheran Church yoked themselves together for an event that is still in our minds. We all learned and were stretched—not only in building skills, but in being people of faith together. My prayer for all of us is that we would continually be open to, and that we would continually seek out, being connected—as we continue to build up God’s Kingdom in our respective places. Could it be sharing a worship space? Expanding a ministry or beginning a new one? Going with someone to a doctor appointment or job interview? Spinning a jump rope on the sidewalk? Maybe connectedness could be about survival. Maybe it’s about dipping your toe in the waters of a new possibility. Maybe it’s about sharing the workload. But it translates into Blessing. We get to meet people, and they get to meet us, perspectives are widened, walls are removed, and most importantly we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus—all of us as branches are more fully attached to the Vine, and as a result are more fully attached to one another.
For two and a half years now, Messiah has been strategically located in the Center for Changing Lives in South Minneapolis. Partnership is continually on our minds in this environment, and we are all the better for it. There are a number of viewpoints and perspectives in this Center, but it remains a beacon of welcome, hospitality, faith, accompaniment—and Blessing in this neighborhood and beyond. Yes, it’s true, “Precious and few are the moments we have to share.” Make these precious and few moments count for something for others, and for yourself—by being connected. And here’s something wonderful—precious and forever are the moments we have to share with God. Thanks be to God for that, and for leading us into the lives of others!
Tom Gustafson has served as the Director of Youth and Family Ministry at Messiah Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN. since December of 1994. He continues to be on the lookout for connections in ministry!
Here’s our belief: There is an amazing amount of talent, expertise and skill within our community. And we have all developed resources for use in our congregations.
open source youth ministry
Many of us are willing to share those resources that we have created. MartinsList is a place to do that. Here, we can share our work with each other...and can create a community of mutual support in our ministry. It’s open source ministry.
www.MartinsList.org
It’s MartinsList.
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Connected Case Study: Breaking Out of Your Four Walls by Christian Hicks
We are a culture defined by four walls. As I sit here enclosed by the four walls of my apartment, I have come to the realization that within the next twenty-four hours, I will leave these four walls and journey to the four walls of Reformation Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, my home congregation. Like most of you, I will also venture out on Monday, leaving the confines of my four-walled abode for the four walls of my office. Thus the cycle continues, week in and week out, exchanging one set of four walls for another in a seemingly never-ending cycle. Do you know what else has four walls? Prison cells. Closets. Coffins (ok, so the last one was a stretch, but you get the picture). We like to disassociate ourselves from the latter set of four walls, but the only difference between the two is our willingness to be placed into the former and not the latter. In other words, we willingly choose to place ourselves into boxes. I often laugh that our status in both the church world and secular world is defined by who has the bigger office, which is really just a glamorized box itself. The Four Wall Theory seems to be commonplace, but can you really blame anyone? It is, after all, very safe and secure behind four walls. In the office, sometimes it is a lot easier to close the door to avoid listening to the gossip and banter of coworkers. At church, it’s always easier to do things the same way that they have always been done before. There is seemingly nothing wrong with this way of thinking. However, if we truly consider ourselves as Christians, being in the world but not of the world, we can’t subscribe to this theory. For Matthew 28:19 says, “therefore go out into the world, making disciples of all nations.” We are commanded to step outside of our boxes and into the world and conversely do things in ways that they have never been done before. This pertains especially to those of us charged with the cultivation of the next generation of Christians. In case you haven’t realized, youth are not a fan of the Four Wall Theory. Their boundless energy simply won’t allow them to be satisfied by staying exclusively within the confines of their home or church. As youth leaders, we have a tough job to ensure that we can channel that energy into something positive and Christ–centric. From personal experience, I know that this is not an easy job. The average person is exposed to over 3,000 subliminal messages per day, with a majority of those images involving sex, misogyny, drugs, and violence; subjects that could lead even the most ardent Christian by the wayside. With the accessibility of the Internet,
