Inside find exciting opportunities that support your ministry...

Transcription

1 Inside find exciting opportunities that support your ministry... Transformational retreats and mission events that allow you to leave the planning to us. Conference wide forums that provide youth ministry networking and support for ministries with young people. Training for youth, young adults, and adult volunteers to strengthen your ministry and outreach.

2 Time for youth workers to renew through networking & training Youth Ministry Academy April 9, 2011 Virginia Conference Center in Glen Allen, VA Cost: $40 per participant (includes workshops, training resources, and lunch) Everyone who works in youth ministry, whether paid or volunteer, will strongly benefit from this day of training. CEU s will be available. Participants are encouraged to bring a team of volunteers to attend this training together! The curriculum for this training will center around two newly released books: The Spirit and Culture of Youth Ministry: Leading Congregations Toward Exemplary Youth Ministry and OMG: A Youth Ministry Handbook (Kenda Creasy Dean). For detailed information on all events or to register go to

3 A time for young people to identify their deepest passions VocationCARE Training May 9-10, 2011 Shady Grove UMC Mechanicsville, VA Cost: $50 team registration fee Most people find themselves asking at some point, Is there more to life than this? VocationCARE is a journey with young people to identify their deepest passions, to discover how those passions intersect with the needs of the world, and then to respond to God s call to ACT on and live out their discovery. C: Create space to explore Christian vocation together A: Ask self-awakening questions together R: Reflect theologically on self and community E: Establish and enact ministry opportunities The training for this practice is meant to be experienced in teams of three people from one faith community. If you are interested in discovering a journey with young people that will help this generation be the generation of change that will transform the world, then learning about the VocationCARE practice is essential!

4 Five days in relationship with God, each other, and God s creation Sojourn to Sacredness: A Theological Ecological Pilgrimage for Young Adults June 6-10, 2011 Spend five days in relationship with God, each other, and God s creation! Together, we ll spend two days hiking the Appalachian Trail and two days canoeing the Shenandoah River along with experts in the disciplines of wildlife, geology, forestry, bio-diversity, water quality and theology. Our journey will begin at Blackburn Shelter on the Appalachian Trail in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley and will end as we leave the River in Front Royal. We will witness some of the mistakes we ve made in relationship to God s creation as well as experience the sacred, thin places of God s creation. Our goal is to introduce young adult Christians to the beauty of God s creation in Virginia, to acquaint them with some of the struggles facing creation, and to explore appropriate responses from a Christian faith perspective. For detailed information on all events or to register go to

5 Mission opportunities with other cultures Young Adult Mission to Brazil July 2011 Brazil Cost: TBD In a partnership between the Virginia Conference Young Adult Council and Initiatives of Hope, a mission to Brazil is planned for July, This opportunity is open for a team of young adults ages 18-35, both clergy and laity. The focus of the mission trip will be on building relationships between Brazilian and Virginian young adults, faith sharing, and leadership training opportunities across the two cultures. Please Angie Williams (angiewilliams@vaumc. org) if you are interested. Voices of Youth: Awakening the Church to Mission July 13- August 5, 2011 Voices of Youth is a 3-4 week mission experience that takes place every summer for high school youth. This year, we ll be traveling outside the US to be in mission and ministry with our brothers and sisters in need. Upon our return, we ll travel around the Virginia Conference to share our experiences through music and worship. Voices of Youth is open to all high school students and the cost is TBD. For more information or to apply, visit the VOY Link on the Youth Page of the Conference website.

6 Inviting all youth of Virginia to come Together at the Table For detailed information on all events or to register go to School of Christian Mission July 22-24, 2011 July 25-28, 2011 Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center (VUMAC) in Blackstone The School of Christian Mission offers an exciting opportunity for young people to come alive to mission by participating in a weekend or weeklong school. Young people learn about what United Methodists are doing around the world to alleviate suffering and to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. They participate in hands-on mission projects, ranging from gleaning to working in a battered women s shelter. The youth portion of the School will focus on Forgiveness and Reconciliation. Youth are encouraged to contact Mrs. Geraldine Sanderson, Geraldine@agristar.net, for information regarding available scholarships. Further cost information will be available on the website. If you want to learn more about the School of Christian Mission and youth programming at the School, please visit the SOCM Link on the Youth Page of the Conference website.

