LYO Survey

The ELCA is asking for individuals to participate in a survey. We wanted to let you know that they were requesting us to fill out the survey. If you could take 10 minutes of your time and fill it out, they would greatly appreciate it. They are asking for them to be done by November 30th. Listed below is their note and the links to LYO and the survey.

Participate in Churchwide LYO Survey

You might be familiar with the ELCA restructuring of the LYO (Lutheran Youth Organization) that is currently in development.  The planners would love your thoughts and input, and have created a simple, 10-minute online survey and would love it if you’d be willing to give you input and feedback!  Click here to take the LYO Survey.

Humor: Remove The Plank

A little humor on Tuesday ….

Social Networks and Kids

How young is too young?

CNN recently did a news story about social networking and kids. Here is the link to the story:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/02/kids.social.networks/index.html

Here is one segment of the article:

Sixty-one percent of those in the study, ages 12 to 17, said they use social-networking sites to send messages to friends, and 42 percent said they do so every day.

The data in the study was from 2006, so it’s not a stretch to assume those numbers are higher this year. Research on younger children is limited, but anecdotal evidence shows that many of them are also logging on.

Social networking is very powerful and we need to keep current on where the children are going online and how they are using social network sites. There are plenty of negatives that can occur and that are reported. But, there are positives and we can use these methods to reach out to kids.

Parables of the Leaves

By Jacque Thone

And Jesus told them many things in parables. . .Let anyone with ears, listen. Matthew 13:3a, 9

As I watched the Vikings game (yes, the Vikings, NOT the Packers game) on Sunday, I also kept my eye on the wind howling through the trees outside my window.  It’s been a windy week and most of the leaves have come down, so I was struck by the tenaciousness of the ones that were left. As I pondered what it was that made them hang on so tightly, a parable formed in my mind.

Of course, there is probably some scientific reason why some leaves hang on longer than others, and if I actually cared about the reason I’m sure I could have Googled it, but for the purposes of my parable, it doesn’t matter. So here goes:

There are tiny leaves that never fully developed. These are the ones that were baptized, but were never nurtured in their faith, so they didn’t grow. There are the leaves that fully formed, but died long ago and were easily blown away. These were the ones that were scorched by the challenges of life and simply fell away.  Then there are the leaves that appeared healthy, but blew away at the first winds. The appearance of health was a mirage and they blew away easily because they were not truly rooted in the tree.

Which leaves those that continue to cling to the branch. These are the ones that have developed a strong bond with the branch and are not readily moved or swayed. These are the leaves that know where their source of life comes from.

And this is where my parable breaks down because eventually all the leaves will blow away. Or perhaps that is the truth the leaves tell us. Like the disciples, eventually we, too, will all fall away.

But there is always spring. There is always new life and new growth.

Thank goodness the tree is stronger than our feeble efforts to cling to its branches. Thank God, our baptisms offer the promise of new life each day, a fresh start, a new spring where we are reminded once again of our own source of life and strength.

Hope: Object Lesson

Items needed:

Two empty tin cans or yogurt cups

Nail (and hammer to make a hole if you use tin cans)

String (about 12 feet long)

Scissors

Two paper clips

Instructions

• Use the nail to make a hole in the bottom of the cups. (Warning: an adult should use the hammer and nail to make the hole in the can.)

• Cut a piece of string about 12 feet long

• Poke the string through the end of the can. (If you have trouble getting the string to go through the hole, wet a bar of soap, run the end across the soap and then between your fingers so it has a point.)

• Pull the string in a few inches and tie the end of the string to a paper clip (so it won’t slide out). Repeat this with the other string and can.

• Now, you’ve got a telephone. Give one can to a sibling or friend and tell your friend to walk away until the string is tight.

• Hold the can to your ear and ask your friend to talk into her can. Take turns speaking and listening.

FYI: Why does this work?

Everything that moves makes a sound by causing vibrations or movement of air. Your voice is a vibration. (Put your hand on your throat to feel the vibrations as you speak.) When you talk into the can, the vibrations from your voice go into the can, then from the can to the string, and then back into the other can. The can channels your voice into your friend’s ear. Our ears collect these vibrations (air movements) and change them to nerve signals that are sent to our brain. Our brain interprets these signals as sound.