prevalence of smart phones, and commercials comparable to softcore porn, youth are exposed to more distractions and pressures than any previous generation. Because the world is taking an untraditional way to capture our youth, we must cease taking the traditional approach to youth ministry. In order to train up a child in the way they should go, we must adopt innovative and flexible methods to reach youth . . . outside of Sunday. By no means do I seek to undermine the importance of church on Sunday; nothing puts a bigger smile on my face then when I see my youth excited to come to church. I’m just stating a fact that when a majority of us spend one percent of our week (two hours) in church, it’s not plausible that Sunday alone will keep youth sanctified for the remaining 166 hours in the week. For the Ref Squad, my youth group, this meant organizing activities designed to cut into the 166 hours of potential distraction time. This multifaceted approach was a balance of fun, service, and learning to engage the youth in every aspect of their life: Building family . . . To build a strong core, we scheduled lock-ins where the youth and youth leaders would spend all night at church engaged in games, thought-provoking discussion, and fellowship. These events were on Friday nights and usually there was very little sleep involved. We also established Saturday Youth Forums, a platform that fostered confidential, no holds barred discussion between the youth and young adult facilitators. Along with building trust and camaraderie, this allowed intimate access into the lives of the youth and allowed for better understanding in planning future activities and curriculum. A family that works together . . . stays together. All members of the Ref Squad were required to participate in fundraisers, which raised money for youth-centered activities. Youth were also required to participate in development workshops (Dress for Success, Resume Writing, Financial Planning) to prepare them for the real world. Along with youth skits in church, this made the Ref Squad one of Reformation’s most viable ministries and also built pride amongst group members as our reputation flourished. Be doers of the word not just hearers . . . Along with reinforcing Christ though “youth only” Bible study and local service projects, we took the group out of their comfort zone and into the world. Week long mission trips to Miami and South Dakota took our group to locations that they had never been before. Traveling to the
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National Youth Gathering in New Orleans in 2009 still stands out in my mind as the single most galvanizing event for our group. I still watch the trip DVD that I made for the group to relive some of those priceless moments. Currently, we are involved in Walking the Walk, a program to facilitate dialogue between youth from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faith traditions. Throughout the program, we are deeply involved in both open discussions pertaining to our different faith backgrounds and community service.
already be a way of life. In this cliché, “thinking outside the box” culture, our success hinges upon us changing our philosophy, seizing a deep breath, and boldly taking a step outside.
Christian Hicks is a lifelong Philadelphian and proud member of Reformation Lutheran Church, Christian Hicks has worked with youth for over half of his life and in youth ministry for the past 6 years. He serves in various leadership roles in the Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) synod, including as an adult representative on the SEPA Lutheran Youth Organiza-
Along with this approach, it’s always important to be yourself. There is no way that you can be everything, so just be realistic about what you can and can’t do, and the youth will respect you for that. Being genuine will allow you to attend proms, graduations, and life events, and gain opportunities to be a mentor and big brother/sister, a privilege that I have now enjoyed for five years. It may feel strange at first, but remember that for a Christian, thinking outside the box should not be a brand new paradigm shift; it should
tion (LYO) Board, and as a mentor for Walking the Walk, an interfaith network for youth of different faith traditions. A 2008 MBA graduate of Drexel University, Christian’s day job is as a Recruiter for Eastern University, a Christian university in southeast Pennsylvania.
Get Interactive With Connect www.elcaymmnet.org/connectjournal
We’ve added a new feature to the Network website that invites you to interact with Connect. Point your web browser to www.ELCAYMNet.org/ConnectJournal and then click on each article title to read online and offer your comments. Our goal is to offer more ways for you to connect (pardon the pun) with the articles and others in ministry. We hope that this will be another resource for you and a place of fruitful conversation. See you online!
