Welcome to the NC Synod Youth and Family Ministry E-news.

January 2016

Upcoming events and trainings

* NEW - Bold Like Jesus Concert and time with Shane Claiborne and others. On Friday, January 22nd, 7:30pm at Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte, you will have the opportunity to join an event already in process but to hear from amazing speakers like Shane Claiborne, Becca Stevens and Kathryn Love. PLUS, this is followed by a concert with Rachel Kurtz. Want to know more?

To make this easier on your group traveling to Charlotte we are ordering pizza to arrive around 6:45pm. Even better - it's FREE IF you fill out

this form by January 20th at noon.

* NEW - LYO Housing - if you have specific housing requests, those need to be emailed to Tammy by January 29th at noon. I will do my best to honor those requests. Keep in mind that our room block consists of both double/doubles and kings.

* NEW - Lenten Resources are available on our NC Synod Pinterest Board. Let us know if you have ones to share.

* NEW - The Linda Kaelke Scholarship forms are due April 1st. These scholarships are designated for service trips. Don't let this deadline slip by. Read more here...

* NEW - 2016 Synod mission trip on sabbatical. We are using a one summer sabbatical to evaluate our service ministry. We are fully committed to 2017 as a Stay at Home Mission trip and hope to invite congregations from around the ELCA to join us as we host sites. If you are interested in serving as a site for 2017, please be in touch with Tammy.

* NEW - Bishop's School. A letter is going out from Bishop Smith this week announcing applications for Bishop's School. Please take a moment to consider who should be invited to attend from your congregation. This is a wonderful event filled with space to ask big questions about our faith. This year's event will be held at Luther Springs in Florida. More information...

NEW - Thrivent Action Teams - these aren't exactly new but I am really loving this program. Thrivent members can lead two action teams each year. Eric and I are both Thrivent members and did a total of 4 last year. This means that Thrivent sent us t-shirts, promotional material and a $250 Visa card for each project. ($1000) $1000 for us to Live Generously. Our projects included:

- a lunch (paid for by the Thrivent card) so that all donations from that lunch for the ELCA Youth Gathering went straight into the trip fund.

- LWR school kits for YouthQuake

- a freezer fill for a local orphanage

- a homeless car bag project where we will fill bags to hand out to those asking for donations on the side of the roads. This is a project my sisters and I are doing during our sister weekend.

Variety and yet flexibility. Check out the details and start finding Thrivent members in your congregation. I'd love to hear your stories of creative ways you are Living Generously. Let me know.

* I need your help. I am looking to interview pastors whose congregational worship attendance is between 75-150. Would you be willing to let me buy you coffee and ask a few questions about discipleship, leadership and what those look like in your context? If so, let me know. I am hoping to do these interviews in January to listen, discern and find ways to work together. I appreciate your time.

Thank you to those who have already agreed to the conversation.

* The Spring Youth & Family Ministry Network meetings are on the calendar. Anyone who works with those in the first third of life are invited. We gather at 10am and go to lunch together. Each time we gather around a specific topic but we also have time to share concerns, joys and challenges. There's great wisdom in the room. We're also going to be trying out our new conference call system so you can join via Go To Meeting.

January 19 - Children's Ministry

February 23 - Confirmation

March 8 - Retreats

* The synod's Book of Faith Task Group announces the "Tell It!" video contest for youth groups. Tell your favorite Bible story in less than 4 minutes and win a prize! (Not to mention you'll have great fun doing it and have a Bible story to share with your own congregation and the rest of the world.) Visit the synod's YouTube channel to see last year's submissions. Find contest details here.

* LYO Assembly

2016 - registration is now open. Every year in February we gather for our Lutheran Youth Organization Assembly. We'd love to have you join us for a weekend of fun, fellowship, prayer and learning. This year's theme is Amazing Grace. Please make plans now to attend. We will gather February 26-28th at the Embassy Suites in Greensboro. This event is open to all 6-12th graders.

*YARP Training 2016 will be held in conjunction with our annual LYO Assembly. If you have 18-25 year olds who would be willing to volunteer their time to serve the synod and our congregations in youth ministry, please let Tammy know. They can register here. (it's a sub-event of LYO on the registration. The LYO registration will be removed from your/their account) No charge for this training.

2016
January 16-17 LYO Board Retreat - Taylorsville
January 19 - Youth & Family Network Meeting - Salisbury
January 21-23 Bold Like Jesus Conference - Christ, Charlotte
January 22 Bold Like Jesus Concert w/Rachel Kurtz - Christ, Charlotte
February 3-5 Practice Discipleship Training - Anaheim, California
February 5-8 - ELCA YM Extravaganza - Anaheim, California
February 23 - Youth & Family Network Meeting - Salisbury
February 26-28 - LYO Assembly - Embassy Suites, Greensboro
February 26-28 - YARP training - Embassy Suites, Greensboro
March 6-8 - Emerging Leader Retreat - Salisbury
March 8 - Youth & Family Network Meeting - Salisbury
April 1 - Kaelke Scholarship Applications due
April 4-6 - Youth & Family Staff Retreat - Embassy Suites, Greensboro
April 11-13 - Region Nine Youth Ministry Staff Retreat
June 2 - Pre-Assembly Event - Social Media
June 3-4 - Synod Assembly - Charlotte Renaissance
June 20-23 - LYO Board Retreat - Lake Lure, NC
June 21-25 - Bishop's School - Luther Springs, Florida

App of the Month - Remind

This app was developed for teachers but I use it for our weekly LR Family Dinners. I can send out a text telling them when dinner is each week and they don't have to have the app to receive the text. They can now respond back directly to me without the entire group receiving each response. It's free to download and to use.

Resource of the Month

Coloring as a Spiritual Practice.

