Prayer - Petition & Praise
North America Tornado Disasters: On April 28, 164 tornados were reported from Mississippi to New York, the worst tornado outbreak since 1974. Those affected by these disasters will need prayers and support.
Summer Youth Evangelism: Over 30,000 young people are preparing to spend part of their summer at one of our NAD Summer Camps. Please keep the summer camp directors and staff in your prayers as they prepare to lead these youth to Jesus.
Personnel Changes
Bill Wood: Youth Director for the Atlantic Union Conference will be retiring on July 1, 2011, after serving the Atlantic Union for over 12 years. Bill has spent over 40 years in service to youth around the nation. He will be greatly missed.
Ministry Seekers
Geert Tap: Has 14 years of experience working in a private multi-national college and is fluent in English and Dutch. Interested in pastoring, chaplaincy, or leading worship, he is seeking a challenge. More info: Contact Geert Tap.
Mike Wiley: Seeking a ministry position in education. With 7 years of Chaplain/Bible Teacher experience, Mike is looking for a position at an academy. More info: Contact Mike Wiley
Ministry Openings
College Heights: SDA church in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada is seeking an energetic pastor who is passionate about young people for a youth pastor position. The position focuses on ages 0-15, Pathfinders & Kids-In-Discipleship. More info: Contact Pastor Ron Sydenham.
Public Campus Ministry: Adventist Christian Fellowship, on the campus of the University of Tennessee-Kentucky, is looking for an Assistant Chaplain for the 2011-2012 school year. The ideal applicant is familiar with public campus ministry. More info: Contact Michaela Lawrence Jeffery.
Youth Ministries Co-Director: One-year position with food, lodging & stipend provided. Will be part of a team leading out in social and spiritual activities for youth. Includes work on secondary and grade school campuses. More info: Contact Pastor Jim at (208) 249-0086, or email Marie Stratton.
Youth Ministries Taskforce: Three-month position with food, lodging & stipend provided. Will be part of a team leading out in social and spiritual activities for youth. More info: Contact Pastor Jim at (208) 249-0086, or email Marie Stratton.
Allegheny East Conference: Requesting qualified applicants for principal positions available at Baltimore, Calvary & Sharon Temple Adventist Schools. More info: Contact Elaine Allston.
Youth Bible Worker: Loma Linda Chinese SDA Church is seeking a creative, out-going and flexible Youth Bible Worker with Chinese cultural familiarity for one year, with possible extension. More info: Contact Pastor Matthew Yuen at 909-478-3939.
Adventist Resources
COR Newsletter: Church of Refuge, a ministry of the Center for Youth Evangelism, publishes a monthly newsletter with new information and resources for churches interested in reaching out to senior youth and young adults in their community. More info: Visit AdventistYouth.org/COR.
The Youth (Doing) Ministry Formula (y+m) = YM2: Written by the NAD Youth Director, James Black, this book is a simple strategy for showing youth how to turn their interests into ministries. Available in English, Spanish and French. More info: Visit AdventSource.org.
Investiture Achievement: Beginning in the Fall of 2011, Investiture Achievement will be the official "classwork" of North American Division Pathfinders. More info: Visit InvestitureAchievement.com.
Non-Denominational Resources
Tribal Leadership: Written by CultureSync co-founders, Dave Logan & John King, along with CultureSync partner, Halee Fischer-Wright, this book examines corporate culture, and how it can make or break an organization. More info: Visit TribalLeadership.net.
World Changers: An experience provided by the North American Mission Board. This is a complete approach to a student mission project which includes personal preparation, group development and an understanding of the on-mission lifestyle. More info: Visit World-Changers.net.
What Do I Do When . . . : A series of books, published by Zondervan, designed for anyone connected to teenagers. Dr. Steven Gerali addresses daunting and difficult situations that, when they do happen, often leave youth workers and parents feeling unprepared. More info: Visit Zondrevan.com.
Skit Training 101: Let the Skit Guys be your "drama-coach-in-a-box." This interactive DVD-ROM gives you the tools to build a team, create skits, and equip your actors to memorize and act! More info: Visit Zondervan.com.
