The path to adulthood looks much different than it did a few decades ago. And this shift has serious implications for youth ministry and how we navigate the realities of adolescent culture and the call of discipleship.
That’s why we’re excited to co-sponsor the one-day Extended Adolescence Symposium, featuring a dialogue (and probably some debate!) between Dr. Robert Epstein and Dr. Jeffrey Arnett. Dr. Epstein and Dr. Arnett come from distinctly different perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of this shift in adolescence, and facilitator Dr. Kara Powell will help us consider what it means for people in ministry. The event is being put on by The Youth Cartel, and it all goes down Monday, November 21, in Atlanta (after the National Youth Workers Convention).
Do you want to join us?
Since sparkhouse is one of the event sponsors, we have one (1) ticket to give away (worth $100). Two ways to enter:
Leave a comment explaining why you want to go to the Symposium.
Mention this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter, and then leave a comment on this blog post to let us know you did.
*Please note: The contest has been extended! Comments must be posted by 11:59 pm CST on Thursday, November 10. We’ll randomly draw one (1) winner and post about it on Friday, November 11. This giveaway is for the tickets only—you are responsible for your own transportation and lodging.
Are you gearing up for any fall events? We sure are! With the San Diego National Youth Workers Convention just 10 days away, the sparkhouse team is packing up and heading west. And we’re really looking forward to spending time meeting with youth workers from around the country!
Can’t make it to San Diego, but are venturing to the second National Youth Workers Convention in Atlanta this November? We’ll be there, too! With the promise of great sessions and speakers, and opportunities to connect with God (and each other!), both are bound to be incredible weekends. We’re going to have a booth set up with all sorts of re:form goodies and some great giveaways. You’ll definitely want to stop by.
For those of you on the East Coast, we’ll also be at the Momentum Youth Conference in Hickory, North Carolina later this week. We hope to see you at one of the youth events this fall. Whether you’re headed to San Diego, Hickory, or Atlanta, be sure to find us and say hi!
Not able to make it? No problem! Follow along with re:form on Facebook and Twitter to catch all the latest event updates.
When was the last time you attended summer camp? Odds are it’s been too long! In just two weeks, JoPa Productions, headed by Doug Pagitt (pastor, radio host, and author of the Inventive Ageseries) and Tony Jones (author, theologian, adjunct professor, and re:form contributor) are presenting the first ever Social Phonics Summer Camp for those interested in learning more about the ever-evolving world of social media. Since 2009, Doug and Tony have traveled the U.S. consulting and speaking at day-long boot camps, but this summer camp provides the opportunity to dive even deeper into Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and much more.
As their website explains, “In a fun, relaxed, summer camp environment, we’ll spend an entire day embellishing your Facebook page; we’ll delve more deeply into free broadcast media — both audio and video; we’ll tutor you in blogging; we’ll make sure that your Google listing is optimized; and we’ll do some serious tweeting!  Guest speakers will teach about writing compelling copy for your website and maintaining privacy online.  Plus, our certified Social Phonics Coaches will be your camp counselors all week, giving you one-on-one attention.”
Think this is exactly what you need to jump-start your social media savvy? After three days at this camp, you’ll leave with tips, pointers, and hands-on experience that will help both you and your organization. Plus, nothing says summer camp like a trip to Minnesota! You can register here.
Fans of re:form, rejoice! Coming this August, we’re rolling out a brand new resource from the creative teams that brought you re:form and re:form Traditions. . . re:form Ancestors! This youth Bible study explores the ancestors of our faith by exposing the real, unpolished and unexpected personalities of Old Testament Bible characters.
From Adam and Eve (the lovable screw-ups)Â to Daniel (the invincible visionary), this fifteen course Bible study is bound to spur great conversation. Our hope is that youth will discover similarities between themselves and the many unlikely people selected by God to do extraordinary things. To see a full list of the characters included in re:form Ancestors Old Testament, head to our Facebook page. Take a moment to watch a preview video from the lesson “Moses: the Frustrated Leader.” And be sure to let us know what you think!