There is a saying that music transcends all barriers. Color can do that as well. When we add pigment to a black and white drawing a wonderful act of co-creation happens, not unlike a musician interpreting the notes a composer wrote. Read more...

Video of the Month- YAGM

The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program invites ELCA young adults ages 21-29 into a transformative, year-long journey in international service. As they offer themselves in service, ELCA young adults are shaped by the witness of our global neighbors. They share in the journeys of companion churches and organizations in one of nine countries around the world. Applications are now being accepted. Read more...

ELCA Youth Ministry Network - why join?

Here's why you should be a member...

* Network members get deep discounts to attend the Extravaganza.

* Members receive the Connect Journal, published 3 or 4 times per year.

* Members get access to the video archives of Extravaganza keynote talks going back to 2006.

* Members receive access to MartinsList.org, the resource sharing web site.

* Members are invited to participate in live, monthly "3rd Tuesday Conversations" (3TC) webinars with experts in the field.

* Members receive access to the full archive of 3TC webinars

* Members receive discounts from network partner organizations including: The Center for Youth Ministries at Wartburg Seminary; Hertz Rental; Impression Media Group; Lutheran Life Coaching; Trinity Lutheran College Center for Children, Youth and Family Ministry; Unify Church App Development; TxtSignal; Youth Leadership and Youth Specialties

* Access to the online membership directory

* The list of congregations willing to host visiting youth groups

* The results of the annual salary survey.

And they keep adding to the list all of the time!

Check out the network website.

Making a Difference on our behalf...

LDR - Lutheran Disaster Response

The Situation:
Flooding and tornadoes have wreaked havoc across the Midwest and South. Heavy rainfall and record flooding have forced the evacuation of hundreds of people, claiming the lives of at least 24 people, threatening crops and livestock and putting scores of homes underwater after days of unusual winter weather.

Our Response:
Lutheran Disaster Response is working with social ministries and synods that serve the impacted communities in shaping the response to this dynamic situation across multiple states. This initial response of neighbor helping neighbor and organizations responding in their own communities will be expanded by our long-standing network of support to assist those impacted. Together we will work to rebuild lives.
Read more...

Outdoor Ministry in the NC Synod.

Below you will find wonderful offerings from our outdoor ministry sites. If you have specific questions, please check out their websites.

Agape-Kure Beach Ministries

Novus Way (Lutheridge, Lutherock, Luther Springs & Luther Ranch)

BAG Lady Retreat ~ Recognizing the Good Girls of the Bible and in Our Lives

March 4-6
Kure Beach Faith Center
Calling all BAG Ladies (Blest and Gifted Women of God) . . . You are invited to register and attend Lou Bradley's annual BAG Lady Retreat. Spend an uplifting weekend focusing on how we use our gifts and blessings to recognize the good in and around us. For registration information call Lou at 910-297-3738.

SPRING WORK DAY
March 12
Camp Agap�
Gather your crew together and come on out to camp on March 12 for our Spring Work Day. Get your hands dirty and help Camp Agap� get ready for a new season. There will be plenty to do! Contact Mir at ACEEd@agapekurebeach.org to let her know how many folks you'll be bringing!

CLERGY CRASH!
March 27-30
Kure Beach Faith Center
Rostered leaders (and your families), come, spend 3 days at the Kure Beach Center. Sleep late, dip your toes in the ocean, chase your loved ones down the beach, enjoy a coastal sunset . . . all for free! It's Agap� V Kure Beach Ministries' gift to you. Please contact Maureen at kurebeach@agapekurebeach.org or 910.458.0783 for more information or to register.

CHURCH STAFF RETREAT
April 4 & 5
Camp Agap�
Come to camp, relax and enjoy talking with your peers about personal and church philosophy, communication, networking, and time to meet as a church. Enjoy a free massage, good food, and zip-line rides! Contact Ava at program@agapekurebeach.org to register.

MOTHER DAUGHTER RETREAT
May 6-7
Camp Agap�
Come celebrate Mother's Day, May 6-7, at a special place apart. Hike, craft, worship and share a campfire with that special woman who has listened to, cared for, and loved you unconditionally over the years. Contact Melissa at agape@agapekurebeach.org for registration information.

AGAP�-GANZA!
May 14
Camp Agap�
Hey Everybody! May 14, is set to be a fun-filled day of camp activities: canoeing, games, zip-line, etc. PLUS a GaGa ball tournament! AGAP�-GANZA! will be fun for the whole family, church group or youth group! Register your teams now! Contact Ava at program@agapekurebeach.org for more information.

FUN IN THE "SON" SKI BEECH RETREAT

Jan 29-31, 2016
Let us handle all the details of your next youth group's ski retreat while you sip hot cocoa by our fire! This weekend we will spend some time in Bible study and fellowship and also time at nearby Beech Mountain ski resort; so, we'll have some fun in the Son and in the Sun (or at least the snow!). Lutherock staff will handle ski reservations and also provide evening programming and vespers. Don't want to ski? Don't worry, there are lots of fun things to do in the winter like sledding, tubing, hiking and ice skating; just to name a few! We will work with you to create the winter retreat experience you're looking for.
Rate: $120.00/youth; $80.00/adult *Does not include ski costs*

WINTER BEECH RETREAT

February 12-15, 2016
A winter Beech retreat in the North Carolina mountains!? That's right! Bring your group to Lutherock and let us handle your ski reservations at nearby Beech Mountain ski resort. Choose if you want to ski for one or both days. The town of Beech Mountain also has a free sledding park if you want a different winter activity (Lutherock can provide you with sleds for this excursion) Lutherock staff will provide programming and vespers in the evenings. Chaperones must accompany youth.
Rate: $145.00/youth; $80.00/adult *Does not include ski costs*

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