CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) who are committed to strengthening the Christian faith lives of youth and young adults will gather for "Youth Extravagana 2002" Feb. 1-4 at the Adam's Mark Hotel, Houston.
"The purpose of the extravaganza is to bring together youth ministry professionals and volunteers and set an environment that allows for the sharing of ideas, joys and frustrations," said Todd Buegler, president, ELCA Youth Ministry Network.
The extravaganza is an annual training event sponsored by the ELCA Youth Ministry Network, an organization that brings together youth ministry workers from ELCA congregations and from other areas of the church that provide leadership in youth ministry.
Buegler, director for youth and family ministries, Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Maple Grove, Minn., said many youth ministry professionals end their work in three years, often feeling stressed and burned out. "Many youth workers feel isolated and underappreciated in their congregations. Many are underpaid, work [long] hours and deal with the best and worst in people," he said.
At the ELCA Youth Ministry Network, "it is our belief that if youth ministry leaders, professional and volunteer, are nurtured, supported and educated, the quality and duration of their service will increase and the ministry of the church to young people and their families will be strengthened," he said.
Buegler contends that there are more "positives" of youth ministry work than "negatives." ELCA youth ministry workers have "the experience to walk alongside kids as they grow as individuals and as children of God, which is a tremendous honor. Youth workers also experience the lightbulb moments, when young people come to understand something that is beyond themselves. There is also the privilege of being part of a person's extended family and experiencing everything from birth to death," he said.
"We cannot entertain kids like MTV. What youth workers can do is share the message of God's love and grace," Buegler added.
Brent Palochonski, Ascension Lutheran Church, Towson, Md., is a volunteer youth ministry worker "with something to offer."
"I offer a young person friendship," said Palochonski. "It's important that young people today have adult friends who care in a nonjudgmental way. Most kids face peer pressure, and family structures are different today, so, I try to be there as a friend," he said.
Palochonski, an electrician, has served as a youth ministry volunteer at Ascension Lutheran Church for 18 years. He became certified to work with young people 20 years ago. "Becoming certified to work with children has given me a sense of purpose," he said. He decided to serve as a volunteer youth worker "because someone became my friend and helped me during some tough teenage years," he said.
According to Heather Hansen, director for youth and family ministries, MacArthur Park Lutheran Church, San Antonio, Texas, "kids need relationships with adults. The church must try to help strengthen relationships between adults and kids, as well as with church and family." Hansen said the church should work "to make family and youth ministry something the entire congregation engages in together."
Buegler, Hansen and Palochonski plan to attend the extravaganza. "The extravaganza is a time to renew faith" and become re-energized about youth ministry, said Hansen.
Extravaganza 2002 will feature more than 20 workshops. Topics range from dealing with stress and burnout to the biblical foundations of youth and family ministry. Bible study will be led by the Rev. Hal Weldin, director of Distributive Learning at Youth Leadership, a youth ministry training organization based in Minneapolis.
Keynote presentations will be delivered by the Rev. Roland D. Martinson, a professor of pastoral care and the Carrie Olson Baalson professor of children, youth and family ministry, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., and a member of the National Council on Family Relations; the Rev. Lawrence J. Clark, senior pastor, Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chicago, and assistant to the bishop, ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod; Paula Sturgeon, Scottsdale, Ariz., a Bible study leader at the 2000 ELCA Youth Gathering; and, the Rev. Mark DeVries, associate pastor for "Youth and Their Families," First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tenn., and author of "Family-Based Youth Ministry."
The event will feature worship and music from Peter Eide, The Fitz Family, Happy Fun Time, Rachel Kurtz, Lost and Found, The Pool Boys, Robert Robinson, Trace and the Twin Cities Gospel Choir.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