13
For Your Spirit: Wilderness Connections by Matthew Bolz-Weber
I enjoy being outside. I enjoy spending time in the wilderness. I enjoy the preparation, the anticipation, the excursion, and the description of being in the wilderness. Throughout history, folks have been going to the wilderness in order to discover something new about themselves, or to gain a new perspective on what God is up to. Sometimes when I go out, I go by myself. Sometimes I take my children. Sometimes I go with my brother, or with one or two friends. My first trip was with about a dozen other boy scouts, and most recently I took a church camp backpacking trip with teenagers and adults. But no matter who I venture with into the wilderness, my relationship with and understanding of those people grows in surprising ways simply because we are in the wilderness together. One of the best things about wilderness trips for me is the intentional lack of “connection.” I don’t live at the cutting edge of hip and trendy, but I do try to stay connected with what’s happening via the typical social media venues. I almost always have my smartphone with me to use when my netbook or other computers aren’t available. But despite the fact that cell signals are becoming more prevalent even in the backcountry, I leave all of that behind when I go out. For me, that time away in the wilderness is a time to be away from what’s normal. It’s a time to make myself a little nervous by exploring the edges of my comfort zones. But it’s not the physical challenges that can be the toughest—the mental and spiritual edges tend to make me the most uncomfortable. In fact, the last time I was out, it was so dark that I had to touch my eyelids with my fingertips to be certain they were open. This kind of experience, which I don’t ever have where I live, reminds me that (a) I have been gifted by God to be good at, and fed by, this kind of adventure; and (b) I am still, in spite of any gifts I may have, utterly dependent on God for everything in life, and even for life itself.
• The Hebrew people wandering in the wilderness for forty years • The Hebrew people in exile in Babylon • Elisha hiding in a cave • Jonah running from God and ending up in the belly of the fish • Saul laying in the bed, experiencing the wilderness of being blind It’s in the actual wilderness that I have found it easiest to allow the Holy Spirit to deepen my connection with God. I don’t have any reason to require, or expect everyone to be like me. However, I do believe that the Holy Spirit can use our encounters with the edges of ourselves for our benefit, and for the benefit of the people with whom we connect. Whatever your edges are, it might be wise to take some time, away from what’s normal and comfortable, to learn again to trust God. In the Tent on a Rainy Night nighttime crushes in on my eyes—I double-check to be certain they’re open. I know, tonight, at 11,000 feet, under continual rain and blanketing cloud cover, that no light will intrude on my tent. Tomorrow, rain may pour from overwhelmed skies; with or without rain, though the sun will rise, bringing light and new vision—so I lay still in the dark, and trust
Matthew Bolz-Weber is a child of God, dad, husband, pastor, aging athlete, & mediocre musician. He lives in Denver with his wife and two children. He blogs about whatever he happens to notice, at hikerrev.blogspot.com .
I feel like the time away from what is normal feeds my soul, and I usually return from wilderness trips with a refreshed outlook on faith and life. Sure, I haven’t been ‘connected’ with my electronic-mediafriends while I’ve been gone. But I find myself more connected with God—and because I’m more grounded in that most significant connection, I am better able to connect more deeply with family, with friends, and with people who I meet in my daily life. Of course, going out into the wilderness, especially with the hope of encountering God, is not a new thing; the scriptures are full of these stories:
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Connected Bible Study by Deb Hutterer
Introduction Through the years the word church conjures up images of a location or what happens inside a specific location. This study will explore various expressions of church as people claimed by Jesus to do work in the world. Church is God using all of our collaborative efforts to bring shalom for the sake of God’s world. Welcome participants. Offer a word of prayer for this group and invite the Holy Spirit’s presence during this time together. Gather the participants in groups of two or three and give each group a piece of paper and writing instrument. Ask them to write the word CHURCH on the top of the sheet and list the ways they have heard the word used. Give them three to five minutes to compile it and then share with the rest of the group.
Read This Text Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. -Jeremiah 29:5-7
Explain The Text In this section of Jeremiah the Israelites had been unwillingly and brutally taken into captivity. This group of people hoped Jeremiah was bringing a message from God about an imminent return to Jerusalem. Instead, God’s command is to “do church” in Babylon by building houses, planting gardens, creating families and seeking the welfare of the city and its inhabitants. These actions would require some radical shifts in thinking and acting. The Hebrew word for welfare is shalom. Shalom has many meanings including completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, and the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom could only be achieved through collaboration for the good of all.