Reinventing Youth Ministry (Again): Wayne Rice, a 40-year veteran of youth ministry, offers a retrospective look on the history of youth ministry, capturing the timeline of how youth ministry came to be what it is today. More info: Visit IVPress.com.
BibleGateway.com: Currently owned by Zondervan, this is a free online service for reading and researching Scripture. More info: Visit BibleGateway.com.
Research
As a partner with Roger Dudley and the Institute of Church Ministry, CYE features ICM's research in the area of youth and young adult ministry.
Young Adults & Church Standards: In the widely-heralded Youth Retention Study, 783 young adults in their mid-twenties were asked the extent to which they agreed with ten standards that are generally perceived to be held by Seventh-day Adventists (A = Agree; D = Disagree):
1. Not use illegal drugs: A-93%; D-5%
2. Not use tobacco: A-92%; D-4%
3. Keep the Sabbath holy: A-88%; D-4%
4. Not drink alcoholic beverages: A-77%; D-15%
5. Dress modestly: A-75%; D-12%
6. Sex should occur only within marriage: A-74%; D-14%
7. Not wear cosmetic jewelery: A-33%; D-49%
8. Not listen to rock music: A-32%; D-49%
9. Not dance: A-22%; D-60%
10. Not attend movie theaters: A-16%; D-71%
Agreement on the top three items is very high. Over 90% of these young adults oppose drugs and tobacco, and nearly 90% see the sense in Sabbath observance (though their way of keeping the Sabbath may vary). The next three items on alcohol, modest dress, and sex in marriage have somewhat lower agreement, but are still affirmed by approximately 3/4 with 15% or less disagreeing. The big gap (from 74% to 33%) comes before the last four. In line with previous research, a third or fewer agree with perceived Adventist standards on jewelery, music, dancing and movies. The latter is opposed by nearly 3/4.
If these last four standards really do have a Biblical base, and if they continue to be relevant to Adventism, then the church, and especially youth ministries leaders, will need to find ways through study and dialogue to lead to a commitment on the part of young adults to these standards. Otherwise, they should be removed from the list, for standards that are proclaimed but not practiced only lead to charges of hypocrisy.
Send us your thoughts.
Adventist National/International Events
Francophone Convention for Youth: June 1-5, 2011, in Montreal, Canada. Intended to gather young adults and their leaders coming from all French territories across the world. More info: Contact Hebert Valiame, Quebec Conference Youth Director. (Sponsored by the GC, NAD & Church of Canada)
Matanatha Summer Youth Projects: July 12 - August 9, 2011, in various locations. Maranatha Volunteers International coordinates three projects for young people this summer, with opportunities to build, bond and grow. More info: Visit Maranatha.org, or call (916) 774-7700.
Jesus Loves Jeans: July 22-23, 2011, Live from Nashville, Tennessee. As part of Net 2011, JLJ is a youth discipleship initiative that is transforming thousands of youth into disciples of Jesus. Training materials available. More info: Visit Host.PropheciesDecoded.com/Resources. (Sponsored by the North American Division)
Festival of the Laity 2011: September 7-10, 2011, in Dallas, Texas. Training provided by the NAD Youth Department. More info: Visit the event page, or call (301) 680-6430. (Sponsored by the North American Division)
180 Symposium: October 18-20, 2011, in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Addressing the most pressing youth/young adult issues in Adventism, the 180 Symposium will be focusing this year on "Reaching the 2nd & 3rd Generation Youth & Young Adults." More info: Visit AdventistYouth.org/180. (Sponsored by CYE & the Lake Union Conference Youth Department)
Youth Leadership Development: October 21-23, 2011, Berrien Springs, Michigan. Over 50 hours of youth and young adult ministry seminars by specialist trainers. Master Guide, children's ministry, and many other tracks are available. More info: Visit AdventistYouth.org/yld. (Sponsored by the Lake Union Conference & CYE)
the One project: October 31 - November 1, 2011, in Helsinki, Finland. Celebrating the supremacy of Jesus in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. More info: Contact Japhet De Oliveira, or visit the1project.org.
Cruise With a Mission 2011: December 11-18, 2011, from Tampa, Florida. Join the launch of the "Family Edition" in addition to their young adult annual cruise and mission trip in one! More info: Contact Jose Bourget or visit AdventistYouth.org/cwm. (Sponsored by CYE & the Lake Union Conference)
the One project: February 13-14, 2012, in Seattle, Washington. Celebrating the supremacy of Jesus in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. More info: Contact Japhet De Oliveira, or visit the1project.org.
