Hot Dog Roast & Blessing of the School Year on Sept. 8

September is a time for new beginnings. This new school year offers many exciting opportunities and challenges. Youth Group is a place where we can celebrate the victories with you and support you through trials. We learn together, serve together, and have fun together!

We’re going to start the year with a hot dog roast hosted by Penny Highhouse on Sept. 8. ssing the School Year & Hot Dog Roast. Come join young Lutherans from around the area for food, outdoor games, and some prayer for the new school year! Open to all youth (including Confirmands) and parents. Join us at 223 Acorn Lane in Russell, PA.

Full details are in the newsletter link below.


A quick note to parents: There has never been a better time to involve your child in youth group. It provides at least two opportunities for Christian Education every month. It is open to all young people grades 5 and up. This program year we are meeting on Sunday evenings so we don’t conflict with other activities. We are using the same churches as the Shared Confirmation group to make it easier for families who have kids in youth group and confirmation. In September, we’ll meet at First Lutheran.

Cosmic Bowling is out of this world!

Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry presents COSMIC BOWLING this Saturday, July 27 from 10 pm - Midnight at Jamestown Bowling Company, 850 Foote Avenue. Just $10 for two hours of bowling and shoe/ball rental. Come out for an out of this world night of fun!

Walk This Way on Sunday, June 23

The Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry invites all young people in grades 5 - 12 to join us at the Jamestown Audubon Center & Sanctuary on June 23 from 1 pm - 3:30 pm for WALK THIS WAY.

It is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon:

• Get to know Lutheran young people from around the area.
• Enjoy a hike in the outdoors.
• Learn about God's creation.

We hope to see you there!

Helping the Hungry

The National Association of Letter Carriers is holding its 21st annual National Food Drive this Saturday, May 11. Joint Neighborhood Project, an organization close to the hearts of our youth, is one of the beneficiaries.

JNP needs help stocking shelves as the food comes in and they are asking Lutheran Youth to lend a hand. Help is needed Saturday, May 11 from 1 pm - 4 pm at Joint Neighborhood Project, 532 East Second Street in Jamestown. (Next to Immanuel Lutheran Church).

Contact Ian if you are willing to make a difference for the community!

Intergenerational Pen Pals

"At the luncheon I spoke of the culture of abandonment in which today’s youth struggle to find adult support, modeling, and mentoring. We juxtaposed the teen life of 50 years ago against teen life today. Then I asked them to consider adopting a teenager and writing that young person one letter a month until Jesus comes..."

A caring conversation can take many forms. Here is a beautiful story about how God is working through a pen pal: 

Intergenerational Pen Pals | StickyFaith.org

Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry news for March 2013

The Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry is a cooperative effort of four Jamestown-area churches: Bethel, First, Holy Trinity, and Immanuel. It is open to any youth who are interested in growing in faith, making a difference, and having fun! We are meeting on Sundays now--we're trying several different times until we choose a permanent time. Check out this month's newsletter in the link below:

2013 Summer Camp registration underway

"Pinch another cheek, pinch the cheek next to ya...!" 2013 Summer Camp Registration is underway!

The 2013 Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center summer brochures have been mailed to individuals on the camp mailing list and packets have been mailed to congregations.

If you didn't receive a brochure and would like one, you can view the brochure as a PDF file and register online by clicking here.

For more information call 716-386-4125 or email LCLC.

Congratulations, Tara!

Tara Eastman, Youth & Family Director at First Lutheran Church, graduated with a Certificate in Youth & Theology from the Princeton Theological Seminary Institute for Youth Ministry on January 30.

While pursuing her degree Eastman was a contributing writer to Connect, a witty, video-based Sunday School curriculum for pre-teens from Sparkhouse (a division of Augsburg Fortress). She wrote units based on Exodus in the Old Testament. Her contributions were also incorporated into the Connect Bible, a companion resource also published by Sparkhouse.

In addition, she also served on the board of Joint Neighborhood Project and pursued various art projects. Eastman is now a student at Wartburg Theological Seminary in the Theological Education for Emerging Ministries program. She resides in Jamestown with her family.

