Dear
Friends,
If you’ve ever heard me speak, you know I am a fan of Simon Sinek. Today I found this 6-minute video of a Zoom meeting where he is speaking to his staff. If you replace his references to business with “church”, this is what I would say to all of you…
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If you don't have time to watch (I get it!), hear these words...
"
This is our opportunity:
What WILL we be,
not how do we preserve what we had.
"
And to paraphrase some of this thoughts...
COVID-19 has changed us, but it will not put the church out of business. The grief we have and will experience is heavy, and the days ahead will be hard...but I am optimistic and full of hope for the church. God is up to something in you and through you. The will of our people is high, and I have already seen you step into reinvention mode for the sake of the world we are becoming. So proud of all of you. Love you. You are a living example of the transformative power of the Gospel and who God has called us to be. So as we move forward let’s not focus on what we do or how we've always done it, but
why
we do it. And let’s find a way to do
that
.
This is all new to me too. The best thing – we are in this together. You are not alone as we reinvent ourselves for the sake of the Gospel!
Together in Christ,
Catherine Anderson
Coordinator of Youth Ministry
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COVID-19 Resource Updates
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New this week:
New this week:
Additional videos featuring Joy Hensel that address questions on mental health and young people are now available! New videos include:
- How do we help children and youth grieve losses they are experiencing?
- How do we help high school seniors grieve losses they are experiencing?
- How do we help young adults navigate changes due to COVID-19?
- What is the role of grandparents?
- How do we address substance abuse during COVID-19?
You are welcome to download, share, and embed these videos however you find them helpful. Resources mentioned in the videos are linked underneath the video at
www.nemnsynod.org/mhcovid19.
Email Catherine if there are resources you are looking for or if you have great resources to share. Chances are, others are looking for similar resources...or need what you have!
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(For Volunteers, Paid Youth Directors, Pastors...YOU!)
Ministry has changed drastically, and the work you are doing to support youth and families is critical. Join other youth workers to support each other, share ideas and resources, pray and laugh together.
Check-In meetings will be every Thursday, 10am, through April 30.
Login information for this Thursday, April 23:
If these times don't work for you and you would like to check in with someone, please
email Catherine
or call 218-724-4424, ext 124. You are not alone as we navigate these challenging days!
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Upcoming Events for Adult Leaders
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All in Relational Ministry Overview
April 21, 2:00pm
Navigating Ministry Grief and Loss
April 23, 2:00pm, Facebook Live
Join Tiger McLuen, Executive Director of Youth Ministry Consultants, for a conversation on navigating the unprecedented change COVID-19 has brought ministry leaders.
Click here for more information.
Free Coaching from Youth Ministry Consulting
Church leaders everywhere are learning what it means to minister during a world-wide pandemic. In order to best serve these leaders as they navigate new challenges, we are waiving all first-time coaching fees now through the end of April.
Click here for more information.
April 29: Revisioning Youth Ministry: Failure, Grief, and Hope
10:30am-3:00pm, Online
Join the Princeton Theological Seminary Institute for Youth Ministry for a digital event on revisioning youth ministry. Plenary leaders include Kenda Creasy Dean and Eric Barreto. Small group leaders include Aqueelah Ligonde, Marcus Hong, Kermit Moss, Erin Raffety, Shari Oosting, Erik Leafblad, and more. Registration for this event is $40.
Click here
for more information and to register.
May 14: Reframing Youth Ministry After COVID19
Join faith formation leaders from across the synod for a conversation on what we have learned from doing ministry during COVID-19, and how our experiences might shape faith formation in the coming months and years. This event will be free and held via Zoom. Details will be posted soon.
May 19: LSS Benefit for Youth
11:45am - 12:30pm, Livestream
This annual fundraising event highlights the obstacles young Minnesotans face and the ways in which LSS, together with all of us, helps map a route to their success. The goal of this event is to raise financial support for LSS. You are able to designate donations to LSS in your community. It is also a helpful event to learn more about their resources and stories!
Click here for more information and to register! You can list Catherine Anderson as your table captain.
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Joy Hensel, Project Coordinator for the NE MN Synod Mental Health Initiative and team members will be sharing thoughts with you each week to encourage, educate, resource and support you as you walk with the anxiety, fear, and grief of youth and adults, and care for yourselves.
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While we learn to live with and respond to COVID-19 in our homes and congregations, I will be sending out Youth E-Chat every Tuesday morning with updates and resources for you to use in your congregations. If you have anyone in your congregation who would like to be added to this e-newsletter (it is a different database than our synod's Online Reflections/Announcements), please have them
sign up here. You can also find previous Youth E-Chats on the
Faith Formation Resources for COVID-19 web page.
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Catherine Anderson | Coordinator of Youth Ministry | NE MN Synod, ELCA Catherine.Anderson@nemnsynod.org | 218-724-4424
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