Non-Denominational Events
National Student Forum: May 17-19, 2011, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Canadian government's National Prayer Breakfast, this event is geared toward Christian youth interested in civic leadership. More info: Visit CanadaPrayerBreakfast.ca or CanadaStudentForums.com.
Atlanta Fest: June 15-18, 2011, in Atlanta, Georgia. Held in Stone Mountain Park, Atlanta Fest Christian Music Festival will feature concerts by numerous Christian music artists. More info: Visit AtlantaFest.com.
Live It!: July 20-24, 2011, at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. Live It! combines experiential worship and track programming, creating a spiritual catalyst for high school youth to live their unique lives for Christ. More info: Visit youthunlimited.org/LiveIt.
MOVE Summer 2011: A 5-day high-school-only summer event helping you mobilize and equip your students for Kingdom impact. This event takes place at various dates and locations this summer. More info: Visit CIY.com/MOVE.
D6 Conference: September 21-23, 2011, in Dallas, Texas. Join 2,000+ leaders, ministers, volunteers, and parents as they discuss and collaborate on what's NEXT in the strategic integration of youth ministry and generational discipleship. More info: Visit D6Conference.com.
Planet Wisdom: Through an in-depth look at God's specific attributes, Planet Wisdom events provide an experience for students to discover practical ways they can change the world by becoming more like Him. Event locations and dates vary. More info: Visit PlanetWisdom.com, or call (888) 346-4179.
Acquire the Fire: 27 hours set apart to give your teens a life-transforming experience with Christ. ATF tours occur periodically throughout the year at various locations. More info: Visit ATFTour.com.
Dare2Share: The 2010-2011 "un" Tour, taking place in various locations on various dates, provides training conferences to inspire, mobilize and prepare teens to share Jesus with their friends. More info: Visit dare2share.org/untour.
Spanish Resources & Events
Hispanic Scholarship Fund: This NAD fund is available for masters and doctoral level students. The NAD has set aside $300,000 in scholarship monies to give to qualified applicants. More info: Visit the NAD Treasury Dept. Resource page.
Pathfinder Camporees
Atlantic Union: May 5-7, 2011, at Burlington State Park in Charlestown, Rhode Island. The camporee theme will be "Courage to Shine." More info: Visit the AUC Camporee website.
Euro-Africa Division: August 1-8, 2011, Bassano Romano, Roma, Italy. Theme: "Faith Adventure - Walking With Paul." More info: Visit the EUD Camporee website.
Lake Union: September 15-18, 2011, at the Berrien Springs Fairgrounds. The theme will be "Finish Strong." More info: Contact Craig Harris, LUC Camporee Director, at charris@misda.org or (616) 834-2372, or visit the LUC Camporee website.
Miscellaneous
SONscreen Film Festival: The 2011 submission dates for filmmakers is April 7 - July 9. More info: Visit SONscreen.com.
U.S. Internet Usage: In 2000, 35% of Americans used the internet. In 2010, 80% of Americans were using the internet. (Source: Wikipedia)
Top North American Division SDA Youth Dept. Websites: 85% of people who visit a local church website end up attending. Your website should be relevant and built around your vision. Below are some conference youth department websites in North America that are informative, visually appealing and easy to navigate, according to young adults working at CYE:
U.S. Marriage Age Increases: The median marriage age for men rose to 28 by the end of 2010. For women, the median marriage age is now 26. (Source: Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 20 Dec 2010)
Adventist Ministerial Student Writing Contest: Ministry Magazine is hosting a writing contest for ministerial students, including prizes up to $750. Your work can impact pastors around the world. Submission deadline June 30, 2011. More info: Visit www.ministrymagazine.org/swc.
NAD Devotionals: NAD News Points, the North American Division newsletter publication, offers short video devotional thoughts from NAD officers on their website.
The Art of Bullying: In the wake of several teen suicides resulting from bullying, Larry Blackmer, NAD Vice President for Education, shares the long-term effects of bullying and warning signs. Read the article in Adventist World on pages 34-37.
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