Discuss The Text In Small Groups What are the obstacles to working alongside people you don’t know, and may not like, to seek shalom? What are the possibilities when working alongside people you don’t know, and may not like, to seek shalom? Is it reasonable to think the Israelites could do this? How do you suspect they went about “doing church” in this place? Where was God’s presence?
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Connected Bible Study by Deb Hutterer
Discuss The Text As Large Group Process the small group conversations. How might God be inviting us to be the church in new ways today?
Application Collaboration has its challenges and benefits. Someone recently defined collaboration as dancing with an octopus—lots of arms, tentacles that can get stuck and intertwined, but the arms also possess mobility in all directions. Imagine the possibilities when in sync. There are many ways to “do church” in the world. For example, Lutheran immigrants believed God was calling them to live their faith out through proclaiming, healing, educating, and financially serving in Jesus’ name. Answering the call to “do church” in a new way, a hospital, college, seminary, social service agency, and a financial institution, used their gifts in collaboration to seek shalom in the city. As you might imagine, the work is messy as they each bring their own viewpoint, but through this collaboration God has brought many blessings. First in small group and then as a large group discuss: How can you see yourself as a citizen of shalom? In what ways does your community of faith currently collaborate to seek the welfare of the place you live? What challenges and blessings were encountered along the way? What does “doing church” mean to you?
Wrap Up Remind participants about the value of worship. We gather in worship to be reminded that God in Jesus loves the whole world and sends us to use our unique gifts to “do church” in the world. Invite them to continue to think about how their place of worship does church, noting the collaborative efforts. Invite youth to look at their original definition of church. Would they change anything? Before praying, ask for any other thoughts about this study and specific prayer concerns for their place of worship. As appropriate, add them to the closing prayer. God of collaboration, thank you for your church. Continue to guide our churches that they may be places that seek the welfare of the places they are located. Give us courage to be citizens of shalom that we might be a blessing to your world. Thank you for your faithfulness and give us courage to step into the messiness trusting that you will make our efforts more than we can imagine.
Deb Hutterer Deb Hutterer serves as the executive director of Faith in the City, a collaborative venture between Augsburg College, Fairview Health Services, Lutheran Social Service of MN, Luther Seminary, and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. In this role, she explores, coordinates and implements strategies that promote stronger and healthier institutional, church, city, and neighborhood connections. She holds a B.A. from Augsburg College (Minnesota) and an M.Div. from Luther Seminary (Minnesota). She is an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 16
GO to refresh. GO to reconnect. GO to renew. EXTRAVAGANZA 2012 February 8-12 New Orleans, LA
Join us in New Orleans, LA from Feburary 8-12, 2012 Intensive Care Courses: February 8-9, Main Event: February 9-12 Engaging Speakers Moving Worship Transforming Workshops Empowering Fellowship ELCA Youth Gathering 2012 Preparation
Registration Now Open at www.elcaymnet.org
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A View From Elsewhere: Connected by George Baum
So, I have this relative on my wife’s side. Let’s call him, Brian. I typically only ever saw Brian once a year, at the massive family Christmas gathering. Brian is a carpenter, and whenever I found myself chatting with him, I would invariably end up asking him about his work, because I found it fascinating. How do you build those Shaker box things? How do you make a chunk of wood into a ballpoint pen? And how on earth do you possibly build a staircase from scratch? These were safe topics with Brian, and we both enjoyed the conversations, as best I could tell. He enjoyed talking about carpentry, and I knew it would keep us away from inflammatory topics like the inerrancy of scripture, or adult baptism. (Brian is a Baptist in the most complete way, and we don’t see eye to eye on very much when it comes to churchy things.) So, as I say, these annual conversations were always pleasant, and I felt connected to Brian, in a friendly surface way, at least. Then, one day, he friended me on Facebook and everything changed. Once Brian found the internet, he created his “community.” Like any of us, he found that he could develop a virtual world, free from contrary opinions or disagreement. The tighter the circle, the less anyone outside could penetrate his world. And yet, he and I remained Facebook “friends.” I in my world, and he in his, we moved further and further away from each other. But once in a while, one of us will comment on the other’s status or something, and the fireworks will fly. Brian is proudly intransigent on just about every topic. He adopted the politics of the Tea Party, the anger of a pitbull, and the compassion of Fred Phelps. And Brian would surely say I’d developed whatever the opposite of those would be.