7 A intensive leadership experience for student leaders LEAD August 5-13, 2011 LEAD is the new leadership training event to replace the former YAC and VUMDYLA. This experience will be a nine-day leadership immersion. District and local church youth councils are invited to select 3-5 youth who are willing to commit to this nine-day intensive experience and a covenant action plan to enact newly developed leadership skills in their districts and local communities upon return. The first 3 days of the event will be spent working with participants to understand vocation: identifying their strongest gifts and deepest passions, discovering how their gifts and passions intersect with the needs of the world, and responding to God s call to ACT on and live out their discoveries. During the next five days, youth will pick a track based on their discoveries and be immersed in opportunities to enact their faith through service in the community in one of three areas (worship, spiritual formation, and outreach). Finally, the event will end with a culminating experience of design studio or world café where youth create action plans and covenants for making a difference in their district and local community.

8 Become the hands and feet of Christ! Middle School Mission Weekends August 19-21, 2011 October 14-16, 2011 With the Jeremiah Project At Westview on the James in Goochland, VA Cost: $115 (Includes meals: Saturday breakfast through Sunday breakfast) The Middle School Mission Weekends are a great opportunity to introduce your middle school students (6-8th graders) to mission and help them understand what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ. Limit is 125 participants each weekend. Please be sure to refer to the website for detailed information about adult to youth ratios. For detailed information on all events or to register go to

9 Open your heart and mind to experience Christ in a new way Fall Retreats Middle School: November 11-13, 2011 High School: December 2-4, 2011 At Eagle Eyrie in Lynchburg, VA Cost: $115 per participant (includes program, resources, lodging with linens, and meals) Youth will be challenged to grow as disciples of Christ through powerful worship, Bible study, and small groups while building new friendships with youth from all over Virginia. The retreats will include a Youth Service Fund (YSF) walk for change that will help youth to gain mission awareness of how to make a difference in the world! Churches are encouraged to recruit a college student or young adult to lead a small group. The registration fee, curriculum, training and debriefing will be provided for all small group leaders.

10 Exploring God s call to ordained ministry Exploration 2011 November 11-13, 2011 St. Louis, Missouri EXPLORATION 2011 offers young adults who feel God s call to ordained ministry as a deacon or elder in The United Methodist Church a chance to explore that call. The event, sponsored by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, is open to young adults ages 18 to 26. The registration fee will cover a two-night stay at the Millennium Hotel, meals, and program fees. For more information, please contact the Virginia Conference Office of Ministerial Services or visit Also, please watch for information about a Virginia Conference Exploration Event that will be held for high school students in the fall 2011 at Shenandoah University! For detailed information on all events or to register go to

11 A week to open your eyes to social justice and global peace issues United Nations Seminar Summer 2012 New York City This transformational experience is an opportunity to go deeper in living your faith and learn how to be a generation of change. An exploration of social justice issues and systemic causes (locally and globally), this trip will help young people ages discover a passion to change the world! This seminar is sponsored by the General Board of Global Ministries of the UMC. Seminars are presented for a minimum of 15 people. The goal is to identify a core group of 15 participants by October 31, 2011, in order to make official plans for the summer of Please Angie Williams (angiewilliams@vaumc.org) if you are interested.

12 Youth Service Fund (YSF) Grants Is your church considering a new mission or ministry by, with, and/or for young people? If so, you might be eligible for a Youth Service Fund (YSF) grant to help support your project. The grants available through YSF are designed to enable creative, life-transforming ministry, and mission with young people. Funded projects will address the causes of critical issues related to young people in their local context, with emphasis on how their work can have an impact on the priorities of The United Methodist Church in a broader context. Please visit: and click on YSF for more information. The application deadline is March 1, Join the Youth or Young Adult Net To stay in the loop about youth and young adults around Virginia, be sure to join the Youth and/or Young Adult Net Group. Visit and click on the Resources drop down bar and select Groups. For more information on any of these events or to register go to Virginia Conference UMC P.O. Box 5606 Glen Allen, VA Angie Williams Director of Ministries with Young People angiewilliams@vaumc.org , ext. 135 (804) Please contact Angie for programming questions only. Becky Tate Administrative Assistant of Ministries with Young People beckytate@vaumc.org , ext.139 (804) Please contact Becky for all registration and financial questions.