The Toilet Bowl 2 is this Sunday!

Spend some time at THE TOILET BOWL this weekend! It is an action-packed Southwestern Conference Youth Ministries event that has a lot happening:

• RECREATION: Laser Tag, Skateboarding/BMX, Video games w/video projector, Ping Pong, Air Hockey, Pool Table, Human Foosball Court & Chill Out Lounge and Snack Bar.

• SERVICE & JUSTICE PROJECT: We're collecting Toilet Paper (and other paper products) for Joint Neighborhood Project, an agency that "in the response to the call of Christ...serves and empowers people of all ages, races and creeds to ensure help for today and hope for a better tomorrow."

• WORSHIP: A youth-led contemporary worship service with talented young people from throughout the Southwestern Conference.

THE TOILET BOWL is...

• ...for youth in grades 5 - 12!
• ...is happening this Sunday, February 17 from 1 pm - 4 pm at the Gateway Center, 31 Water St., in Jamestown!
• ...costs just $5.00 + a roll of toilet paper (or other paper product)
• ...THE place to be this Sunday afternoon!

Open publication - Free publishing - More lutheran

Lutheran youth are on the move--to Sundays!

After 4 1/2 years, the Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry is moving from Thursdays to Sundays.Why did we make this change? Three reasons:

• We find that we are getting better attendance at our weekend events as they don’t conflict with other activities during the week.
• Youth from all four churches in the partnership are better represented at weekend events.
• More adults are helping and chaperoning on the weekend.

We look forward to serving even more youth on Sundays as we look towards our fifth year and beyond!

FEBRUARY 2013 SCHEDULE

Recreation & Sacred Space
2/10  5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
First Lutheran Church
We’ll meet during the first hour for dinner together, games, “hang out” time, and snacks. Then we’ll talk about an interesting topic through the lens of the Bible and worship together. 

The Toilet Bowl 2
2/17  1:00 pm - 4 pm
Gateway Center
Let’s change the world--one roll of toilet paper at a time! Important details are on in the link below!

Open publication - Free publishing - More lutheran

Southwestern Conference Youth Ministries Team Meeting - January 2013 minutes

Southwestern Conference Youth Ministries Team Meeting
January 5, 2013  9 am
First Lutheran Church

Meeting minutes

Present: Ian Eastman (SW Conference), Tara Eastman (First Lutheran), Mike Felsman (Tri-Church), Judy Lind (Immanuel) & Ann McKillip (St. Tim's).
Regrets: Jennifer Spacht (Bethel)


Devotion

Ian talked about Seasonal Affective Disorder. People in the Northeast have higher rates of depression this time of year. Something to be aware of when working with youth and congregations this time of year. A portion of Mark Yaconelli's Wonder, Fear, and Longing: A Book of Prayers was read that referenced Psalm 22.

Thrive reviewed
Thrive, our Conference Youth event for November was reviewed. We hosted the Captive Free East Lakes Team the weekend before Thanksgiving. We planned several events for the weekend. The one that worked best was the Sunday afternoon event with 5 churches participating. The Saturday afternoon event, which was planned as a family event, didn't really draw that many kids--although we had older adults from around First Lutheran's neighborhood in attendance. We are planning to host Captive free again in Nov. 2013--we will keep what worked and reevaluate our expectations for the other parts of the weekend. For instance, maybe we should plan Saturday to be a day for the retirees in the housing around First Lutheran. Janet Wahlberg was very helpful in organizing the soup lunch and many individuals and churches contributed for meals for the team. Karen Rine generously hosted the team.

18 people representing 8 different churches in the SW Conference participated in the Stewards of Children training in December.

Stewards of reviewed
The Child Abuse Prevention Committee did a wonderful job training our the conference in how to identify and respond to child abuse. 19 people representing 8 churches in the conference participated. We will consider offering some sort of annual event for Youth Workers and Christian Educators in the future.


Mission on the Mon
The parent/student information meeting for the summer mission trip was only attended by one parent. Due to lack of interest, we are canceling the trip. (The parent was given information about the trip to follow up personally.)