Where in the past, an annual Christmas conversation was our only connection, we’re now connected 24 hours a day in a place where we head to opposite corners of the room. We exchange no pleasantries, we don’t talk about our lives. Though we are connected all the time now, we’re not connected at all. I used to spend a couple hours a year saying nice things about his kids, asking about his job, complimenting his wife’s potato salad, bemoaning the Cleveland sports teams . . . Now, I don’t spend five minutes in a whole year saying nice things to him. (Or, if I’m honest, even thinking nice things about him.) Brian and I are now constantly connected. And, it kind of sucks, actually. I got to know more about the real Brian in those annual couple hours than I will in a lifetime of constant Facebook connection. Because at least back then, he and I somehow appealed to our better angels. We gave each other the benefit of grace. In some ways, we both used to be willing to admit we might not know everything about everything. There is a civility in real connectedness, and that part of our relationship was jettisoned long ago. I haven’t seen Brian in several years now, and I have no idea what we’d talk about if we did see each other. The cat is out of the bag. And, man, is it ever ugly! Staying connected requires some space it seems, and some air and light, and maybe a litter box or two.
George Baum plays in the band Lost And Found (www.speedwood.com) and also serves as Priest in Charge at St. Patrick Episcopal Church, Brunswick, OH.
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Calendar of Events Start Date
End Date
Name
Location
Contact Person
Web Site
Targeted to:
Dec 3, 2011 8:00 AM
Dec 3, 2011 3:00 PM
Marriage and Ministry Seminar
Training Center; Arden Hills, Mn
Hollie Sookhai
www.youthleadership.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Dec 3, 2011 9:00 AM
Dec 3, 2011 12:00 PM
CROSSTraining - Group Webinars (1-4)
Our Savior’s Lutheran, Sun Prairie, WI
Brett Christensen
Dec 4, 2011 1:00 PM
Dec 4, 2011 5:00 PM
Practice Discipleship
Trinity Lutheran Church, Oklahoma City, OK
Jona Sweeten
Facebook - A-OK Youth and Family Ministries (ELCA)
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Dec 4, 2011 2:00 PM
Dec 4, 2011 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Leading a Small Group" (Tiger McLuen)
Online
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/ Teams
Dec 4, 2011 6:00 PM
Dec 4, 2011 8:00 PM
Citizens With The Saints Tour - Concert
Christ Lutheran Church, West Covina, CA
Janet Renick
Dec 18, 2011 2:00 PM
Dec 18, 2011 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Faith Conversations" (Tiger McLuen)
Online
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/ Teams
Dec 20, 2011 1:00 PM
Dec 20, 2011 1:30 PM
3rd Tuesday Conversation
Online/Phone
Dannica Montplaisir
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents
Jan 7, 2012 8:00 AM
Jan 7, 2012 3:00 PM
RECHARGE
St. Andrew’s Church - Mahtomedi, MN
Jeanne Osgood
www.ministryrecharge.com
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Jan 8, 2012 2:00 PM
Jan 8, 2012 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Planning for the Unexpected: When it All Doesn’t Go According to Script" (Tiger McLuen)
Online
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/ Teams
Jan 17, 2012 1:00 PM
Jan 17, 2012 1:30 PM
3rd Tuesday Conversation
Online/Phone
Dannica Montplaisir
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents
Jan 22, 2012 2:00 PM
Jan 22, 2012 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Lutheran Theology: How God is Working in the World" (Dr. Jeremy Myers)
Online
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/ Teams
