May 2017 Newsletter
Join Bishop Gates for Diocesan Acolyte Festival!
Time to Sign Up Now!  
The acolyte festival is quickly approaching and we encourage you to gather your acolytes and register for this event soon! 

Building on the energy of last year’s successful festival, acolyte teams of all ages are invited to gather with peers from across the diocese for a morning of workshops, a shared meal, and a glorious festival Eucharist with Bishop Gates.

May 20, 2017

9:30am to 2:00pm

First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Brockton

Youth Leadership Academy 2017-2018
The Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) launch is July 23-July 28, 2017, at the Barbara C. Harris Camp in New Hampshire. 

Designed for young leaders entering ninth or tenth grade this fall, this special week at the camp provides a week-long leadership-development and faith-formation program, plus all that summer camp has to offer. 

At the end of the week, participants are introduced to the yearlong Youth Leadership Academy and invited to continue (but signing up for the YLA week at camp is not committing to the yearlong program).  
July 23 - 28, 2017

Barbara C. Harris Camp

Register directly through The Camp at: http://www.bchcenter.org/camp
A Note About Diocesan Youth Council Applications
Applications for the 2017-2018 Diocesan Youth Council will be available on June 7, 2017 and will be due in August. If you are a clergy member or youthworker who knows a rising 10th, 11th, or 12th grader who would be right for this program, now is a good time to talk to them about DYC before the summer begins.  
Questions?

Contact H. Mark Smith at hmsmith@diomass.org or 617-482-4826 x215  
Summer Camp
Registration Now Open!
Barbara C. Harris summer camp programs embrace the wonder of God’s creation found in nature and the camper’s distance from the distractions of everyday life.

Campers learn important life lessons and gain new perspectives as they live and play in a community centered on Christian beliefs and values.

Read more about camp programs and dates at the camp website.

Session 1: Sunday 6/25 – Friday 6/30

Session 2:  Sunday 7/2 – Friday, 7/7

Session 3:Sunday 7/9 – Friday 7/14

Session 4: Sunday, 7/16 – Friday 7/21

Session 5: Sunday 7/23 – Friday 7/28
Mother's Day Walk for Peace
Youth groups and others are invited to join  B-PEACE for Jorge , the diocesan antiviolence campaign, at the 21st Annual Mothers’ Day Walk for Peace to benefit the Louis B. Brown Peace Institute. The walk is a celebration of our collective potential to create communities where all families can live and all children are valued.

More information is available at the event's website.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Town Field Park, Dorchester, MA
1520 Dorchester Ave.

Program begins at 8:00am

Walk begins at 8:30
Lynn Youth Pride
Join St. Stephen's Church for their 2nd annual Youth Pride hosted by the BE YOU LGBTQ+ Youth Group. BE YOU is proud to present this event as a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in the great city of Lynn and beyond.

The event will include food, games, community art project, and make-up artists to help youth express their inner beauty. The event will feature True Colors, an award-winning theater program for LGBTQ+ youth.  The True Colors team will perform from 1pm-2pm followed by a Q&A with the cast and producers.

The event is free and welcomes all LGBTQ+ youth as well as allies!
June 3, 2017

11:00am to 3:00pm

St. Stephen's, Lynn

(For more information, please contact The Rev. Sarah van Gulden at 508-367-4750 or svangulden@ststephens.org)
Resources for Youth Ministry
Summer Training Opportunities for Youthworkers and Youth Ministers

We've heard from a few youth ministers who are looking to attend trainings and expand their ability to work with young people. Here are a few good opportunities this summer for youth ministry learning:

  • An extensive, mini-degree program, is the Certificate Program for Youth and Family Ministry, offered by Forma.  It includes a week-long in-person session (in Oct in MD) and extensive on-line component.
  • Yale Divinity School has a one-week summer institute (in June) and a semi-regular "lunch and lecture" series throughout the year.
  • Kanuga hosts a conference with a "AWWY" track for Adults Who Work With Youth. June 18-23 in North Carolina.
  • The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago hosts a one-day training session called Plan-It to offer help planning your program year.
  • The Diocese of Oklahoma is hosting a Mindful Ministry With Youth conference with Heidi Clark in Oklahoma in August.

Prayers and best wishes for your continued important work with the youth of our diocese! Thank you for your commitments to this work.