Lutheran Theology: How Lutherans Read the Bible

The next webinar in Practice Discipleship: The ELCA Youth MInistry Training Project is coming up this Sunday, October 2 at 7pm EST. "Lutheran Theology: How Lutherans Read the Bible" will introduce you to the various ways the Bible is often interpreted and will lay out for you the tools or concepts Lutherans have used for many years while interpreting scripture. This special training opportunity is being offered to all youth and family ministry professionals and volunteers at no cost!

These trainings are the result of a partnership between the ELCA Youth Gathering and the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. They are great preparation for participation in the ELCA Youth Gathering, or other ministry with young people wherever it happens.

You can register to participate at this link.

Teenage Brains

Teenage Brains may sound like a new band or a cheesy horror film, but it's actually a fascinating article on brain development that goes on in the transition between childhood and fully functioning adult. The author, David Dobbs, does a great job explaining this work in progress--fostering some understanding and compassion in adults along the way. There is some good information here that reframes risk-taking and peer relations in a more positive light.

How might the conclusions of this article change how we relate with- and serve young people?

Pick up the October 2011 issue of National Geographic or read the article online here.

Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry in today's Post-Journal

Thanks, Post-Journal for today's article about SLYM! You can read it in the online edition:

Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry To Open Third Year - post-journal.com

Spaghetti Lunch & Basket Raffle

There will be a Spaghetti Lunch & Basket Raffle on Sunday, Oct. 9 from noon - 2pm, at First Lutheran Church, 120 Chandler St., Jamestown.

It benefits Chautauqua Area Lutheran Youth attending the ELCA 2012 Youth Gathering in New Orleans. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for children 6-12. Children 5 and under are free. Take outs are available upon request.

A Basket Raffle drawing will be held at 1:30 pm.

Come on out and help our youth learn and serve in New Orleans!

Perspective on social media and youth

How well do you understand social media like texting and Facebook? I recently attended a webinar that gave me a new perspective. Here is my summary in my weekly newspaper column for the Times Observer:

Social media - TimesObserver.com

Help youth get the most out of service learning

A glance at my calendar this afternoon made me aware of how many exciting opportunities for service SLYM has scheduled for the final quarter of the year. Many congregations throughout the conference have fine ministries they traditionally support this time of year, too, such as Operation Christmas Child, the Angel Tree, or packing food and gifts for shut-ins and the poor. Next year, some of our youth and adults will attend the Youth Gathering 2012 and serve the community of New Orleans.

As caring adults, we can help our young people get the most out these opportunities, whether near or far, by helping them prepare beforehand and process the experience afterward. This helps cultivate their sense of vocation, their God-given call to serve others. We can help them connect the dots between isolated events and a lifestyle.

Meredith Miller shares her wisdom in helping youth get the most out of one-time service events in this article from Fuller Youth Institute. It's worth a read if you serve with youth in any capacity. Oh, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Register now for Youth Leader's Training Event

I am really blessed to be part of a learning cohort with The Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary. Ministry with young people presents some unique opportunities and challenges and its been great these last few months to have some peers with whom to brainstorm, share, pray, and encourage. So I am very excited to let everyone know about a great retreat coming up in our own backyard to connect youth workers! 

Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center and Niagara Frontier Conference LYO is holding a Youth Leader's Training on October 28-29. It is open to volunteer and paid youth leaders with any level of experience. There are 3 different focus areas:

• ELCA Youth Ministry Training Program: Special guest presenter Pastor Justin Johnson will look at youth ministry as faith formation, and discuss a multitude of details and ideas to build a successful program. Get the latest 2012 Youth Gathering updates as well.
• Bible Study & Group Building 101: Lee Lindeman, LCLC Director, will look at designing and implementing quality Bible Studies and delve into the basics of building a faith-centered, trusting community.
• “Hot Topics”: A chance to discuss your burning questions. Bring any and all questions, concerns, and ideas to the table as we use this time together to talk about the big questions (and answers?) in youth ministry.

My team from Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry went to last year's retreat and had a great time of learning and reflection. Ideas we implemented from the training turned out to be some of the most popular things with our youth. We certainly enjoyed meeting and sharing with other youth workers from throughout our region, especially over the good food from the LCLC kitchen! 

You can download the registration form right here. At $35, the price can't be beat! Wouldn't it be encouraging to see a great turnout from people interested in the lives of youth from throughout the Southwest Conference?

Role models, whether we recognize it or not

I came across this little bit of wisdom by James Baldwin in a book I'm reading for my day job:

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders,

 but they have never failed to imitate them.

 They must, they have no other models."

How very true!

Source: Paymar, Michael. Violent No More: Helping Men End Domestic Abuse. Alameda, CA: Hunter House, 2000. 

Practice Discipleship series of online webinars

I just finished participating in the webinar "Lutheran Theology: God at Work in the World" with Dr. Jeremy Myers of Augsburg College. As a youthworker, I'm always looking for ways to help young people notice what God is doing in and around them, and the webinar this afternoon will certainly come out in some conversations with youth over this current program year. Myers did a good job connecting key points of Lutheran theology with the discipleship of young people. I'm looking forward to learning more from him during the next webinar in two weeks time.

You can get in on these seminars--they're free to all youth and family ministry professionals and volunteers. There's more info in the video below:




You can register for any or all of these trainings here.

Support Youth Gathering delegates at Applebee's

On Tuesday, September 20 from 11am - close, Applebee's in Lakewood NY will donate 10% of your check (excluding tax and tip) to Chautauqua Area Lutheran Youth attending the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans.

You MUST present a special voucher for this to happen. You can download it here.

So come out to Applebee's, support our delegates to the Youth Gathering, and have a great meal, too!