Jan 28, 2012 8:30 AM
Jan 28, 2012 2:00 PM
Practice Discipleship Training
SWPA Synod
Sarah LeeFaulkner
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Jan 28, 2012 9:00 AM
Jan 28, 2012 12:00 PM
CROSSTraining - Group Webinars (5-8)
Our Savior’s Lutheran - Sun Prairie, WI
Brett Christensen
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Jan 29, 2012 1:00 PM
Jan 29, 2012 5:00 PM
Practice Discipleship
St Lukes Lutheran Church, Fort Jona Sweeten Smith, AR
Facebook - A-OK Youth and Family Ministries (ELCA)
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Feb 5, 2012 2:00 PM
Feb 5, 2012 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Lutheran Theology: How Lutherans Read Scripture" (Dr. Jeremy Myers)
Online
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/ Teams
Feb 8, 2012 12:00 PM
Feb 9, 2012 4:00 PM
Extravaganza 2012 Intensive Care Courses
Sheraton - New Orleans, LA
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Feb 9, 2012 7:00 PM
Feb 12, 2012 12:00 PM
Extravaganza 2012
Sheraton - New Orleans, LA
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Feb 21, 2012 1:00 PM
Feb 21, 2012 1:30 PM
3rd Tuesday Conversation
Online/Phone
Dannica Montplaisir
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents
19
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents
Jr High Youth, Sr High Youth, Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/ Teams
Start Date
End Date
Name
Location
Contact Person
Mar 3, 2012 9:00 AM
Mar 3, 2012 12:00 PM
CROSSTraining - Session 3
Springdale Lutheran, Mt. Horeb, WI
Brett Christensen
Mar 4, 2012 2:00 PM
Mar 4, 2012 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Your Role as a Leader" (Dr. Terri Elton)
Online
Todd Buegler
Mar 9, 2012 6:00 PM
Mar 11, 2012 1:00 PM
Equipping Youth Ministry Leaders
Camp Nawakwa
Chelle Huth
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Mar 17, 2012 9:00 AM
Mar 17, 2012 12:00 PM
CROSSTraining - Session 3
Grace Lutheran - Cambridge, WI
Brett Christensen
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Mar 18, 2012 2:00 PM
Mar 18, 2012 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Strategic Planning" (Tiger McLuen)
Online
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Mar 20, 2012 1:00 PM
Mar 20, 2012 1:30 PM
3rd Tuesday Conversation
Online/Phone
Dannica Montplaisir
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents
Apr 1, 2012 2:00 PM
Apr 1, 2012 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Leading a Small Group" (Tiger McLuen)
Online
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Apr 14, 2012 9:00 AM
Apr 14, 2012 12:00 PM
Equipping Youth Ministry Leaders: Youth Ministry Events as Faith Formation Part 3
Hope Lutheran, St Charles, MO Pr. Cynthia Schnaath
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Apr 15, 2012 1:00 PM
Apr 15, 2012 4:00 PM
Equipping Youth Ministry Leaders: Youth Ministry Events as Faith Formation Part 3
Our Saviors Lutheran, Jefferson City, MO
Pr. Cynthia Schnaath
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Apr 15, 2012 2:00 PM
Apr 15, 2012 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Faith Conversations" (Tiger McLuen)
Online
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Apr 17, 2012 1:00 PM
Apr 17, 2012 1:30 PM
3rd Tuesday Conversation
Online/Phone
Dannica Montplaisir
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents
Apr 21, 2012 9:00 AM
Apr 21, 2012 12:00 PM
Equipping Youth Ministry Leaders: Youth Ministry Events as Faith Formation Part 3
Good Shepherd Lutheran, Lawrence, KS
Pr. Cynthia Schnaath
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Apr 22, 2012 1:00 PM
Apr 22, 2012 4:00 PM
Equipping Youth Ministry Leaders: Youth Ministry Events as Faith Formation Part 3