Pastoral Representative & schedule coordination

The Conference Youth Committee is seeking a pastor to serve on its committee and will also seek a coordination meeting with other youth-serving ministries around the conference to coordinate schedules for the 13/14 program year.

Toilet Bowl 2

This popular event for youth is coming back to the Gateway Center on Sunday, February 17 from 1 pm - 4 pm. This year's recipient of paper products will be Joint Neighborhood Project. We will need approximately 6 adults to chaperone and assist. Youth will lead worship. The committee with email churches seeking volunteers for various aspects of the service.

Continuing Education
We also discussed Lutheran Theology: How God is Working in the World using a video produced by the ELCA Youth Ministry Network.




Upcoming Conference Youth meetings:

02/02/13   9 am   First Lutheran

03/02/13   9 am   First Lutheran

Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry schedule for January 2013

Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry schedule for January 2013

The Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry is a youth group for grades 5 - 12 that meets in the Jamestown, NY area. It is a cooperative effort of Bethel Lutheran Church, First Lutheran Church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Immanuel Lutheran Church, and GA Family Services. If you know of a young person who would benefit from its mixture of faith formation, recreation, and service learning, please send them along! Here's our schedule for January:

Thursdays 6 pm - 8 pm

1/3 - Open Gym & Games @ Gustavus Adolphus Learning Center
1/10 - Make Your Own Treasure Box @ First Lutheran
1/17 - Open Gym & Games @ Gustavus Adolphus Learning Center
1/24 - Game Night w/resdients @ Lutheran (formerly LSS)

Senior High Winter Retreat at LCLC

Senior High Winter Retreat
Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center
January 4-6, 2013

Come enjoy a weekend of faith, friends, and fun while you explore what it means to be a maturing Christian young person. 

The Winter Retreat will also include:

• Powerful worships and devotions            
• Reconnecting with old camp friends and making new ones 
• Campfires
• Camp Games and activities 
• Sledding and fun in the snow

WHEN: 7:00 PM Friday through 11:00 AM Sunday

WHERE: The Retreat Center at LCLC

COST: $90 (Includes meals, lodging, and program)
      $25 of which is a non-refundable deposit
      The registration deadline is 12/28/12

Click here for a registration form or call 716-386-4125 for more information.

Follow the Star all Advent long

Advent is a time to prepare for our celebration of the incarnation of Christ on Christmas, and a time of anticipation for Christ's second coming. It is a busy time of year, but I encourage you to carve out a little bit of time each day to ponder the message of Advent.

I wanted to let you know about an online resource that can help: Following the Star seeks to provide a safe and meaningful devotional place for youth and young adults during Advent. Check it out--and by all means pass it along to your friends! Here's the link.

4th-8th Grade Advent Retreat

4th-8th Grade Advent Retreat
November 30 - December 2, 2012
Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center

What better way to combine all you love about LCLC with the excitement of this special time of the year.  Join us for this great way of getting your Advent and Christmas seasons off to an exciting start.

The LCLC Advent Retreat will include:

• Advent Worship & Bible Study            
• Reconnecting with old camp friends and making new ones 
• Campfires
• Advent Crafts
• Cookie decorating 
• Christmas carols
• Camp Games and activities 

WHEN: 7:00 PM Friday through 11:00 AM Sunday

WHERE: The Retreat Center at LCLC

COST: $85 (Includes meals, lodging, and program)
                   $10 of which is a non-refundable deposit
                   The registration deadline is 11/26/12.

Click here for a registration form or call 716-386-4125 for more information.

Thrive on Nov. 18

Southwestern Conference Youth Ministries presents THRIVE on Sunday, November 18 from 1 pm - 4 pm at the Gateway Center (31 Water St., Jamestown). The event is for youth in grades 5 - 12.

An exciting afternoon of recreation is planned with laser tag, bmx/skateboarding, human foosball, game room, and video games... Then Captive Free East Lakes, a relational music ministry team sponsored by Youth Encounter, will lead worship. It will be an inspiring time of Christian music, games, skits and personal sharing.

