The Resource Center

At times, individuals ask, what is the resource center ?

Or, they place it in the back of their mind and forget that it is available for them. If you are unfamiliar with what the resource center is or you want to have a crash-course reminder, click on the link below:

http://neos-elca.org/resource_center/resource.htm

JR High Ministry Team

JUNIOR HIGH MINISTRY TEAM

 

The NEOS Youth Workers Committee is looking for people who love and know junior high teens to work on a Junior High Ministry Team. This ministry team would work, in conjunction with the Youth Leaders Committee, to bring age appropriate activities to our junior high teens and would include the planning of a yearly gathering for this age group.   For more information or to join this exciting new ministry, contact Judy Peach at youthrockers@gmail.com or Judy Hoshek at the synod office, jhoshek@neos-elca.org

Something For The Heart

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

 

One of the really wonderful things about working with young people is seeing what God is up to in their lives. And generally, God is up to more than we think.

 

This past Sunday four high school youth from my church shared their experiences from a recent school trip. The focus was on leadership and service. They traveled from Fargo to Chicago, with stops along the way to do service projects. This wasn’t a church trip and there was no formal “God talk” or evening devotions or worship. But listening to them speak, it was clear that God was present and active throughout the trip.

 

It’s always interesting to hear why youth go on trips like this. For some it’s to be with their friends. For some it’s because they think it will be fun. Some are curious, or want a weekend away from home, or want to visit a new city. And of course, some go because they really want to make a difference in the world.

 

But whatever their original purpose is for participating, God’s purpose is also realized through these experiences. We all do things for a variety of motives and reasons. Yet our motives don’t matter when God gets involved, because it is God’s purposes that will be accomplished – sometimes in spite of ourselves.

 

During this trip, children were fed, nursing home residents were cared for, and a forest preserve was cleaned up. Certainly all these external signs of their work are part of God’s plan and purpose. But God was also at work internally – changing these young people from the inside by helping them to see who God calls them to be.

 

Every one of them said they would do it again. Certainly wanting to be with friends, having fun, getting away from home and visiting a new city are all part of the reason they’ll return. But my guess is the biggest reason is that they’ve seen how a little of their time can make a big difference in the lives of others. They’ve seen how God works through them in both small and big ways. They’ve seen that God has a purpose for their lives. They’ve seen themselves as God sees them – co-workers in bringing about the kingdom of God here on earth.

Resource Center: Making A Difference

 

Making a Difference

Due to changing interests, different groups of youth and different needs I am always looking for educational resources for youth leaders.  Recently the resource center added some Bible study books for youth. Written by Kevin Johnson he has produced two series. The Deeper series is for middle school youth and covers the topics of prayer, choices, friendship and trust with excellent connections to scripture. They are excellent for mature students who welcome serious conversations.  Each book has material for 20 sessions. Leaders of high school youth may also want to consider these books for potential use.

The Higher series is written for high school youth and focuses on discipleship, affirming their faith, living faithfully now and into the future. At a time when many youth are questioning themselves, others and looking towards the next stage in their life these provide studies provide a scriptural basis for these conversations.  For that breakfast group or mid-week group either of these series would be excellent discussion material.

And while education is important the mantra of recent generations has turned to “What are you doing to make a difference?” or “I want to make difference”.  So I encourage youth leaders to look for ways that youth can serve in the congregation and the community as individuals or in groups. You may be the only advocate they have for stepping temporarily or on occasion into a role that has traditionally been held by adults or for encouraging them to be the leaders of  a new project. Relationships developed through conversation or service projects help to strengthen relationships that create even more opportunities for living out both in the lives of our youth and their families. I encourage you to share your experiences at drawing youth into faith conversations and service by commenting on this post.

 

 

Resource Center: Facebook

 

From Karen ……

Facebook

As a youth leader you are probably familiar with Facebook and have been using it in varying degrees. Parents and other adults may be asking you for help in learning more about Facebook and how to negotiate it. This link will point you to a Facebook presentation by Angela Bengston of Zion, Buffalo,NY that you can use in a group or individual setting to familiarize people with Facebook.

http://mnplatypus.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/facebook-for-lutherans-class-handout.pdf

This can also be an excellent tool for starting a conversation about the ways Facebook can be used for ministry by you and your congregation.

 

 

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.