Immanuel Lutheran, Salina, KS
Pr. Cynthia Schnaath
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
May 6, 2012 2:00 PM
May 6, 2012 3:30 PM
Training Webinar: "Planning for the Unexpected: When it All Doesn’t Go According to Script" (Tiger McLuen)
Online
Todd Buegler
20
Web Site
Targeted to: Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
www.elcaymnet.org
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Start Date
End Date
Name
Location
Contact Person
Web Site
Targeted to:
May 15, 2012 1:00 PM
May 15, 2012 1:30 PM
3rd Tuesday Conversation
Online/Phone
Dannica Montplaisir
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents
Jun 10, 2012 12:00 PM
Jun 30, 2012 11:00 AM
Summer Seminary Sampler
Trinity Lutheran Seminary
Laura Book
www.summersampler.com
Sr High Youth
Jun 17, 2012 4:00 PM
Jun 22, 2012 12:00 PM
Augsburg College Youth Theology Institute
Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN
Lonna Field
www.augsburg.edu
Sr High Youth
Jun 18, 2012 10:00 AM
Jun 18, 2012 12:00 PM
Spring Adult Leaders TrainingMetro NY Synod
Hope Lutheran Church, Seldon NY
Julie Hagen
Jul 8, 2012 12:00 PM
Jul 28, 2012 11:00 AM
Summer Seminary Sampler
Trinity Lutheran Seminary
Laura Book
www.summersampler.com
Sr High Youth
Jul 18, 2012 3:00 PM
Jul 22, 2012 12:00 PM
ELCA Youth Gathering
New Orleans, Louisiana
Gathering Staff
www.elca.org
Sr High Youth
Nov 19, 2012 10:00 AM
Nov 19, 2012 1:00 PM
Northeastern Montana Fall Training
First Lutheran Church, Wolf Point, MT
Paul Goodman
Jan 24, 2013 3:00 PM
Jan 25, 2013 5:00 PM
Extravaganza 2013 Intensive Care Courses
Hyatt - Anaheim, CA
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Jan 25, 2013 9:00 PM
Jan 28, 2013 2:00 PM
Extravaganza 2013
Hyatt - Anaheim, CA
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Jan 30, 2014 1:00 PM
Jan 31, 2014 3:00 PM
Extravaganza 2014 Intensive Care Courses
Hyatt Regency; St. Louis, Missouri
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Jan 31, 2014 7:00 PM
Feb 3, 2014 12:00 PM
Extravaganza 2014
Hyatt Regency; St. Louis, Missouri
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Jan 29, 2015 12:00 PM
Jan 30, 2015 3:00 PM
Extravaganza 2015 Intensive Care Courses
Hyatt Regency; Dearborn, Michigan
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Jan 30, 2015 6:00 PM
Feb 2, 2015 11:00 AM
Extravaganza 2015
Hyatt Regency; Dearborn, Michigan
Todd Buegler
www.elcaymnet.org
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Adult Volunteers, Adult Professionals, Parents, 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Leaders/Teams
Submit your event information and find the latest event info at www.elcaymnet.org/mastercalendar. 21
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Facebook - www.facebook.com/groups/2310375886/ There’s some great conversations happening here: • What are your favorite “contemporary” worship tunes? • Seeking resources on bullying for use with middle schoolers. • Release forms to share? • Much more!
YouTube - www.youtube.com/ELCAYMNetwork Videos for fun and learning... Check out the latest Network video creation: Why Should I Go To The Extravaganza?
Weekly Email - www.elcaymnet.org and then click the “@” icon Subscribe to the Network’s weekly email to have Network news delivered to your inbox.
Online Bookstore - astore.amazon.com/elyomineon-20 Fill your bookshelf with these great resources! 22
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CONGREGATIONAL
CONNECTED CONNECTED
CONNECTED
CONGREGATIONAL
CONNECTED
CONGREGATIONAL
CONNECTED
CONGREGATIONAL CONNECTED CONNECTED
ELCA Youth Ministry Network 11821 98th Pl. N., Maple Grove, Mn 55369
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