Object Intro

Ask:

How can we talk to God? (Prayer)

How does God talk to us? (The Bible)

God gives us hope by giving us the privilege of asking Him anything. God wants us to talk to Him and believe that nothing is impossible with Him. He has recorded many words of hope (promises) to us in the Bible.

Then customize a lesson for your group on hope/prayer. This object lesson has been given to us via Splink.

Workshop: Safeguarding God’s Children

“Safeguarding God’s Children”, Preventing Child Sexual Abuse presentation is by Judy Hosek.  The dates are Thursday November 5 from 7-8:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 7 from9:30-11:00 am at Parma Luterhan Church.

Reservations must be done by November 4 and the contact person is Jo Caton-Frank at Parma Lutheran church in Parma (216)351-6376 ext 205 or email ParmaKids@gmail.com Parma Lutheran is at 5280 Broadview Rd in Parma and their phone number is (216)351-6376.

CHAOS Cancelled

Junior High Fall Gathering Cancelled

The Synod Youth Subcommittee is sad to announce the cancellation of the Junior High Fall Gathering.  As with all new ministry starts, sometimes bumps appear in the road and unfortunately we had too many bumps to handle this time.  We do want everyone to know that we are diligently working on getting this important ministry component up and going for our synod.  Anyone who is interested in helping in this endeavor should contact the Youth Subcommittee by email at youthrocker@gmail.com or by contacting Judy Peach at (330)273-1773

Let’s Rock

The 2010 LYO Winter Gathering: The Northeastern Ohio Synod

The 2010 Winter Gathering will be held the weekend of January 8-10 at the Holiday Inn in Independence, Ohio. This gathering is central on remembering and relying on Christ the King as we carry out his work. The musical talent this year includes Josiah Smith Band, and we are very pleased to welcome new speaker Justin Vetrano!

There are three files that are listed below for download: invite letter, registration form and room form:

Let’s Rock – Invite Letter

2010 Registration Form

2010 Room Form

We hope to see you there !!

Book Review: Boundaries With Teens

From Real World Parents

In this exciting new book, Dr. Townsend gives important keys for establishing healthy boundaries—the bedrock of good relationships, maturity, safety, and growth for teens and the adults in their lives. The book offers help in raising your teens to take responsibility for their actions, attitudes, and emotions.

From the Back Cover

Teenagers!
You love them to pieces … but sometimes you feel like the pieces are falling apart

Relax! Your sanity will survive these rocky teenage years, and so will your teens—provided you set healthy boundaries that work to their benefit and yours. Boundaries with Teens shows you how.

From bestselling author and counselor Dr. John Townsend, here is the expert insight and guidance you need to help your teens take responsibility for their actions, attitudes, and emotions and gain a deeper appreciation and respect both for you and for themselves.

With wisdom and empathy, Dr. Townsend, a father of two teens himself, applies biblically based principles for the challenging task of guiding your children through the teen years. He shows you how to:

• deal with disrespectful attitudes and impossible behavior in your teen
• set healthy limits and realistic consequences
• be loving and caring while establishing rules
• determine specific strategies to deal with problems both big and small

Discover how your teenager thinks. Learn how to apply biblical principles to specific problems. Boundaries with Teens can help you establish wise and loving limits that make a positive difference in your adolescent, in the rest of your family, and in you.

Devo: Telling The Joy

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following devo is from YS Student Newsletter

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SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

Eyewitness: Telling for Joy

“We write this to make our joy complete.” (1 John 1:4)

I like really short, simple verses like this one. Sometimes they tell us way more than we expect.

After three densely packed verses about John’s unique perspective as an eyewitness of eternal life — and what that means for those of us who believe — he adds this little sentence about joy.

He tells his story to make our joy complete. We can take “our” to mean, I think, everyone in fellowship together with the Father, the Son, and each other. To tell others about the salvation available through faith in Christ — and then to see them accept the gift and join the family — completes the joy of everyone involved.

We can also find joy in telling the story of Jesus, telling our story of how He saved us, how we found eternal life in Him. We all say that we want to be happy; this is one of the ways God provides for us to experience that.

Think: Have you ever experienced the joy of seeing someone respond to the message of Jesus by trusting in Him for salvation? Why do you think that can be such a joyful experience?

Pray: Ask God to help you to find joy in telling others about the path to eternal life through faith in Jesus.

Do: Read more about John’s joyful response to those who hear and act on his message in 3 John 1-4.