Youth Ministry

Mark your calendars for this upcoming youth ministry event:

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Rachel GerberYouth Workers Retreat
January 23-25, 2015
Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center

The Changing Face of Youth Ministry featuring Rachel S. Gerber, Mennonite Church USA Denominational Minister of Youth and Young Adults. She will set the context to how the youth of today approach faith and the church, and provide opportunities for sharing and reflection on approaches for youth ministry with this new generation.

In the movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, Galadriel the elf queen says a classic line about the changes happening in Middle Earth. She says to Frodo, “The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air.” In a similar way this is also true about our time: the world around us has changed. Our youth are growing up in a society that in many ways looks, acts, and interacts differently than the ones we grew up in. But have our approaches to youth ministry adapted to this new generation? Learn more

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Resources for Protecting Children and Youth

circle of graceOn July 5, 2013, delegates to the Mennonite Church USA convention passed a resolution to protect and nurture our children and youth. The purpose of this resolution is to “raise awareness of child abuse and neglect and to encourage the adoption of policies and practices to protect children and youth in the church and community.” Congregations are encouraged to visit the website for related resources.

Dove’s Nest offers congregational resources such as: sample child and youth protection policies, a guide for safely including persons with a sex offense record, and a link to the Circle of Grace curriculum. Circle of Grace is a church curriculum for grades K-12 which is offered free of charge to Mennonite Church USA congregations, and you can order yours by following the link on the Dove’s Nest website.

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Navigating the financial waters of a college education
A three part video series from Everence

Students need and want a quality college education. With costs on the rise such a dream requires thoughtful preparation and ongoing attention focused on ones goals. Everence in partnership with Lutheran Social Services of MN and the Visual Arts department at Eastern Mennonite University has produced three videos approximately three minutes in length. Each video is available in English and Spanish and addresses a separate stage of the student’s journey and how to manage finances throughout the college experience.

The objective of this project is to encourage conversation between students and parents about best practices for preparing for college and navigating financial decisions up to and past graduation. The desired outcome is for students to be exposed to information regarding the different aspects of financing their education.

The three stages of the college journey addressed are:

  • The Perspective Student: educations costs, how to plan, how much and where to borrow, what to expect
  • The Current Student: knowing where you stand, estimating future payments, how much is owed to whom
  • Graduation and Repayment: payment options, consolidation facts, avoiding delinquent student loans, etc.

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The videos can be viewed here.