The cost of the event is $5 plus a donation of an item from the Captive Free needs list (at bottom of email). A signed parent waiver is required for youth wanting to use the bmx/skate park (which can be found at this link).

Open publication - Free publishing - More captive free

We know that some churches on the fringes of the conference have a bit of travel between worship and the event. We have arranged with the Gateway Center to have their snack bar open during the event so you can get lunch there and save time. They have burgers, pizza, fries, etc. available for a reasonable cost.

Please help the Conference Youth Ministries Team reach youth with this positive event:

• Forward this email to youth and their parents.
• Print out the attached flyer and hand them out in Sunday School & Worship.
• Do an announcement about the event in church.
• Organize a group to commute to the event together.
• Get posters up around the church
• Make some personal invites

CAPTIVE FREE EAST LAKES NEEDS LIST:

• Cash
• Stamps
• Gas Cards
• Restaurant & Grocery Gift Cards
• Target & Walmart Gift Cards (for program supplies)
• Phone Cards
• Vitamin C
• Airborne
• Contact Cleaner
• String/Yarn Skeins   
• Guitar Picks (Medium and Thin)
• 12 String Guitar Strings
• Acoustic & Bass Guitar Straps
• Ponytail Bobbles & Velcro Straps (for wrapping instrument cables)
• Oil Change for Van (or money towards)

Sign up now for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training

Southwestern Conference Youth Ministries is partnering with the Child Advocacy Program to bring Stewards of Children: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training to our conference on Saturday, December 1 from 9 am - noon at First Lutheran Church, 120 Chandler St. in Jamestown.

Do you know how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse? How about your volunteers that work with children and young people? Are you confident that your church would react promptly and responsibly? This is a resource that can help your congregation increase its awareness of a devastating issue and put organizational policies and procedures in place that protect and serve children.

This evidence-based training is appropriate for pastors, youth workers, Sunday School teachers, nursery workers, "Cherish Our Children" committee members, and other caring adults. The cost of the training is $10 per person and includes a workbook for each participant. The Conference Youth Ministries Team will spring for refreshments.

You can mail or fax your registration--please note that the deadline for registration is November 16--to ensure that workbooks arrive in time. I have attached a flyer with further information about this event. Please get this on your December calendars and plan on having key leadership from your church in attendance.

Here is how you can help our team get the word out in your congregation:

• Forward this page on to key leadership in your congregation today--people that work directly with young people as well as people who could make policy changes if necessary.
• Put this on the agenda of your next Christian Ed. meeting
• Make a short announcement in Worship this Sunday. Have registration forms handy for those interested in taking the training. 

Open publication - Free publishing - More child abuse

Chills 'n' Thrills

The run up to Halloween finds me knee-deep in nostalgia and indulging in one of my passions: old scary movies. I'm digging out the DVDs starring Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney. I don't know what it is about these movies that fascinate me so, because I'm not morbid or given to dark thoughts. My theory is that my first exposure to these films is associated with good times with my family back there on East Street in the late sixties and early seventies. Creature Features on Channel 5 was pretty much required viewing by older sister and brother every Saturday so I would catch bits and pieces of the classics they were watching as I was playing with toys. Why did the people in these movies look so strange? I remember thinking. If I got freaked out my sister would calm me down by telling me that the movie was about "a nice monster who is just pretending to be scary." A good strategy on her part—mom would have come in from the kitchen and turned the channel otherwise!

That isn't to say that the strategy always worked. I remember being terrified, just terrified, of the claymation hand that used to bookend movies on WPIX's Chiller Theater. Remember that? "Chilllllll—errrrrrr…" My sister and I had a different strategy for Chiller. At the first sign of the hand I'd run and hide behind the chair and cover my ears. When the commercial break was over, she'd tap me on the shoulder as a signal that it was ok to come back out. That goofy hand scared me more than the actual movies.

