News and Events

This page provides youth ministry news, information on upcoming events, and links to a variety of forms, including the form for scholarships for youth ministry events, registration forms for youth ministry events and activities, medical release forms, and permission forms for synod events.

Check out these upcoming events:

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Read the LYF Constitution by clicking here.

Check the youth calendar for LYF Board meeting information.

Opportunities for Youth Advisors/Directors of Youth Ministry

All youth group advisors/directors of youth ministry are invited to participate in these two opportunities – whether or not you are planning to attend the ELCA youth gathering. These two training/education opportunities will benefit your ministry with young people.

Discipleship Training

The Practice Discipleship Team of the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering is hosting a total of three training sessions for youth ministry workers. Each training opportunity will be looking at youth ministry events (as a whole) as faith formation. While the sessions will support and enhance the ELCA Youth Gathering experience, the focus is on youth ministry, not the gathering. The last hour of each training session will be devoted to gathering details. If your congregation is not sending a team to the gathering, you do not need to stay for this portion.

In Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, three separate training events were or will be offered: spring 2011, fall 2011, and spring 2012. Each event will be offered at three different locations on three different dates. Pick the location and/or date that work best for you.

Spring Training 2012
Topic: Integrating your Programs - Logistics and Follow Up

Participants who attend all three events will receive a special gift.

Online Webinars

Free online webinars will be offered during the fall of 2011.

The webinars will be facilitated by Dawn Troutman (ELCA Youth Ministry Network) and presented by the Curriculum Team: Terri Elton (Luther Seminary), Tiger McLuen (Youth Leadership) and Jeremy Myers (Augsburg College).

The webinars will be held on Sunday afternoons, about every other week, beginning September 2011. Sessions will be approximately one hour long. All seven sessions will be repeated live in winter/spring 2012.

Participants are invited to listen to the sessions live and type in questions to the presenters.

Webinar Topics and Dates (exact titles to be determined)

  • December 18, 2011 Faith Conversations
  • January 8, 2012 Planning for the Unexpected

Youth ministry leaders are encouraged to gather together around their computers and enjoy the webinars.

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Youth Cultural Exchange, Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod and the Evangelical Church in Slovenia

A youth cultural exchange between the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod and the Evangelical Church in Slovenia is planned for the summers of 2012 and 2013. Teens from Slovenia will travel here during the summer of 2012 and will be hosted by American teens (and their families) who will, in turn, travel to Slovenia during the summer of 2013. Exact dates are still to be determined.

For an application you can download and print, click here. The deadline for applying is December 31, 2011. Interviews will be held on January 14, 2012 (snow date January 21, 2012).

How long is the exchange?

The goal is to enjoy a 3 week exchange.

What kind of exchange is it?

There will be several (3 to 5) group events, but, for the most part, you will be on your own with your teen and are encouraged to integrate the teen into your family’s daily routine. The intent is for the teens from each country to be exposed to the culture and lifestyle of their hosts.

Who is eligible to host/travel?

Any family with a teen who will be finishing eighth to eleventh grade in June 2012 and who belongs to an ELCA congregation in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod is eligible to apply to be a participant in the exchange.

Does there need to be a teen in my family?

Yes. If selected during the application/screening process, your teen will be traveling to Slovenia in 2013 to stay with the family of the teen you hosted in 2012. It is hoped that the youth from America will develop ongoing relationships with youth and families from our companion synod in Slovenia.

Click here for a brochure with more information.

 




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