And coming May 2012 – re:form Ancestors New Testament. Stay tuned for more!
In just two weeks members of the sparkhouse team will be traveling to a farm outside Pittsboro, North Carolina to participate in the inaugural Wild Goose Festival. This innovative family-friendly gathering, based on the U.K’s successful Greenbelt Festival, is bringing together people interested in learning more about the intersection of justice, spirituality, music, and art. We couldn’t be more excited! As their site says, ” Wild Goose Festival offers a truly remarkable lineup of musicians, artists, speakers, performers and events . . . we’re seeking to nurture a space that is both entertaining and transformational.”
Just as many attendees have mentioned on Facebook and Twitter, we too are looking forward to learning, conversing, and working with enthusiastic participants and contributors throughout our three days in North Carolina. We will be representing both sparkhouse and Clayfire, our brand new worship design platform that will be available this August. Look for bright orange t-shirts and smiling faces. We hope to see you there!
Follow @Clayfire and #wildgoosefest as we embark on this adventure to Wild Goose Festival!
In March, the re:form Ancestors Dream Team – youth leaders, pastors, and theologians from all over the country – gathered for a two day Creative Jam, full of collaboration, imagination, and inventiveness. Rev. Melissa Cooper spoke with us about working on this brand new curriculum and that its innovative look at Old and New Testament characters will “allow high schoolers to be able to wrestle with the Bible and for that to be OK is going to be huge in their spiritual development. In the end, they’re going to come out owning their faith.”
On Tuesday, Children and Youth Ministry specialist Andy Root began a series of weekly re:form podcasts on his LiveBlog site. His first guest was youth pastor Dan Haugh, from Bedford Community Church in Katonah, NY. Their conversation on re:form session video “Does God still create stuff today?” explored ways to discuss creation with youth and, as Dan mentioned in his blog overview of the podcast, the “theological intention behind affirming that God still creates and recreates today.” Read more about he has to say on his Emerging Youth blog. And Andy wrote up a piece about the podcast for Youth Specialties, which you can read on their site!
Each week Andy plans to discuss a different re:form video with a leading youth ministry expert. April 12 features youth ministry guru Mike King and a discussion about the re:form session video “Who wrote the Bible, God or humans?”. If you’d like to watch the video, you can find it here. And be sure to listen in for the next several weeks as Danica Montplasir, Lars Rood, and Kenda Dean call in for more youth ministry, theology, and re:form discussions!
Update: Now all five videos are on the Youth Specialties site! To listen to the podcasts, head to: http://www.youthspecialties.com/blog/discussing-reform/
Recently, we had the pleasure of chatting with members of the re:form Traditions Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed Dream Teams. Hear what Rev. Mike Baughman of Custer Road Methodist Church in Plano, TX has to say about working on this innovative, exciting new curriculum!
On March 2 and 3, sparkhouse hosted a group of youth ministers, pastors, and theologians from all over the country for a Creative Jam. The focus of the Jam? Kicking off work on the next round of re:form resources! It was truly collaboration at its finest. Thanks to everyone who participated and stay tuned for what’s coming next!
Congratulations to Toolbox Studios, who won twelve ADDY awards on Saturday, including 3 Gold awards AND the Special Judges Award for the re:form curriculum!
Paul Soupiset, their Creative Director who’s been tirelessly working on re:form and re:form Traditions (see some of his incredible work here), was quoted on Toolbox’s blog as saying, “This year, the awards we won really showcase the type of work Toolbox Studios is best known for delivering. It reinforces that we are providing valuable solutions to our clients.”
We couldn’t agree more. Thanks to Toolbox for their creative thinking, incredible designs, and endless enthusiasm!
*Please note: The contest has been extended! Comments must be posted by 11:59 pm CST on Thursday, November 10. We’ll randomly draw one (1) winner and post about it on Friday, November 11. This giveaway is for the tickets only—you are responsible for your own transportation and lodging.