So many scary (but kind of fun) images come to mind from the family TV circa 1970s: The Zuni Fetish Doll from the movie Trilogy of Terror, Bigfoot chasing around the Six Million Dollar Man, The Blob, and a slapdash screamfest called Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things that aired on Channel 9's Million Dollar Movie. Steve Niver, who grew up around the corner on the South Side, shares a lot of these same memories. We were both blessed with wonderful and responsible parents, which make us wonder how we ever were allowed to watch this stuff. I can only imagine that we must have been pretty sneaky kids!

I remember watching was Salem's Lot when I was 11. My sister kept asking me if it was too scary for me—it was—but I kept insisting that I was fine. I resented the fact that my sister was treating me like a "little kid." During the commercial break she went to the kitchen to get a drink of water. I stealthily tip-toed behind her through the dark house on Onondaga Avenue. When see turned around from the sink I let out a hissing sound while doing my best Count Dracula impression. The result was a broken glass, water everywhere, and a panicked older sister quickly turned into an angry older sister. I think Salem's Lot might have been too scary for both of us! (Not a nice trick for me to play on the person who told me about nice pretending monsters and helped me hide behind the chair!)

I watch scary movies and write about them in this annual self-indulgent pre-Halloween column. Steve went to Hollywood and makes scary movies. With his new company The Monster Machine he's making movies with titles like Arachnaconda  and Grizzligator. He really gets that these kinds of movies are meant to fun. The fact that he's getting these projects off the ground pleases me to no end. I imagine in a few years someone will be writing about how they hid behind the chair from Arachnaconda when they were a kid. Isn't that cool?

Ian Eastman, M.A. is the Youth Coordinator for the Southwestern Conference of the Upstate New York Synod, the Coordinator of the Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry in Jamestown NY, and a Youth Minister in the Pastoral Care Department at Gustavus Adolphus Family Services. He is a student at the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary. He promotes the spiritual development of young people and advocates for best practices in youth work.

Helping Kids Cope with Stress

In my day work in mental/behavioral health, every autumn brings an influx of young people trying to cope with the demands of a new school year. This article is well worth a read if you know a young person under stress. Check out the article here: Helping Kids Cope with Stress.

The High & Low of it

In one of the support groups that I conduct in my day job, the participants kept describing communication as an important way to build intimacy in their families. I wholeheartedly agreed with them, but I wanted to make sure that they really understood what they were advocating. After a few sessions I wrote some common phrases that someone might hear in a relationship. I asked them to read the statements and then formulate a reply acknowledging they understood the feelings in the statements. The next week I asked them to reflect back the content. The results were interesting. One guy summed up the experiment by saying, "We talk about communication all the time, but it turns out that it's a lot harder than we thought!"

Child development experts relate that there is often very little communication happening with our children. Often we grownups don't notice this because our families are awash with words. If we tape-recorded our family life we would soon discover that most of the words come in the form of telling them what to do: Do the dishes, Get your homework done, etc. Necessary, but not the most significant exchange of ideas, eh? We would be shocked and dismayed to learn that once we cut out all of that kind of stuff from the tape that there would probably only be a minute or two of substance each day.

This isn't meant to be another finger-pointing indictment of parents. I'm just mentioning it out because dads and moms are the most important influence on their children's character and values. Knowing that, wouldn't it make sense to have as many conversations about important things as possible? It may not always feel like it, but believe me, young people crave this kind of attention—even when they're too cool to show it.

One way to start is to observe the practice of Highs & Lows. It could be something you do together at the dinner table or before bedtime. Ask everyone tell the best part of their day (the High) and the worst part of their day (the Low). This is practical way to start the discussion because it discourages the typical one-word answer: How was your day?/Good. Also, it also teaches your child that there is a range of experiences each day. A good day has a little bad, and even a bad day has some good. When practiced consistently, Highs & Lows can really yield some heart-to-heart communication and foster intimacy in families.

Ian Eastman, M.A. is the Youth Coordinator for the Southwestern Conference of the Upstate New York Synod, the Coordinator of the Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry in Jamestown NY, and a Youth Minister in the Pastoral Care Department at Gustavus Adolphus Family Services. He is a student at the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary. He promotes the spiritual development of young people and advocates for best practices in youth work.